Sisters, I have 3 and my brain wont let me imagine this scenario .. its rejects the possibility that this could happen to me .. like rain off a window..

I have 3 sisters, each one different, each one special and unique. In my experience, sisters are… caring, irreplaceable female companions and confidants.. there with you throughout your life.  Sometimes a rock and sometimes a pain in the bum… (sorry sisters)

I never met Haya, but I heard about her many times from a good friend who worked at Idomeni – Trevor.  I have met many amazing volunteers through my 2 trips to Greece, you get to know people quite well over a very short space of time – I guess for a number of reasons; you have the same goals, similar outlook, you need to give and receive emotional support and you need to start working as a team pretty damn quick !!

There are a handful of amazing and special people I have met..  who, (just like old/true friends) .. I will keep in touch with (in my own sporadic/ad hoc way) and if I have the good fortune to meet up with them again, it will be the same as if we saw each other yesterday.. Trevor falls into this group of elite awesomeness. A selection of the elite below (this is only the volunteers .. The list of amazing refugees is longer)… not complete .. but nearly  (some I don’t have pics of unfortunately) …

 

So, Trevor told me of Haya.  He met her and her family in Idomeni, where she lived beside the railway tracks.  By all accounts a strikingly beautiful woman from Aleppo.  She told Trevor of her sorrow at not seeing her husband for such a long time.  He was in Germany, like so many families – split apart by border closures.

She cried, and Trevor, sat and showed solidarity.. but unable to hug or hold hands.. It must be hard being male sometimes, worried about misinterpreted motives.  Me, I have no qualms; man/woman or child, if the need arises I will hug or hold hands at the drop of a hat if I feel it will help either one of us….

Haya had travelled with her 2 children, sister, brother in law and their 3 children.  They had endured months at Idomeni, feeling rejected by Europe and living in inhumane conditions.

One day, Trevor visited Haya before his shift  .. he could tell straight away that there was a problem, as Haya and her sister were deep in conversation.  Turning to leave, Haya noticed him and called him over .. things were going to change for these families…

Haya’s sister and brother in law had made the decision to return to Aleppo with their children.  Their mother, brother and third sister remained in Aleppo, they decided it was best to be with them.  They could not see a way forward, they felt they were dying, slowly… trapped in Greece and there was no way out.  At the same time, Haya had notification that she was able to join her husband in Germany.. Trevor’s words below: …

“Then Haya told me she is going to Athens soon – her family reunion application had been approved and she was going to join her husband! This was totally unexpected and fantastic news, I was so thrilled for her, and let her know it. At the same second I remembered that her sister was sitting right there, and she started crying. Sitting with the two of them, one to Aleppo and one to Germany, I’ve never experienced such extremes of happiness and sadness at the same time, I didn’t know what to do with it. So the three of us just sat there bawling together..

It was difficult for me to process, I can’t imagine what it’s like for them.

Living is Aleppo is a martyrdom project. You can die anytime, in your home, at work, in the street. “

Trevor Angel 

I thought of my sisters and our children.  I am usually quite adept at putting myself in someone else’s position .. a blessing and a curse .. but it helps me to feel empathy quite readily in a variety of situation .. However, this humanitarian crisis is different across the board. The choice these sisters had to make was one I never want to face or imagine.  They are innocent, they have suffered, they are scared and heartbroken .. They deserve compassion and humanity, they found none from their Government or the EU leaders, but they did from a fellow human who chanced upon them in a god forsaken refugee camp in Northern Greece.