Because watching is not an option. An overview of our projects.

Vanja Crnojevic travels to Serbia as a private person, alone with her backpack and money from private donors. The media quickly become aware of the young woman, who herself fled Bosnia with her family as a child. She establishes far-reaching contacts and thus lays the foundation for the activities of the “Borderfree Association”.

Back in Switzerland, Vanja founded the “Borderfree Association” together with women from the Balkans and Switzerland. The first projects in Presevo are implemented through private donations. Initially, these consist mainly of the distribution of food and hygiene packages, as well as individual help for individuals in need.

Until the closure of the Greek-Macedonian border, “Borderfree Association” is mainly active in Presevo, where the up to 15,000 refugees passing through the registration centre are provided with food, clothing, blankets, hygiene articles and safe sleeping places. “Borderfree Association” is registered as an association in Serbia.

After the partial closure of the Balkan route, there is a backlog of refugees at the Macedonian border. “Borderfree Association” is shifting its focus to Idomeni in Greece and, with volunteers from the ranks of the refugees, is providing meals to over 3000 people every day. A small school in tents is also being set up.

After the evacuation of Idomeni, the refugees are distributed in camps. In these camps only basic needs are covered. In Camp Petra, “Borderfree Association” is building basic medical care, two school buildings and hygiene infrastructure. The camp will be evacuated in November 2016 as it is unsuitable for the cold winter months.

“Borderfree Association” applies for registration as an NGO in Greece and obtains non-profit status in Switzerland and thus tax exemption. Educational projects in Serbia are further expanded to offer prospects to refugees who stay in the camps for a longer period of time.

The mobile dental clinic – a joint project between Masroor Medical Research Institute, Volunteers for Humanity and the Borderfree Association, is starting operations in Presevo and Bujanovac. Two Serbian dentists will be employed by the Borderfree Association for this purpose. The dental clinic treats up to 60 people a week.

Mobile midwife clinic: The idea of the mobile midwifery clinic came to a volunteer during her work at Camp Presevo with Borderfree Association: A midwife herself, she noticed the many pregnant women and babies and the lack of services for them. Together with her project partner she started planning and converting the vehicle into a mobile midwife clinic. Borderfree Association provided advice and support before the clinic moved to Greece in autumn 2018 due to a lack of permits in Serbia and is now independently run by the Mambrella Association.

House of Rescue: The largest project till today the “House of Rescue – a home for refugee children“ was opened in January 2019 in the town of Loznica in Serbia. Thanks to a large crowdfunding it was possible to acquire and renovate a house. So far we have been able to provide more than 40 refugee children and young people without parents with a safe and suitable place  according their age.

Camp Ziad, Aramel and Abu Suleiman, Lebanon: Vanja Crnojevic visited various refugee camps in Lebanon in the summer of 2019. The situation in Lebanon is precarious. Thanks to generous donations we were already able to buy food, hygiene products, clothes and heating oil for the winter. Borderfree Association will register as an organisation in Lebanon to set up emergency aid and other projects on the ground.