After being in the education field for over 10 years, I wanted to give back to those in need of education, but unable to access it.

In July 2021 I found an advert for a volunteer role as a CTT (Community Teacher Trainer) with RefugeeEd. After passing the lengthy background checks and completing the required training, I started teacher training at the Nea Kavala Camp in Greece. We have an amazing team, and the project is one of the only projects I've seen that benefits refugees and their futures through education. By training refugees to become teachers, they are able to teach others (children and adults) on the camp, and use their new teaching skills to continue teaching when they move out of the camp. Education doesn't have to stop for those on the camp, and the new teachers will have learned the art of teaching... a job for life.

RefugeeEd aims to ensure that refugees and asylum seekers in Greece have access to a quality education. Since 2018 we've supported grassroot education programmes by providing expert advice, training, resources and mentoring to organisations. We do this by matching qualified teachers with grassroot NGOs, either as voluteer teachers or Education Specialists.

The CTT project aims to support and improve the quality of teaching initiatives currently delivered by teachers from the refugee community, the majority of whom do not have formal teaching qualifications. It consists of a structured programme of workshops specially designed for the context and led by experienced teacher trainers. The impact of the workshops will be ensured through mentoring, peer observation, self-review and action planning activities.

As for me, I'm not a marathon runner (far from it). I'm trying to get in shape after weighing a shocking 101kg at 5'10" in September 2021. This marathon run, with your support and donations, will enable us to continue funding this amazing project with RefugeeEd, providing refugees and asylum seekers in Greece with quality education.