Please click HERE to watch the full interview.

Liska Bernet is a refugee rights activist and humanitarian, and the director and co-founder of grassroots organisation Glocal Roots. After taking a master’s in International Development at LSE, Liska started volunteering with refugees in Serbia and Lesvos in 2015, and later founded Glocal Roots with a friend after recognising the need for grassroots projects to support refugees that come to Europe. 

Glocal Roots’ work includes the promotion of social and economic inclusion of refugees in Switzerland and the running of two centres for refugees in Greece. They aim to raise awareness of the challenges that refugees face in Europe and enable a transition for displaced people away from dependency, and towards self-reliance, resilience, and development.

During our interview we discussed:

• The activities Glocal Roots does in Switzerland and Greece;

• The current situation on the ground in Samos and Kos, where Glocal Roots has centres;

• The effect of COVID-19 on women refugees in camps across the Aegean;

• The pros and cons of a new closed camp for refugees in Samos; and

• What the international community can do to make a positive impact on the lives of refugees.

Liska encourages viewers to stay informed as the media is not covering what is happening at the borders of Europe, as well as supporting grassroot groups that work on the ground financially and by volunteering.

To find out more about Glocal Roots’ work you can find them on Facebook or Instagram @GlocalRoots.

Alice Berkeley is a Religions and Theology with Middle Eastern Studies graduate from the University of Manchester. She has a specific interest in refugee and worker's rights, women’s issues and the MENA region.

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