Campaigning to End the Exploitation of Domestic Workers in Lebanon: Documentary Screening, La Piscine, 30.05.2018

Ahmed Ali wants to make invisible people visible. “Their passports are confiscated when they arrive so they have absolutely no rights. Many work for 23 hours straight and have nowhere to sleep,” he tells a crowd of solemn listeners in alternating English and Spanish. “Sometimes they’re not even allowed to …

New Space, Old World: Chefugee Old World, 25.05.2018

Last Friday evening, I once again found myself chased by the dreary lashes of rain into the warm embrace of another Madrid for Refugees Chefugee dinner. This time, I was greeted by comfortable canvas chairs gathered round long tables being carefully laid by busy volunteers. Vast dishes holding an enticing …

Venezuelan Cuisine with Valentín: Chef, Teacher, and Entertainer, Chefugee Cooking Class, 12.05.2018

I arrived at my second Chefugee cooking class at El Gabinete de Historia Natural near Puerta del Sol and was surprised to be welcomed into a beautiful old history museum. The space, which has been reimagined as a center for community events, is filled with ancient relics, pottery from all …

Hiking, Health, and Happiness: Benefit Hike and Yoga, 05.05.2018

There are very few things that truly nurture health in its entirety, that being health of the body, mind, and community, but Madrid for Refugees’ (MFR) Benefit Hikes most certainly do. The event involves a guided hike starting from Cercedilla through the surrounding mountainside and incorporates a relaxing yoga session, …

Cooking Up a Difference with Wesal: Cooking Class with Wesal, 21.04.2018

A pleasant feeling of anticipation lingered in a busy makeshift kitchen where strange contraptions lay on large tables crowded with pre-prepared food and spices of multifarious shapes and colours. This was the setting of the second cooking class organised by Madrid for Refugees (MFR), in which a refugee chef shares …