No Name Kitchen is an independent movement in favour of freedom of movement. We are located at the border crossings along to Balkan and Mediterranean migraton routes, where human rights are a daily struggle for People on the Move. who cross these nefearious places in an attempt to reach the so-called "Cradle of Human Rights": The European Union.
WHY?
Violent and illegal pushbacks combined with very difficult access to MEDICAL CARE make physical injuries and psychological traumas a part of their endless journeys. These discriminatory policies of limiting access to public health services add to the difficulties and precarious conditions under which People on Move are already forced to live. Access to health is a human right. To defend this right and to address People on the Move’s most serious needs, NNK has created and implemented the HEALTH ON THE MOVE project.
HOW?
Through basic FIRST AID, we are able to provide an initial response to medical problems before they become urgent. Because of the living conditions, such as abandoned houses or in the forests, People on the Move often have wounds or cuts that become infected very quickly. These problems add up to frequent cases of border violence.
People on the move are forced to live in precarious hygiene conditions. This not only affects their psychological situation but also greatly worsens health problems. Which is why we have always procured a continuous DISTRIBUTION OF HYGIENE PRODUCTS, such as soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste and razors for example, and provide HOT MOBILE SHOWERS. In recent years, we have developed systems to deal with the issue of SCABIES. By means of mobile showers, change of clothes and creams against scabies, we are able to provide both treatment and prevention.
In addition, there are often health problems that cannot be solved by first aid and often worsen due to the inability to treat the problem in time. Frequent examples of SPECIALIZED HEALTH TREATMENTS are accompanied dentist visits or examinations and check-ups in hospitals or private clinics. In these cases, we are committed to accompanying people so that they are adequately and thoroughly visited.
These problems, such as ophthalmology, are often linked to border violence as eyeglasses are broken by the police or lost while fleeing from them. The health problems that People on the Move experience are a structural lack of attention from authorities and governments.
Last but not least, from July 2023 we are really proud to also have the Care On the Move project as an integrated part of Health on the Move. The people we meet in our projects are often confronted with extremely challenging experiences, including separation from home and their families, being exposed to various forms of violence and living in a constant state of uncertainty. Even though we see an astonishing ability of resilience, often people's mental health has severely suffered due to their experiences and circumstances. Psychological care is often underestimated and ridiculed. Care on the move aims at covering these gaps foreseeing a set of different activities to provide mental health support with session with a psychologist for people on the move and providing emotional support on the field involving field activists and people on the move.
Either from direct use of violence or institutional neglect, the health of people on the move is put on the line. This is why Health on the move is committed on a daily basis to supporting people, often undocumented, who pass through these inhuman places and who whether by choice or obligation cannot stay in the official camps.
SUPPORT!
This tireless presence in the field does not only require activists, but also a sustainable financial capacity.
Every day, the field teams meet people in need of health care. Our ability to provide an adequate response depends entirely on the solidarity of the people who decide to support us.
Your support is essential, health is everyone's right!
On the side of NNK, on the side of the people.