Helping the Refugees in Greece
Donation protected
On 16th February I will be travelling to Lesvos to work with the refugees arriving from Turkey. I have bought a one-way ticket and plan to stay out there for up to six weeks. I am going as an independent volunteer. There is a huge need for people to work in the main refugee camp (Moria), so I will be spending some time there, but I may also join forces with other teams on the island.
I'm not doing this in the desire to be a hero or an angel – really, I'm neither! I’m doing it because I am able to – I’m lucky enough to have the resources. I am paying for my trip myself, so any money I'm able to raise will be going directly to help refugees. And I'm doing it because I feel I should – my experiences of travelling and volunteering in the past year have left me with a strong appreciation of how privileged we are, we who live in politically stable and affluent countries. It’s just down to luck as to which country we are born in. We could all be those people in the death-trap boats, risking their lives to escape war and oppression.
Even in the cold winter storms there can be up to 2,000 people arriving daily - exhausted and hungry, cold and wet from the boat journeys. People arrive, often with nothing except the clothes on their back. There are frail elderly people, pregnant women, new-borns and small children. They are sodden from the journey and at risk of hypothermia, having been forced into boats that are often not seaworthy and dangerously overcrowded. People are given fake ‘life jackets’ by the traffickers, who give discounted rates (still over a thousand dollars per person) based on how dangerous the weather is!
Winters on the Greek islands are very different to the balmy summers, and the temperatures at night (and sometimes in the day) are often freezing. The refugee camps are water sodden and often lacking in the most basic amenities. There are people who have to sleep without any cover as there are not enough tents. Even in the family rooms in the main refugee camp, there is one toilet between 120 people. (Because of bureaucracy, it took two months for the UNHCR to put doors on the toilets!) It is in this camp that people need to register in order to continue their journeys. To do this, the whole family has to queue outside for up to five days in the cold and the wet.
There are very few large NGOs operating on Lesvos. They have neither the capacity to meet the need, nor the flexibility to adapt to the constantly changing situation. It is the small groups and NGOs, and the independent volunteers, who are providing the main practical support and funds to meet the (often very basic) needs of people arriving on the island.
Once on the island, I will be using your donations to purchase things that I can see are the most needed at that time – be it socks for children, petrol to run camp generators, firewood to keep people warm at night. None of it will be disappearing into the bureaucracy of the large NGOs. I will be buying only from Greek shops and companies, so all the money I raise will go into the Greek economy.
Even if it’s just a few pounds/euros/kronor, every donation can make a huge difference. It’s important to me that you are able to see where your money is going. I will be giving updates on this fundraising page, so you can see what I’m doing and exactly how your money has helped.
Thank you very much – your contribution matters!
Louise xx
I'm not doing this in the desire to be a hero or an angel – really, I'm neither! I’m doing it because I am able to – I’m lucky enough to have the resources. I am paying for my trip myself, so any money I'm able to raise will be going directly to help refugees. And I'm doing it because I feel I should – my experiences of travelling and volunteering in the past year have left me with a strong appreciation of how privileged we are, we who live in politically stable and affluent countries. It’s just down to luck as to which country we are born in. We could all be those people in the death-trap boats, risking their lives to escape war and oppression.
Even in the cold winter storms there can be up to 2,000 people arriving daily - exhausted and hungry, cold and wet from the boat journeys. People arrive, often with nothing except the clothes on their back. There are frail elderly people, pregnant women, new-borns and small children. They are sodden from the journey and at risk of hypothermia, having been forced into boats that are often not seaworthy and dangerously overcrowded. People are given fake ‘life jackets’ by the traffickers, who give discounted rates (still over a thousand dollars per person) based on how dangerous the weather is!
Winters on the Greek islands are very different to the balmy summers, and the temperatures at night (and sometimes in the day) are often freezing. The refugee camps are water sodden and often lacking in the most basic amenities. There are people who have to sleep without any cover as there are not enough tents. Even in the family rooms in the main refugee camp, there is one toilet between 120 people. (Because of bureaucracy, it took two months for the UNHCR to put doors on the toilets!) It is in this camp that people need to register in order to continue their journeys. To do this, the whole family has to queue outside for up to five days in the cold and the wet.
There are very few large NGOs operating on Lesvos. They have neither the capacity to meet the need, nor the flexibility to adapt to the constantly changing situation. It is the small groups and NGOs, and the independent volunteers, who are providing the main practical support and funds to meet the (often very basic) needs of people arriving on the island.
Once on the island, I will be using your donations to purchase things that I can see are the most needed at that time – be it socks for children, petrol to run camp generators, firewood to keep people warm at night. None of it will be disappearing into the bureaucracy of the large NGOs. I will be buying only from Greek shops and companies, so all the money I raise will go into the Greek economy.
Even if it’s just a few pounds/euros/kronor, every donation can make a huge difference. It’s important to me that you are able to see where your money is going. I will be giving updates on this fundraising page, so you can see what I’m doing and exactly how your money has helped.
Thank you very much – your contribution matters!
Louise xx
Organizer
Louise Spry
Organizer