why?

No Name Kitchen was born in Belgrade in winter 2017, when activists started cooking alongside thousands of people who were fending for themselves after the Hungarian border closure. Since then, NNK defends the rights of people on the move and asylum seekers, challenging systemic violence and providing essential support.

VISION (what we dream): Freedom of movement for all.

MISSION (what we try): To transform Europe’s racist and violent borders into safer and non-discriminatory pathways.

TACTICS (how we do it):

Direct Support:
Field projects providing support to People on the Move at borders where violence is systematically practiced, often backed by EU institutions.

Political Action:
Advocating and pursuing legal actions to influence policymakers and stakeholders at the EU and national levels.

Awareness Raising:
Raising awareness about the roots and consequences of the European border regime to encourage civil society’s involvement in finding solutions.

"After [the electric shock], I don’t see anything. I was asleep… like a dream. When I woke up, the police hit me in my hand and in my face. After the police hurt me, I can’t walk. I was crawling on the ground and when the police see me, they came to me and started kicking me in the legs."

Mohamed, 16Moving from Iraq to the Netherlands

"They beat us one by one and then they told us to go to cross the river to enter Bosnia. Me, the last one, they beat a lot. One grabbed my shirt and another one punched me. Like that I couldn’t protect my face. When the policeman got tired from beating, the second one grabbed the back of my shirt. I told them: “Stop! You’re hurting me. I cannot breathe.” He grabbed me like that and kicked my face two times with his leg."

Khalida, 18Moving from Algeria to France

"It was midnight. We were in the forest in Croatia when the police stopped us. I told them I need asylum, because my life is in danger, but they laughed at me and started to hit us with their sticks..."

Ava, 26Moving from Iran to Germany

THE BLACK BOOK OF PUSHBACKS

One of the key achievements of our work on the ground is the “Black Book of Pushbacks“, a collective effort created in collaboration with other organizations, which documents the experiences of thousands of people who suffered human rights violations along the Balkan route. By exposing this suffering, we demand accountability from EU institutions and member states for their inhumane treatment.