Our Story
get to know us
Founded in 2015 on the Greek island of Lesvos, at that time the epicenter of the Europe’s refugee crisis with over 500,000 refugees arriving in just a few months, Movement On The Ground has since grown rapidly into an established organization in the global humanitarian field.
With a pragmatic, solution-oriented and community-centered approach, Movement On The Ground has developed the holistic “Camp to CampUs” methodology over the years as the core of its mission. The methodology embodies the vision that forcibly displaced people are as much a part of the solution equation in the provision of safe shelter and reception as any other stakeholder.
By actively involving the displaced communities from the very start in both the co-creation and the management unlocks their potential to contribute rather than being only beneficiaries of aid. The result is a sustainable, cost-efficient and wholesome environment for all involved.
The Camp to CampUs approach, grounded in International humanitarian principles and best practices, aims to enhance the safety, security and quality of life for displaced populations by integrating a community-enabling ecosystem of services that lead to educational, social, and economic opportunities within the camp environment while ensuring cost efficiency in the use of resources.
The primary objective of the Camp to CampUs methodology is to create a holistic and inclusive community model that unlocks the potential of refugees by providing them with access to education, vocational training, and psychosocial support. This model seeks to facilitate self-reliance, resilience, and a sense of normalcy among camp residents, all while optimizing the cost-effectiveness of humanitarian interventions.
In 2023 Movement On The Ground was active in 3 continents addressing some of today’s most challenging conflict areas including Ukraine, North West Syria and Lebanon.