During the Coronavirus outbreak, many Erasmus students who were doing their mobilities in Spain left their Erasmus destinations from one day to the other, leaving behind almost all their belongings. Now, lockdowns are starting to ease around Europe, but travelling back to the Erasmus destination is still complicated, if not forbidden, and It can be very expensive for the students.
In order to respond to this situation and help Erasmus students who are in this situation, Erasmus Student Network has launched the initiative “ESN Solidarity Mechanism”, in collaboration with DHL Parcel España and with the support of the Spanish Erasmus+ National Agency for Education and Training SEPIE. Through this initiative, Erasmus students can get in touch with ESN volunteers in order to arrange the shipment of their belongings back to their countries. Thanks to the collaboration with DHL Parcel España, this can be done at lower prices and with special conditions, which will make the shipment easier and inexpensive for the students.
This initiative is done entirely on a volunteer basis by ESN members who are trying to help students in these difficult times. In ESN we believe it is more important than ever to contribute to society by doing our bit. The Erasmus Generation always answers calls of solidarity.
How does it work? How can I request it?
In order to participate, you will have to check if the local ESN section of your Erasmus city is taking part in the initiative. Unfortunately, due to the current situation in Spain, not all local sections will be able to participate. You will find the list with all the participating sections below.
The process will be as follows:
- The student should fill the participation form, which can be accessed below by clicking the section’s name. The particular conditions of each participating section will be detailed in the form.
- After filling the form, the student will be contacted by the local section in order to arrange all the details. In order to participate, it will be mandatory to sign a document giving permission to ESN volunteers to access the student’s room and pick the belongings. It is important to highlight that this initiative is carried out solely by volunteers. They will try their best to help all students who need it, but it is impossible to guarantee whether it will be possible to satisfy access 100% of the requests. We recommend requesting the service as soon as possible.
- After organising everything with the student, the volunteers will go to the flat and prepare the packages. The student can follow live through a video call, which will also help volunteers prepare the packages efficiently.
- The shipment will be made through DHL Parcel España. The student willing to participate will request and pay the shipment online, sending the documents to ESN volunteers. The company is the main contributor to this initiative, and thanks to its collaboration it will be possible to have a 30% discount and flexible conditions. A detailed explanation of how to arrange the shipment using DHL Parcel España can be found following this link, and among the attached documents.
In case you have any doubts about the initiative, you can write us an email to [email protected]
