02/27/2020
Check out the Banana Stalk over the next week for updates and stories about my trip to Greece to work in a refugee camp on the island of Lesvos! Hear what life was like and learn about my personal experience working among the refugees!
A Snippet of Life in Camp...
Moria Camp is situated on the island of Lesvos, which is approximately two miles from Turkey. Refugees from Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Congo, Somalia, and so forth come to Greece seeking refuge and better lives for their families. They are fleeing wars, extreme militant groups that threaten their lives, and other terrible situations in their homelands. These refugees will pay approximately 2,000 euro per person to get on a boat and seek refuge in Greece.
In June of 2019 when my coworker Robin volunteered in camp, there were approximately 4,500 refugees living in Moria. This camp is only meant to house around 3,000 people. When we were there in January 2020, it had quadrupled to more than 19,000 refugees. In past years, the Greek government transferred thousands of refugees to different camps at the beginning of winter due to the health and safety concerns of cold weather. This year, no large transfers were made, causing the overcrowding.
Structures and tents line the roads in camp where people live. Some families live in ISO boxes, which are shelters similar to shipping containers. Six or seven families will live in a small section of an ISO box where they may have a bunk bed or a triple cot for sleeping. Multiple families will also sleep in large tents that have been provided by the UN. Because of the overflow of people, most new arrivals to Moria are given a small camping tent to live in until better housing is available. Some families that have extra money build their own wooden structures so they have a little more space and better protection from the cold weather. Once they are housed, the refugees must wait until better housing is available or their cases are transferred to Athens so that they can begin the process of living and working legally in Greece (or other countries that grant asylum – could be anywhere)
The main road in camp has the feel of an open-air market. Refugees sell fruits, vegetables, clothing, and other supplies to other refugees in camp. In addition, they have created small businesses where they sell falafels, chicken and rice, bread, and so on. There’s even a Syrian restaurant in camp where people can sit down and have a meal of French fries and falafels. One of my favorite things in camp was trying all of these delicious foods made by the refugees!
Check out the pictures below to get a small glimpse of camp at a distance and some of the delicious food made by the refugees....
