Charity

As in previous years, CinEast is running a Charity Project and kindly asks for your financial support. Since "Away From Home" is the theme of CinEast 2016, we have chosen the Macedonian non-governmental, non-profit organisation "LEGIS" that helps refugees who are in transit through Macedonia.

LEGIS was founded in 2009 by six university graduates, who set about improving their community on a cultural, spiritual and humanitarian level. Since the very beginning, fuelled by a desire for justice and the need to spread goodwill, LEGIS has focused on providing humanitarian aid for people facing financial difficulties, victims of disasters or war, or those who have been left wounded, crippled, oppressed, hungry or homeless.

LEGIS was one of the first NGOs to become actively involved in the refugee crisis in late 2014. It provides direct support, at both Northern and Southern transit points and the mobile units offering food, water, information and translation services, as well as medical and legal support.

In the last two years LEGIS has set up six projects: "Legal and Human Assistance to Refugees", "Winter Clothing for Refugees Transiting Macedonia", "Warm Meals for Refugees Transiting Macedonia", "Hygienic and Non-Food Support for Refugees", "Urgent Assistance for Refugees Transiting Macedonia" and "Food and Clothing for Refugees”.

Currently, LEGIS is organising several activities within the transit camps, including:

-          Sports and recreation for adults and children

-          Creative workshops for children

-          Movie nights

According to the volunteers, movie nights bring much-needed relief to the camps, as they break the monotony of life there and provide a temporary escape from conditions in the camps.

This is why, together with LEGIS, CinEast has decided to collect funds to buy a multimedia projector. It will not only facilitate more movie nights in several transit camps, but is a very useful piece of equipment for other activities, especially those involving children.

There are several ways that you can support this initiative. You can put your donation in one of the piggy banks available at the main festival venues. The piggy banks will be opened and the donations counted by volunteers at the final festival event in Neimënster on Sunday 23 October. Alternatively you may buy photos from the Away From Home exhibition, after the final screening and for some days thereafter. Or just buy the festival pass: 1 EUR from each pass goes to the Charity Project automatically. CinEast undertakes to transfer 100% of the collected funds to LEGIS.

Thanks to your contributions we managed to collect 2921.50 EUR!

In February 2017 CinEast festival representatives travelled to Macedonia to meet people from LEGIS and to use the collected funds to purchase the following equipment: 2 projectors, 2 screens, 2 laptops, soundsystems as well as some DVDs (see donation certificate). We even managed to quickly organise a screening for children from the Tabanovce camp. From now on regular film screenings will be organised for the kids (and parents), bringing a nice break in their daily routine, but also giving them the opportunity to improve their English skills. See certificate of appreciation from LEGIS.

Many thanks again for your contributions - they really made a difference!