Help support the refugee community on Samos!

Movement on the Ground worked for the first half of 2021 in the jungle outside Camp Vathy which had built up due to over crowding in the main camp. The two main projects that we carried out there was Waste Management and Lighting.  A group of resident volunteers joined our team to work  on a daily basis to keep the camp clean. Every morning the group would meet with our MOTG Field Officer to start the daily process of waste removal. In additon they worked to install bins across the camp and to help encourage residents to keep their spaces clean. By actively participating these volunteers are improving their mental health, using and developing their personal skills and feeling part of a team. The impact of a cleaner camp on the wider population is huge, not only on the emotional well-being of all residents but also their physical health.  

Only the official camp had lights. Residents would use small solar lights (provided by the UN), torches or just light a fire. There was also no electricity in the jungle. Therefore MOTG decided to install lighting. Together with resident volunteers these lights were installed across the jungle. It made a huge difference to safety and accessibility. When the sun went down early it was a long time in the darkness. Residents (especially women and children) would not feel safe to go to the toilets or to get water from the taps. Whilst lights by themselves cannot resolve all the safety issues, it was clear people felt safer and more able to access the WASH facilities at night. In addition the jungle was on a hill, with many gaps, small rivers and uneven terrain so it was challenging to move around in the complete darkness. 

In September 2021 Camp Vathy was closed and the residents were moved to a new camp - RIC Zervou.  This is often called a "closed camp" in that the residents are unable to leave the camp. It is built in the middle of nowever, 6 Kms from anywhere. Whilst people are now living in ISO boxes instead of makeshift structures in the jungle the environment is far from dignified. MOTG made the decision to go with our volunteers and have a presence in the camp. Most other NGOs are operating from outside the camp. Whilst we do not think these conditions or this way of housing refugees is acceptable we want to try to make a difference and the only way we can do this is to be inside the camp. 

The camp does look bleak but we have worked alongside our volunteers to give it some colour, we now have a Chai tea point serving as a community space for people to come together, we have built football courts with our partner Cruyff Foundatio so people can play sport.  We have big plans for 2022 as to how we can help make this camp more dignified with more community spaces, education programs, improvements to the ISO boxes.