Offene Arme e. V.
managed by Alexander Hirsch
About us
Offene Arme e.V is the only remaining NGO on the island of Chios, that is continuously providing Non-Food Items (NFIs) to asylum seekers and refugees who have arrived on the island after crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey. NFI items include essentials like clothing, shoes, and hygiene items. We distribute these through:
- A Free Shop where asylum seekers and refugees can choose their own clothes and hygiene items, helping them to maintain a small sense of normality;
- Landing Packs of essentials that can be distributed to asylum seekers and refugees in emergency situations when they arrive;
- A Pop-up Shop that is set up just outside of Vial CCAC for Unaccompanied Minors (UAMs), as they are unable to come to the Free Shop alone;
- Distributions of hygiene items and excess stock are run outside of Vial CCAC whenever possible to provide as many items as possible;
- And many others.
Latest project news
New Year greetings and thanks from Offene Arme
Belated New Year greetings to all of our wonderful supporters. Thanks to your support the team on Chios has reached the 10th Anniversary of the formation of the Chios Eastern Shore Response Team, the forerunner of Offene Arme, and continues to do its very best to meet the needs of every new arrival on the island - and there were a total of 3210 in 2025! We hope that we now have funds to keep us going for the next few months, and thanks to a huge donation of supplies of NFIs in October raising funds for running costs remains our priority. Please continue your generous support and share with us in hoping for a better world in 2026!
