Currently, 55,000 refugees are stuck in Greece. Among other improvised camps, Ritsona recently opened. The military is providing tents & 3 meals a day, but no proper housing or sanitary facilities exist. The most urgent measures are, cleaning the camp & creating a laundry room & educational programs. We offered volunteers & resources, while co-creating with camp residents. We are talking to refugees to see what skills they have. One of their ideas, was to start cultivating a vegetable garden.
There are thousands of refugees stuck in Greece on their way to the rest of Europe-they are being forced to stay in ill-equipped make-shift camps for an indefinite period of time. In addition to having to live in appalling conditions, they are left with nothing to do but wait. Naturally, this uncertainty and lack of occupation leads to a feeling of worthlessness, depression, and great frustration-and a formula for potential unrest.
Together with refugees we will improve the conditions of the camp so that people do not feel as passive & powerless recipients of aid. We want to empower them through active participation by providing them with the resources they need to educate their children & basic needs for day to day life. We will distribute what they need for their day to day life, such as mosquito and snake repellents and improve the hygiene standards.
It is difficult to overstate the impact of the humane treatment of these refugees. The experiences that they have now can shape the rest of their lives, perhaps especially for children, who have already been through traumatic events, including even the loss of relatives under circumstances that were often unnecessary. We are trying to create a "safe space" and a period of calm in which a feeling of optimism can take root.