Emergency appeal for Moria - Lesvos

A catastrophic fire has ripped through Moria refugee camp on Lesvos.
Approximately 12,600 people are now homeless and have nowhere to sleep at the moment, around 40% are children.  

What can only be described as a ticking time bomb has now gone off. 

A camp that has housed at various times between 5 and 10 times its capacity in desperate conditions has for the past 5 years been the main camp on the Greek Islands and as conditions have deteriorated, NGOs have been shut out.  

Undeterred however, getting aid to this and many other camps over the past 5 years has been the number one priority for Hope and Aid Direct.  Working with partners in Lesvos, Samos, Chios and on the mainland we have been successful in helping many thousands of people during this period. 

Photo: Sky News

THEY NEED YOUR HELP NOW!

A container of aid was already planned for this month, but in response to the fire we are now urgently preparing to send another container which we will fill with clothes that we have procured very recently. 

The Covid Situation

The COVID-19 pandemic has been spreading alarmingly around the world. Everywhere, severe measures are being taken by governments, closing borders, canceling flights, self-isolation and strengthening health systems in order to prevent the spread of the virus. Everyday, we are all committed to battling this invisible threat, but the residents of refugee camps on the Greek Islands do not have the opportunity to protect themselves. 

The living conditions in refugee camps were inhumane long before the pandemic started. Due to massive overcrowding, lack of hygienic and sanitary conditions, malnutrition and insufficient medical care, populations living in refugee camps are especially vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus. 

In this environment, measures deployed in other countries such as proper hygiene practices and social distancing are completely unfeasible. Now that the virus has reached the camps, the consequences are potentially catastrophic.  At least 35 people in Moria alone are known to have the virus. Now that Moria residents have been forced onto the streets, a number of those infected are out in the community, at high risk of spreading it to others. 

None of the islands, hosting around 42,000 migrants and asylum seekers are prepared for a health crisis on this scale. According to medical organisations working on Lesvos, an outbreak of COVID-19 could quickly escalate, leading to exponential numbers of infected people within 10 days. If we assume a 3% mortality rate, it is expected that at least 1100 people would die.

Photo: Petros Giannakouris—AP

On Lesvos, the only hospital has been under severe pressure since the migrant crisis peaked in 2015.  Currently there are only 6 Intensive Care Units;  the hospital on the island of Samos also has just 6 ICU beds. 

We are raising funds to both purchase and transport vital aid to NGOs working with the refugee camps of Lesvos, Samos and Chios in order to strengthen the response in the face of the Moria fire and the pandemic. 

By donating to our campaign, you are directly supporting Hope and Aid Direct to purchase and transport items such as clothes, food, soap, sanitary products, hand sanitiser, medical supplies, nappies and much more.

None of the funds raised will be spent on salaries or admin costs.

Photo: CNN

More information about Hope and Aid Direct: Founded in 1999, Hope and Aid Direct is a 100% voluntary, humanitarian aid charity whose team members raise their own funds, obtain donations of aid and transport the aid in convoys of lorries twice a year. Due to Covid-19, we are currently sending shipping containers rather than driving the aid there. 

Photo: Anna Wells, Hope and Aid Direct (2019)

Our team and our partner NGOs distribute the aid directly into the hands of the people who need it the most. Those who make donations include the public, churches, clubs, schools and companies.

Photo: Anna Wells, Hope and Aid Direct (2019)