Projects

Access to clean water, good sanitation and shelter are vital for everyone.

Since 2017, Watershed has been addressing these basic needs for refugees arriving in Europe.  What unites us is a shared commitment to help those in need. By working in partnership with a range of humanitarian organisations like EuroRelief, Choose Love, Médecins Sans Frontières and the Red Cross, we have been able to implement projects in Greece and Serbia. Our main areas of expertise are water and sanitation engineering, and shelter.

Water

Water is life. Clean water is vital to live without illness. However, in many places this basic human right is not guaranteed. Uncontrolled surface water can bring its own problems. Improving drainage helps to combat stagnant water, which can be a breeding ground for diseases and parasites.

Sanitation

Offering functional, safe and dignified spaces where people can keep themselves and their environment clean is a key pillar of WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene). Our team has worked on projects inside and outside camps to install, maintain, repair and maximise sanitation facilities, such as showers, toilets and WASHpads.

Shelter

Watershed understands that shelter isn’t just about having a roof, of some sort, over your head. It signifies protection, privacy, and dignity. We make all manner of improvements to individual accommodation units and general camp infrastructure alike, to ensure a shelter lives up to its name.

Ongoing projects

2021-22: Greece, Lesvos

Mavrovouni: Community Volunteer Activities

We’ve been working with community volunteers in structured way since March 2021. As the Mavrovouni camp has transitioned through various phases of development, our community teams have focused on different aspects over time, to support the WASH needs of the camp population.

WHERE

Greece: Mavrovouni RIC, Lesvos

WHEN

April 2022 – ongoing

TARGET GROUPS

Total population of Mavrovouni RIC (1200 people)

15 community volunteers

PARTNER(S)

Finished projects

Finished
WHERE

Greece: Mavrovouni RIC, Lesvos

WHEN

September 2021- February 2022

TARGET GROUPS

The entire camp population

PARTNER(S)

UNICEF

2021- 22: Greece, Lesvos

Mavrovouni: Transition to permanent WASH facilities

Since opening, one of the most pressing needs in Mavrovouni RIC was to upgrade from temporary toilet and shower solutions to those with a sustainable water supply and sewage network, and dignified access to permanent facilities. From September 2021 onwards, we assisted with the smooth transition to the toilet and shower containers.

Finished

2021: Greece, Lesvos

Mavrovouni: Temporary WASH Activities with Community Volunteers

March 2021 was a crucial month for Watershed, as we undertook a lot of brand-new activities as part of a handover with the German Red Cross (GRC), due to them concluding their emergency mission on Lesvos.

WHERE

Greece: Mavrovouni RIC, Lesvos

WHEN

March 2021 – December 2021

TARGET GROUPS

Population of Mavrovouni RIC

Volunteer pool (maximum) 120

PARTNER(S)

GRC, Caritas Austria

Finished

WHERE

Greece: Mavrovouni RIC, Lesvos

WHEN

November 2020- December 2021

TARGET GROUPS

Population of Mavrovouni RIC, especially those living in the Blue and Yellow zone

PARTNER(S)

IOM, GRC, MotG, UNICEF

2020-21: Greece, Lesvos

Mavrovouni: Shower Projects

Providing people with the ability to shower is one of our main objectives when it comes to WASH. When Mavrovouni emergency camp first opened, there was no possibility for people to wash, let alone shower. In order to address this immediate need, we worked to provide a short-term solution.

Finished

2020-21: Greece, Lesvos

Mavrovouni: Storm Response

The location of Mavrovouni RIC is on a peninsula just North of the old Kara Tepe camp. The area was previously a grassy, open expanse; formerly used for military purposes. Being surrounded by higher ground, the issue of rain water drainage is one that concerned us from the beginning.

WHERE

Greece: Mavrovouni RIC, Lesvos

WHEN

September 2020- March 2021

TARGET GROUPS
PARTNER(S)

SHA, MotG, R4R, BWC, GRC, EuroRelief

Finished
WHERE

Greece: Mavrovouni RIC, Lesvos

WHEN

November -December 2020

TARGET GROUPS

Inhabitants of 156 tents in Mavrovouni RIC with approx. 8 people in each (≈1,250 individuals)

PARTNER(S)

GRC, R4R, EuroRelief

2020-21: Greece, Lesvos

Mavrovouni: Winterised Flooring

As the new camp opened amidst such an emergency context, tents were quickly erected for the residents to move into. However, autumn soon started to approach and the need for flooring to insulate each tent’s inhabitants from the cold and damp ground was evident.

Finished

2018-20: Greece, Lesvos

Moria: WASHpads

Providing solutions to multiple issues in one practical intervention is the kind of efficient project that Watershed loves. Our “WASHpad” project has been repeated in many problematic areas around Moria camp and follows a simple concept that can be easily replicated in a diversity of contexts.

WHERE

Greece: Moria RIC, Lesvos

WHEN

November 2017- September 2020

TARGET GROUPS

The residents of Moria RIC and the inhabitants of the “Olive Grove” overspill.

PARTNER(S)
Finished
WHERE

Greece: Moria RIC, Lesvos

WHEN

2018-2020

TARGET GROUPS

The residents of Moria RIC and the inhabitants of the “Olive Grove” overspill.

PARTNER(S)

MSF

2018-20: Greece, Lesvos

Moria: WASH Containers

We see value in bringing quality, durable and audience-appropriate facilities to people on the move. During the nearly three years that we concentrated our operations in Moria camp, we focussed on simultaneously maximising the number of facilities available to residents whilst ensuring they are durable and easy to maintain in both design and material.

Finished

2017-20: Greece, Lesvos

Moria: Shelter Projects

Whilst focussing on WASH has always been our main priority, the knowledge and skills of our team also lend themself to supporting people’s shelter needs. Over the course of nearly three years in Moria, our shelter work has spanned from small repairs and simple fixes that support individual families, to collaborative build projects that address the needs of entire communities.

WHERE

Greece: Moria RIC, Lesvos

WHEN

November 2017- September 2020

TARGET GROUPS

The residents of Moria camp.

Specifically lone women in Section C/D, residents of Level 2 and families living in ISOboxes.

PARTNER(S)

GAiN, CRR, EuroRelief

Finished
WHERE

Greece: Moria RIC, Lesvos

WHEN

November 2020- present

TARGET GROUPS

The residents of Moria RIC and the inhabitants of the “Olive Grove” overspill.

PARTNER(S)

2017-20: Greece, Lesvos

Moria: WASH Maintenance

From November 2017 to September 2020 we based our operations in Moria camp on Lesvos, during that time maintenance was always Watershed’s most prioritised activity. We have witnessed, time and time again, how the simplest repairs and interventions mean the difference between somebody being able to use a toilet or not.

Finished

2017: Serbia

Transit Centres: WASH and Shelter Projects

After the Barracks were evicted in May 2017, Watershed started to focus more intensely on WASH and shelter. Firstly, we provided labour for an emergency response shelter project, erecting tents and installing floors in Kikinda TC, in order to prepare the camp for the arrival of residents coming from the Barracks, with our partners Médecins sans Frontières (MSF).

WHERE

Serbia: Kikinda, Obrenovac, Sombor, Pirot Transit Centres (TCs)

WHEN

2017, May – October

TARGET GROUPS

The residents of TCs

PARTNER(S)

MSF

Finished
WHERE

Serbia: The Barracks, Belgrade

WHEN

2017, February – May

TARGET GROUPS

Approx. 1,200 men and boys living in an unofficial squat

PARTNER(S)

Several grassroot NGOs

2017: Serbia

The Barracks and other unofficial settings

Watershed first found its feet in Serbia, as a team of friends, who came together at the Choose Love volunteer hub in Thessaloniki. Although connected by a shared commitment to the same cause, we aspired to put our specific, practical skills and experiences to use- somewhere that it was really needed. In the early months of 2017, over 1200 men and boys were living in an unofficial squat next to Belgrade train station, called “the Barracks.”

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