Solidarity for refugees

One less plate to fill ….

My husband and I dropped off our eldest son at University on Sunday.  He is in halls of residence, we made sure his cupboards were full of food and he had some money before his loan comes through.  We are stretching our finances to the maximum to pay for his accommodation, but we do it because we want him (and all our sons) to have choices and a future.

Its taking me a while to get used to filling one less plate, each time I feel a sense of loss.  My son has texted once since he left, I wish it was more – but its an improvement on how often I contacted my parents whilst I was at University.  They were lucky to hear from my every few months.

As we left him at University, to ‘fend for himself’ I know that any harm he comes to (which obviously I hope is none) will likely be self inflicted.  He has a room, a bed, food, some money, shelter and his future is firmly in his hands.

I think about what it would be like for my husband and I to pull together all the money we had, not to send Joe to University, but to put him in the hands of a smuggler and send him to a foreign land across the sea in a flimsy boat.  I wonder how I would feel as I mistakenly put out an extra plate for the ‘nth time since he left. I imagine I would not feel an uneasy sense of loss, but an overwhelming anxiety tinged with some hope. In this case, Joe’s future would not be firmly in his hands, but in the hands of criminals and at the whim of politicians and bureaucracy.

Then I think of a young man just a few months older than my son that I met in a Military Camp in Northern Greece.  Hamid is 19 years old and is a quietly confident, calm, handsome and dignified man who always looked incredibly smart and always wears a shy wide smile.  He is the son of a dentist and was in his first year studying medicine when he and his family were forced to send him away to keep him safe and give him the best chance of  continuing his studies.  He has been in Greece in camps for around 9 months.

Hamid is desperate to learn and continue his studies.  My friend, Rosemary, who came out to Greece with me is an English teacher.  Each day Hamid would wait patiently until she had a spare half hour to conduct an English class and set him some homework.  He would help with translating and distribution whenever needed, and it was clear that all residents in the camp had respect and love for him.

His family remains in Damascus, he says they are safe.  His preferred destination is Germany or Holland, but without immediate family living there, its unsure whether he will get his wish or when he will be relocated.  He loves to play chess and watch National Geographic films, he loves to learn and is ambitious.

I don’t know of any refugees in Greece who have been relocated through the official channels, the only ‘good news’ stories seem to involve large sums of money and smugglers.  The system is slow, complicated and like a mountain you are climbing and each peak you reach allows you to see the next peak, seemingly endless and sapping of energy.

Hamid is intelligent and optimistic, I am sure that he will make something of his life, regardless of how many additional peaks the authorities add to the mountain he is climbing.  But this cannot be the case for everyone in this situation, the longer this goes on the harder it will be for people to readjust.  Winter is coming, for many this is the second winter in a tent, this makes me for very ashamed of my country and of the EU.

These people are not skittles, they are not terrorists, they don’t need saving or pitying and they are no different from my family or your family.  The only difference is the mountain they have to climb keeps changing, their future is no longer in their control.

Many nationalities, having fun

Kids being kids

The only barriers are an illusion put up by extremists and those in power to divide the people so they fear and are suspicious of their fellow humans.

People to people solidarity

Thinking and wondering .. 

Back only a few hours from a camp in northern greece.. It already seems far away. Again I have met many wonderful people who will remain in my heart forever.. 

I think of the young father, in his early 30s with his wife, daughter of 3 and baby of 18 months.  In Syria he was a well respected Tailor, running a business with 25 machines making sports clothes. I think  how he is  always so smiley and always so happy to help . I think how he thanked me telling me I had made his children very happy.  I think of the baby, so funny and cheerful and always wanting to dance.  I think of his daughter kissing me to thank me and hugging me goodbye.   I wonder how long this beautiful family will have to wait  before being allowed to settle and make a life, how long before this talented Tailor is able to make a living and provide for his family.  

I think of a serene, kind, petit, beautiful lady from Iraq in camp with her 1 year old son and husband.. she is 4 months pregnant and was training to be an Arabic teacher in University when she and her family had to flee.  I wonder whether she will be able to continue her studies and I wonder where she will end up.  I hope they are settled before the new baby arrives. 

I think of the sparky 10 year old girl in camp with her 3 brothers  and parents.  I think how she would always be first in line for the skipping.  I remember how when she got tired her tongue would stick out.. she would shout “want fire fire” which meant fast fast.  We would speed up and she would laugh in delight. I think how happy she was when we made bracelets and necklaces and how she pouted if I didn’t let her jump the skipping queue.  She asked me not to leave, I smiled hugged her and told her I had to go.  My emotions tightly in check so not to upset her.  

I think of the 19 year old young man.  He was a  Shepherd in Syria, he made a flute out of pipework and showed how he would call shown the sheep from the mountains. So resourceful and full of  energy and fun.  Even joining in painting nails which was hilarious to see. Although hanging only from his feet from the goal posts shouting “Emma look” gave me quite a shock.  He is on his own in camp and helps every day to complete the women’s centre, always smiling, always helpful. So much talent and strength of character I wonder where he will go to and what he will do.  I believe he could do absolutely anything if only given a chance.  

I think about people who want to keep these amazing unique talented individuals out of their countries and wonder if they met them would they feel the same.  I don’t think it’s possible because the resilience, warmth, generosity and kindness of the people I have met is mind blowing and you can’t ignore this. 

There are so many more people that I am thinking and wondering about. But for now I need to try and prepare my own incredibly lucky son for university. 

People to people solidarity 💓 

Northern Greece .. Solidarity and humanity are needed more than ever..

We are on the second day of Eid here in Northern Greece, I am on my sixth day.  The situation is not so desperate as Lesvos or Idomeni which is a big relief.  However, people are still trapped here having escaped from war and trauma. Again I am struck by the incredible kindness and honor of these people in the face of such hardship.

I have had time to play with the children and talk to their parents, setting up little activities.  A lady here, I shall call her Fatima has been looking after me as I have been caring her and her family.  Fatima is 7 months pregnant and here with her 3 young children and husband.  The rest of their extended family remain in Syria.

Two days ago she fell in the shower and hurt her wrist.  She looked in pain and her smile was gone.  She told me that she couldn’t move her fingers and her wrist looked swollen and bruised.  I went to the Military on camp and asked whether she could see a doctor.  They said they could arrange for an ambulance to take her to hospital.  However Fatima did not want to leave her family and go off in an ambulance, she told me she would wait until the doctors came to camp the next day.  That evening as I was playing jump rope with the children, she brought me out a plate of delicious salad and hugged me.  I find it difficult to explain the depth of feeling I felt from this gesture  of kindness and friendship.

Fatima escaped from Syria 7 months ago, the family travelled through Turkey and across the sea to Lesvos like so many other families.  As I look at the children aged 18 months, 4 and 5, I find it impossible to imagine the fear they must have felt.  Fatima’s husband was given a 2 minute explaination of how to drive the boat and he was then responsible to get the passengers safely to the shore.

Safe passage for people fleeing war remains a far off seemingly unreachable dream.  I think of the week when 900 people drowned in the Mediterranean, the same week a gorilla was shot in an American zoo.  I think about 900 people all in one space, a mixture of men, women and children, 900 people dead and yet the media were more interested in the gorilla, 900 people of color drowned in the Mediterranean is no longer news.   I think of whole families wiped out because of the growing worldwide inequality and my anger and frustration burns, I want to shake the politicians and those in power and force their eyes to open.  But their eyes are sown together, their mouths firmly shut and their ears are full of cotton wool, they refuse to see, speak or hear.

Yesterday was the first day of Eid.  Funded by my amazing donors, I bought presents for everyone at camp.  A bag filled with’ small toys, a ball, some sweets, bracelet making bits, crayons, stickers and paper for the children, lipstick for the women and playing cards for the men.

I was invited for tea at Fatima’s tent yesterday, the children were sitting sticking and coloring using the items we had distributed earlier, showing me proudly the pictures they had created.  This was even more touching as her young son is a wild, cheeky boy who is seldom not in trouble, to see him so calm and engaged was quite a surprise.  Fatima’s husband was Skyping his family in Syria, wishing them a happy Eid.  He excitedly gave me the phone to speak to his family, I wished them Eid Mubarak and they laughed and waved at me. Fatima showed me pictures of her younger sisters wedding and her family.  I showed them pictures of my family we chatted through google translate

They are our brother and sisters, our worldwide tribe, why can’t everyone see this? Why must false barriers be thrown up at every opportunity?

A day of solidarity, fun and community.

This is my third day in Kavala working for Northern Lights Aid.  As ever, it feels like each day is a week.  The camp I am working at is a Military camp just outside the beautiful coastal town of Kavala.  Set back and not visible from the road is a small camp, populated by Syrians.

The residents here used to be located at the notorious ‘snake pit’ camp a few miles away, they were there for a grueling 9 months.  Snake Pit Camp was situated at the bottom of a working quarry.  Incredibly hot with the added torture of an adjacent rock crushing machine.  As the name suggests, the snakes were in the camp in large numbers, all in all life here was pretty unbearable.

The Military moved the people from Snake Pit Camp to Kavala around a month ago due to pressure from Jenni James, an unstoppable humanitarian I first met in Lesvos.  The tents are inside an old army buiding and the basics such as food, water, toilets and shower are funded by the Ministry of Immigration.  The food is brought twice a day and consists of’ croissants, rice, bread and occasionally some chicken.

Northern Lights have been working at the camp to improve conditions and provide some dignity, as the wait for asylum is predicted to be a long one. Very few have left Greece through the official channels, the ‘good news’ stories are about people who have managed to pay to be smuggled out.  One family have recently been given relocation to Latvia, however they have been waiting in Athens for months due to bureaucracy.  Latvia have been forced to accept a small number of refugees by the EU, but there have been protests around the country against accepting any number of refugees, however small.

The camp has a very different feel and atmosphere than the camps I worked in back in April/May time.  The children are not as needy, they seem calmer and more settled.  Things are much improved on this particular camp from the days of the unofficial camps, which is a relief.  The people here have gone from arguably the worst camp in the area to one of the best.
Even saying this, people here are still waiting, waiting, waiting.  A beautiful lady I have spoken to a number of times told me how she had to leave Syria.  The bombs falling day after day, after her parents were killed in an air strike, she left with her young children and husband.  She is 7 months pregnant, and is desperate to be settled in Holland for when her  baby arrives.

The most amazing thing about this camp is the input of the local community.  I was blown away by this.  There are many local people who have been working hard with Northern Lights to  improve conditions.  Yesterday I was honored to attend a party on camp.  The children were all in their best clothes and cleaned up for the occasion.

It was organized by local people who brought amazing freshly cooked food and organized entertainment.  My donors paid for pizzas and refreshments which I thought was a great use of the money.  Some local teenagers provided live music and speakers were put up to play music.  The dancing was amazing, both Arabic and Greek music was played and smiling faces were seen across the whole camp.

To see the residents of the camp dancing and laughing with local people and volunteers from around the world was incredibly emotional.  This is what solidarity is about, this is what being human is about.

So I have arrived in Northern Greece with two friends . Ready to help work and show solidarity with the refugees trapped here after fleeing war by an uncaring bureaucratic Europe.  

I am looking forward to meeting the tireless members of Northern Lights Aid tonight and find out what our plans is for tomorrow.  I know we cant solve it  .. we just want to help .. we  just want to show we care . 

I have been looking for a positive slant to report in this blog.. A report of hope, love and humanity..my state of mind among other things has meant it has taken longer than it should .. but, you really don’t need to look that far ..

These last few weeks have been in many ways horrific and soul destroying for humanity .. some of the atrocities listed below that I can remember from the last couple of weeks …

Terrorist attacks in Turkey, Iraq and Bangladesh – huge losses of civilian lives reported, massive civilian casualties from air strikes in Syria,  families shot dead by Turkish Border Guards trying to escape from Syria into Turkey, the assassination of Jo Cox by far right extremist, growing racist incidents and rise of fascist groups in England following Brexit, children trapped in camps in Lebanon committing suicide in growing numbers, increasing numbers of families leaving Europe and returning to conflict zones – dying quickly in their homeland is preferable to dying slowing (physically and mentally) trapped in a camp in a foreign country, millions of refugees across the world forced to live in inhumane camps with diminishing hope for the future.

I know its hard to read this incomplete list, it breaks my heart too.. but this is the world in which we live, and it affects us all whether we know it or not, whether we like it or not.

Until every human life on this planet is seen as equal we can not have justice and peace. Each one of the hundreds of children drowned in the seas around Europe over the last few months is worth as much as each and every one of our children.  Each child was as loved by his/her family, yet many of these children are now buried in graves on the Greek Islands marked with wooden cards such as;  ‘Boy aged 5’ or ‘Baby Girl aged 18 months’.  Until this changes then I can see no hope for humanity.

So what can we as humans on this planet do?  We are not helpless and we are not voiceless.  I am not giving up on my generation, or the generation before me, or the generation after me .. but the place I have found deep wells of humanity, hope and calls for peace is in our children.  At the very least we can teach our children about humanity, peace and equality.  That is something we can all do (by ‘our children’ I mean ‘all children’).

I have been talking when I can at schools and groups over the last couple of weeks (with some booked next week)  and have been bowled over by our children.  They are intense, thoughtful and incredibly caring.

Talk with Beaver Scouts

Writing letters of Solidarity

Harder hitting talk with teenagers

I have a lovely collection of cards, friendship bracelets and letters to take with me when I go to Greece in September.  These children are the future and they are full of love and pragmatic hope.

Some questions the kids asked:

“Can I send my bed over to the camp?”

“Can we  send pillows so people are more comfy?”

“If people  don’t make it across the sea, where do they go?” (from an older child)

“Why don’t we just give them a passport and let them come here?”

“What made you decide to go and help?” (from a very clever 7 year old)

“Why doesn’t our Government help and let people come here?”

Hard questions to answer, as I am just as confused as the children on some of these points.

Also, many people have donated lots of; sun cream, mosquito spray, bite remedy and toothbrushes which I will send to Greece next week.  People care and want to show solidarity.  The full count is not done yet .. but the numbers are considerable

Of course as well as these local initiates, which happen daily across the country, there have also been big demonstrations of solidarity and calls for peace. These are not always reported, but they are happening frequently and across the country.

We need to be aware of what is happening on our planet to our brothers and sisters, but we also need to have hope that it will get better..We can help no matter how small our contribution to spreading messages of tolerance, love and peace  People to people solidarity.

Emma XX

If you would like to donate to my next trip in September with Rosemary (we are both self funding) then we will ensure your money is spent where its needed.

Go Fund Me – Support 4 Refugees

“What is your problem?” a friend recently asked – its a good question I thought !!

It made me examine more closely, what my ‘problem’ was.  Its less than 9 months since my eyes were opened to this ‘refugee crisis’.  I am 43 years of age  – so this experience and quest to become more informed is a very small percentage of the life I have led (in simple ‘time’ terms).  However, since then, my mind has known little peace.

So, maybe I am obsessed, ill or need medication? Of course this is possible – but I don’t think that is my ‘problem’.

As I have learnt and experienced more about the inequalities in our world, I have opened a Pandora’s box which refuses to close – even if I wanted it to.  Therefore, as its difficult to believe that our world will be mended in my lifetime, I guess I have chosen a path of sorts for my remaining years.  Although, I still am very unsure as to where this path will lead.

I am so grateful to be on the side of the fence which affords me; safety, an education, choices, opportunities, freedom and shelter.  To not be grateful is unforgivable in today’s world.  However, more and more of my neighbours are trapped on the other side of the fence.  Trapped in a world without; safety, an education, choices, opportunities, freedom and shelter.

Physical/political fence at the Greek Macedonian border

The fence is both physical and political.  Many powerful people from all walks of life want to build the fence higher, stronger and more opaque.  These powerful people would rather that the people on the other side of the fence to ‘us’ could not be seen, were forgotten about.  Its easier if ‘they’ are seen as so different to ‘us’ that it doesn’t matter how horrendous that side of the fence is – after all ‘we’ don’t have to live there.

My ‘problem’ is that I will never accept division, fear and hatred as the status quo. I will not accept that just because of where I was born I deserve so much more than another human born in less fortunate circumstances. There really is no ‘them’ and ‘us’ – only ‘us’.

At this point in the history of humanity, there are major challenges.  The continued inability of world leaders to help millions of people fleeing conflict zones, war and famine across the globe and climate change to name a few.

These issues simply cannot be addressed by building walls, locking ourselves away and not engaging in proper debate.  The’ building walls’ concept seems the easier option in the short term, much more palatable to many than opening ourselves up to the world.  Also, its safer for political careers and popular with fundamentalists of all persuasions as it feeds fear.

From a world security perspective, I am personally terrified of America in the hands of Trump, a split EU and a inwardly looking UK in the hands of the Tories. I will carry on trying to do what I can to promote unity over division, I know many others doing the same… so many people feel the same, we are not alone.

This Saturday there is an event in London to show solidarity and counter racist rhetoric, follow link below for further details;

London to Calais

As the organizers state;

“Now more than ever we need a huge response to the refugee crisis to counter the racist rhetoric across Europe trying to demonise and disenfranchise victims of war, oppression and poverty. Some of the largest mass movements in Britain have joined together with major trade unions to show solidarity.”

If you can, come and stand with us …

880 people drowned in 1 week in the seas around Europe .. that’s the equivalent 3 medium sized primary schools full of children….The tragedy is reported on the front page of every newspaper, the horror and waste of lives is talked about in pubs and on buses – everyone shocked and stunned, we have 2 min silence to remember the dead .. Oh no hang on …my mistake.. .. that didn’t happen, only virtual silence

Its hard to imagine how we will feel about this humanitarian disaster in 20 years or so, with the enormous benefit of hindsight.  I have a feeling the dehumanisation of such huge groups of people to promote ‘divide and rule’ by our Governments and Media may be likened to Nazi propaganda (there is no room, we cant afford them, they want our money/jobs/benefits/houses, they want to change our religion, they will harm our children / women,.. etc etc).  I find this idea very hard to write or express, and I am aware that I may lose some readers at the very point.  But it is the reality of this situation.

People are fleeing; bombings, torture, rape, murder, hunger, being forced to fight for one side or the other, the list goes on.. Nobody disputes this (I dont think so anyway) .. as its well documented and we have seen the human scars and watched the air strikes.  So, facing these traumas anyone would flee their country to look for safety.

Aleppo is burning

Aleppo is burning

If this were you, you would imagine that when you tell your horrific story – at the first safe place you reach, people would be shocked and appalled .. they would hold you close and tell you not to worry any more, that you and your children are safe, … that no human should have to go through what you and your family have.. that they would help you to start a new life.  You would cry with relief and thank them for your kindness, promise that somehow you would work hard to pay them back ..

We all know now that this doesn’t happen.. the relief of fleeing one form of torture is simply replaced with another form of torture… perilous journeys by sea, dangerous smugglers, living in tiny tents with no access to running water for months on end, wind, rain, scabies, head lice, police in riot gear and face masks, being forcibly moved to another unsuitable camp site,  not knowing, despair, waiting, children bored, unable to provide for your family, no chance to work, no school, (some of these children have not been to school for months/ years), no activities, relying on charity, being unsure of your rights, unsure of your future…

The Government and EU cannot get away with sitting on their hands and using delaying tactics .. we need safe passage for refugees, we need to provide assistance with relocation  in their new country of residence .. This is more important than political careers, popularity or readership statistics.  OK it may cost some money in the first couple of years, but after this, these amazing, intelligent, resourceful people will more than pay back what has been spent to give them a chance.  They would be an asset to any country.

So .. this just cant go on ..the thought of a summer even worse than last summer, with more drownings and intense suffering is just too much to bear, but at the moment it looks likely.. I urge you to; write to your MP (or visit their surgery), speak out, attend demonstrations, contribute to collections, show solidarity, speak up, do not be divided – the world is a small place – we are them and they are us.

Pressure the UK government to let refugees in… Convoy to Calais on June 18th, a mass mobilisation of vehicles assembling in Whitehall to drive to Calais to expose the government’s lack of action .

http://www.conveytocalais.org

worldwide tribe 12 June EC2Y 8 London, United Kingdom

(latest radio interview link .. getting out the human story .. with some sewage treatment discussions also)

Radio interview – sewage treatment and volunteering (from 15 min into programme)

Goodbye Idomeni .. a place of; community, solidarity, fear, joy, peace, violence, hope, hopelessness … and seemingly endless waiting and waiting  …what comes next ? 

So Idomeni has all but gone, emotions are mixed and uncertainty prevails.  I am not in Northern Greece at the moment and yet I have felt intense emotions and anxiety like a tightly coiled spring.  If I feel this from England, through my connections in Northern Greece then I can’t imagine what people in Northern Greece must feel.  I didn’t spend much time in Idomeni, mostly I was at Hara Hotel.. but the people in Idomeni made a huge impression on me.  I think of the people I met there and wonder where they are now, do they have hope or despair?

School in Idomeni – exercise and play

Used uear gas canister

The Idomeni Cultural Center

English classes

Military tanks approaching Idomeni

Clashes in Idomeni

A beautiful lady I met in Idomeni

Idomeni was not somewhere you would want to live, not somewhere you would want your family to live.. It was a waiting place .. a waiting place with seemingly no end in sight.  The majority of people were unable to register for asylum from Idomeni and the borders are well and truly shut. So, without system or policy change (which was not on the cards) then being in Idomeni was pretty pointless, depressing and on occasion dangerous. Change was needed, Idomeni needed to be replaced with something far better. A place where refugees can live with dignity and humanity whilst their claims are processed as fast as possible.

The ‘clearance’ began with a show of force.  Firstly, aid was prevented from being distributed in the camp, aid which people relied on to feed their families.  Then – hundreds of riot police accompanied by military vehicles entered the camp.  Mostly, people left without quietly and without resistance.  Of course, what resistance could they show? They have been denied food and drink, they have children and babies and are faced with huge shows of force.  The media showed videos of refugees smiling from the buses, on their way to the official camps.

I tried to force my optimistic side take control of my emotions, for purely selfish reasons I realise in retrospect.  You see, I didn’t know if I could watch further suffering be forced upon these fellow humans from the comfort of my safe space in England.  I imagined well run UNHCR camps, with large, clean white tents, showers, toilets and officials on site to quickly process applications.  People gaining asylum within Europe as they are entitled to under International Law.

So what is the news from the people on the ground .. ? Yes, people left without resistance, over 2 days 3000 people were moved to the official camps, only a few hundred are left.

Around 4000 are unaccounted for, it is thought they may have moved to different camps (certainly some had relocated to Hara) or chanced it one last time to cross the border illegally.  The police have announced  refugees who are returned having crossed the border illegally will have their asylum claims cancelled… to try to escape is to be punished

A few hundred in Idomeni staged a protest last night, a peaceful demonstration .. the police reacted with force – any dissent it seems will also not be tolerated.

So where have these 3000 vulnerable refugees been taken?

The answer is, they have been taken to a number of official camps mainly around Thessaloniki, most (if not all) are not UNHCR camps.  Many are on the unfit for human habitation, without basic sanitation and water provision.  Most are tents, put up in abandoned warehouses, on factory sites and industrial areas; depressing and potentially unsafe.  Some sites were not cleaned prior to moving people in, some tents are filthy and unclean.  One camp is on an old tannery.  The whole tanning process uses highly toxic and persistent chemicals, I just hope that the area was fully decontaminated prior to moving people there.

At the moment, most camps do not have the presence of UNHCR or NGOs and there are no translators, only soldiers.  UNHCR have condemned many these new camps as unfit for human habitation ..  So.. my optimism quickly dissolves..  only a few grains left, because without those I would cease to function as a human being.

Idomeni grew over time – fueled by the inadequacy of EU leaders, dithering politicians and a climate of fear mongering .. making refugees into problems with no solutions.  Out of this loss of humanity grew community and solidarity.  That will not disappear, already volunteer groups are mobilising, providing hope and helping life become more bearable (those are my grains of remaining optimism in a nutshell).

I am angry and frustrated .. every single study has showed that if refugees are given; safety, shelter, some assistance to settle in a new country and allowed to work, then they will contribute to an economy many times over. So, its not only the right thing to do to provide these things, it also makes economic sense… why is this not shouted from the rooftops and in every newspaper – ‘red top’ or not ?

Yet, we are seeing this trade in human lives, this race to the bottom, whilst people suffer and kids lose years of education .. I want to shout and scream until someone listens ..but I wont because no-one listens if you shout .. I will keep this energy for other things.. I will keep telling the human story, I will fight against the numbers game (played by politicians)  and the de-humanisation of our fellow humans which is happening on a huge scale…. I will talk; in schools, to my MP, to different social and political groups, on the radio, on social media….

Stand in solidarity  – do not be divided..

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) …

Eirik

Me and Kim

Elaine

People in Motion

Trevor

Bry

Jenni and Tracey

Willem

The best taxi driver EVER

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.