"It's a cemetery of human dignity." Jan and Helena described how they helped in the refugee camp<

Both were part of the Czechoslovak group at the Sant'Egidio Community, which organizes volunteer missions. The Sant'Egidio community is an international lay Christian movement with about 65,000 members from 70 countries. In the summer, from July 20 to August 30, the Community sent 250 volunteers to Kara Tepe, the groups took turns after 10 days. Jan and Helena were on Lesbos from August 20-30. It was Jan's second mission, last year he helped in the original Moria camp, which burned down in 2020. The hastily built Kara Tepe camp is smaller.

"It is said that there should be 4300 people in the camp at the moment, but this is only a reference number. There are several different nationalities, mostly people from Afghanistan, they make up about three quarters, and then there are refugees from several African countries, such as the Congo, Cameroon, Somalia and others, "explained Jan. The camp also accepts new refugees in small numbers.

Funding is overseen by the European Commission

"There is now a great effort, even by Frontex (European Border and Coast Guard), the European Union and the Greek government, to reduce the number of refugees as much as possible. An agreement with the Turkish president and his government is being envisaged, which intends to move some Syrians back to Turkey. And overall, there is an effort to keep as few people in the camps as possible, ”Jan recalled that there were up to three times more refugees in the burned-out Moria camp than there is now in Kara Tepe.

Jan pro Blesk Zprávy also described the financing of the camp; since 2015, the Greek government has received 643 million euros from the European Union for the administration of refugee camps, which is over 16 billion crowns. Both volunteers noted that it was not clear at first glance in the camps what the money had been invested in. Jan emphasized that the living conditions in the burned-out Moria were really drastic. "With the construction of the new Kara Tepe camp, the European Commission took over the administration of the camp in order to have more oversight of the transparency of funding," Jan explained.

Lesbos used to be a popular tourist destination, with holidaymakers still heading to the resorts. "When there is a large group of refugees near the tourist resort, they are very quickly called by the police, who actually guard the camp all the time," Jan added that if the refugees want to get out of the camp, they sometimes have the opportunity to leave it for 3 hours. if they get permission. Jan added that the authorities are trying to displace refugees from the tourist area.

The Kara Tepe camp staff consists mainly of Greeks, who ensure the basic operation and oversee compliance with the rules. Czech volunteers stated, for example, that it is not allowed to take pictures in the camp, the prescribed method of dressing applies here and the staff carefully monitors who is admitted to the camp. In addition, UNICEF, Médecins Sans Frontières or the German Red Cross operate in Kara Tep. There are also organizations such as Team Humanity, Home For All or Hope Project Greece, which mostly try to provide food for refugees or hygiene packages, etc.

Greek doctors do not want to treat refugees

"UNICEF managed to build temporary schools compared to last year, it was not here at all before," Jan said. Helena went deeper into medical care. "Medical care is really only for the most urgent cases and is basically very insufficient. The problem is also that Greek hospitals do not want to accept refugees, because according to most Greek doctors, refugees only simulate their health problems. At the same time, there were cases in the camp where people died of appendicitis because the doctor said he would not take them, "she told the Blesk News.

Jan added that Médecins Sans Frontières, who has a permanent presence in the camp, is trying to do what they can. Last year, for example, they cared for tear-gas children during clashes between police and far-right members who attacked refugees while fleeing a burning camp. They were trapped on the roads for several days without food or water. "That was real hell," Jan said. He then explained that it is difficult for refugees to get medical help in a hospital for administrative reasons.

"They are perceived only as asylum seekers, they cannot work, children cannot go to school and they cannot be provided with medical care because they are not insured, for this reason no one will treat them," Jan explained. Volunteers opened the topic of mental problems among refugees, people in the camp suffer from severe depression or headaches.

"Problems are avoided to prevent suicide"

"Psychological help is very limited. As far as children are concerned, they are entitled to a certain, but limited, number of sessions with a therapist only when they show suicidal tendencies. If children have only depression, the therapist will not take them. Paradoxically, parents have to wait until their offspring start to harm themselves, and only then are they entitled to therapy. However, in these sessions, only the things that happened in the camp are addressed with the therapist, not what the child experienced on the way here or in the country of origin. So yes, there is some care, but completely insufficient, "Helena said.

"The causes or the initial course of the disease are not solved, it is solved only when the problem, say, starts, and it is too late. They just put out a bigger problem to prevent suicide, the suffering remains there, "Jan continued. With more than 4,000 people, there are also problems with hygiene, and according to Jan, it is not as "crazy" as in Moria, where there were more than 12,000 people. Both camps are close to the sea, Kara Tepe, nicknamed Moria 2.0, stands directly on the coast. According to Jan, this is an advantage and a disadvantage.

"The huge disadvantage is that especially in winter there is a cold wind blowing from the sea, there is more precipitation and the soil, which is dry during the summer, is not able to absorb such a large amount of water. During the winter there are floods, the water is very cold and the children reach up to the waist, sometimes up to the shoulders. As the camp was built in a hurry, most tents have no pallets underneath, meaning that the sail is directly on the cold hard ground, and in the event of flooding, the water will immediately flood the entire tent. This is a terrible situation that is directly related to hygienic conditions. Hygiene during floods is appalling, "he told News.

The phenomenon of waiting

According to the volunteers, the phenomenon of the camp is waiting. “Waiting for the toilets, waiting for the shower. The camp is a place where people are always waiting. Not only are people waiting for asylum, or for some chance of hope, because they do not have the opportunity to work legally in Greece. And so they wait until they get this opportunity, they wait until their children at least get into a makeshift school, and they also wait until they get some food, when they can wash and eat. It is from this that they often fall into mental problems and just try to sleep through the day, "Jan described.

Helena added that there are Toi Toi mobile toilets in the better part of the camp. "The number does not correspond to the number of people in the camp. Their waste is drained into the trenches that flow through the camp. And children play in these waste trails, because few of them go to kindergarten or school. So then you see those beautiful eyed children playing with sticks there, and you think it's not like that at all, "said the terrified volunteer.

It's even worse in other parts of the camp. "It's more of a parody of toilets where all the waste flows into the sea. So on the one hand, yes they have the sea there, the children could have some activity, but on the other hand the sea is very polluted, all the sewage from the camp flows there and you can't swim in the water. As it was summer, it was a lot to feel in the camp, "Helena said that the shower is even less there than the toilets. "Men's showers do not even have a screen around them, men shower in underwear. If someone walks along the way, sees them, they have no privacy at all, "Helena described for Blesk Zprávy.

Volunteers bring hope

"It's such a cemetery of human dignity," Jan said. Legal processes are proceeding only slowly. "We know the cases of people who have been in Greek camps for 5 years, from the very beginning. Their asylum application was rejected, so they are applying again. We know of the case of a Cameroonian who went to Athens, where he worked illegally, washed dishes. He was detained by the police, he was in prison and then he applied for asylum again, "Jan told Blesk Zprávy. He explained that the goal of the Sant'Egidio Community mission is to give people hope, to free them from the gray stereotype that often leads refugees to depression. They focus mainly on the most vulnerable people - mothers with children or people with health problems.

Volunteers for Blesk Zprávy presented the Humanitarian Corridors project, which the Community launched in 2016. It involves obtaining a so-called humanitarian visa, thanks to which refugees can legally travel to the receiving country. Jan explained that it depends mainly on the governments of European countries, which must implement the project into their legislation. So far, Italy, Belgium, France and Andorra have joined the project. John explained that the project was funded by the Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy and public community collections.

Humanitarian Corridors project

"The project is something amazing," says Helena. "It allows for the integration of refugees from the outset. Before they arrive in the host country. Already in the camp, when they find out that the whole process has worked out, there are online courses in the language and culture of the given recipient country, "Jan said that 4,000 people have already joined the project. He also mentioned that the admission process includes a check of all documents, a security check, where their past is examined, so that everything goes smoothly as it should. The integration then continues on the spot, the refugees do not live in isolation in the ghettos, but near the Community, workers also have the opportunity to retrain.

Jan added the positive story of Claude from Togo, who fled from political unrest. "I met him last year, he volunteered among us, it was a diversification for him. He helped us, distributed food and washed dishes. And this March, his dream came true and he got to Rome as part of the project, "Jan added that Claude is learning Italian intensively and was a fan of Italy during Euro 2021. "It's a great case of integration and a story with a happy ending," Jan concluded.

Both volunteers often mentioned disturbing the gray and the stereotype of Refugee Day during the interview. Their mission had prepared several activities for them in the Friendship Tent, for children it was the School of Peace, for older teenagers and adults the morning school of English and for all the Solidarity Restaurant, where they cooked for refugees. "Even the little we do is important and meaningful to them. I have to admit that at first it seemed marginal that we would draw or cut out with the children, but I quickly realized that these seeming little things are extremely important, "Helena began.

Return of lost identity

"Refugees are perceived by society as an unknown, dangerous substance. Thanks to the Community, they will meet people for whom they are no longer just a registration number, they are not just the substance, they will recognize someone who takes them again as people who have a name, and they treat them as an acquaintance or friend. I think this is very important for them, the diversification of the day and a different attitude when they are not anonymous, ”Helena helped herself in her description with the work of Franz Kafka Transformation. According to her, the mission's intention is to do the opposite, while in Kafka's story Řehoř loses his identity and becomes a lifeless "it", the volunteers set the refugees' identity and return their humanity - life.

Jan explained that the Community, not only when working with refugees but also homeless people, makes sure that they address everyone by name. "Because when we call them by name, we show our real interest in wanting to know who they really are." At the same time, give them the strength to continue and not resign. Jan believes that resigning to one's own destiny is the worst.

Helena also described what she considers the most difficult moments. This applies to children, especially babies who have a XY tent in their Kara Tepe birth certificate. These children either knew nothing but a refugee camp or a painful journey on the run from home to Europe. Volunteer for Blesk News admitted that she was terrified of conditions for pregnant women. "They can't even go to the hospital. The midwives are the only midwives in the camp in 2021. A woman cannot give birth in a civilized hospital. This was very difficult for me, that the children had such a marked start in life. There are stories when pregnant women traveled from Afghanistan, for example, or became pregnant along the way. In this case, it is often a rape. They then traveled across the sea with tiny, for example two-week-old babies, "said Helena.

Cemetery vest

According to volunteers, the so-called cemetery of vests, which is a landfill located near the camp, is a deterrent to Europe's attitude to refugees. "There are vests for the happier survivors and those who haven't. It is a symbol that Europe does not really care, that it does not care if anyone survived or that, from their point of view, refugees are something we want to get rid of. We planted an olive tree as a symbol of hope, as a symbol that we do not want to be part of such a Europe. As a symbol that we want to be part of a Europe that is different, that is more human, "said Jan.

There are mostly families in the camp, but there is a section of tents where there are only single men. There is also a small percentage of single women, many of whom have a child. Helena noted that many of these women had been raped on their way to camp.

As for the covidu-19 pandemic, testing at the camp is provided by the German Red Cross. Volunteers reported that there were fenced backyards with tents for the infected or quarantined. They themselves wore respirators throughout the mission, used disinfection and supervised regular hand washing.

"It's people like me or you"

Jan and Helena went to volunteer in Lesbos, because the topic of refugees resonates strongly in them. "I think the issue of refugees is ours. Previous generations had World War II, occupation or the Velvet Revolution, and for us, refugees are one of the key political issues. I know the topic from the media, but I felt that I lacked personal experience, "Helena explained.

"The problem of migration is big, it is global and there is no one right solution, but that does not mean that we have to close our eyes before that and pretend that it does not concern us, because refugees are people like me or you. They cannot be blamed for the fact that parents want a better life for their children and will send them to Europe because there is no war. Or that the family will pack up because they no longer want to worry about living tomorrow, "said Helena.

"It simply came to our notice then. Upon arrival, none of us can live the same life as before. The voices of refugees, especially children, still resonate in humans. One tries to think intensively about how one can help them and the meaning of our brief presence in the camp. We have the opportunity to try to get to know each other better and to cultivate our immediate surroundings, so that together we can try to change the atmosphere about refugees, bring more humanity, understanding and overall insight, "added Jan.

Children should have a childhood

Helena and Jan and Blesk News shared the story that hit them hardest. They told of Mona from Syria, who lost her husband and father during the bombing and fled to Greece with four children. She had to leave one child in Syria, she has no contact with him. "But there is a huge appetite for life in her," Jan commented. Helena added how actively Mona was involved in helping the volunteers, although she was invited to their Solidarity Restaurant as a guest. "She tried to be useful, she tried to help make the time she has to spend in the camp make sense to her," Jan said.

Helena added a few stories from her "gang of Afghan boys". She described how they washed their hands before breakfast every morning. According to her, it was one of the few occasions when they had running water. Washing their hands became a ritual for them, when everyone fell silent and soaked their hands intently and carefully washed every part of them. "It was beautiful to be able to be a part of this moment and watch them, and I was also sad," said Helena.

She also added that she mixed feelings of shame, sadness and joy. "I felt overwhelmed and ashamed to be European and proud of European values, but those values ​​end with the barbed wire of the refugee camp. I have never seen such a lot of barbed wire in my life, "Helena confided, adding that she understands that the migration problem is very complicated and has no solution. "It is impossible to close your eyes and use the covida pandemic before that, because of which the topic is not so much talked about. This does not mean that the problem has disappeared. This was difficult to grasp, it was difficult to see the conditions in which they live there. Then the children playing in the sewage, these are the children who are supposed to go to kindergarten and school, they have to have toys, they have to create, they discover the world, they have to have a childhood and they have been stolen. "

"On the other hand, there was great joy, because what we did there makes sense. Although it may seem like a trifle, it changes their lives. Suddenly people were important to someone again, someone was interested in how they were doing, what they had behind them, if they wanted to talk, "she added that she felt back and felt that the mission had succeeded. "I won't forget a lot of things, I still have them in front of my eyes and I can't delete them. I also feel responsible to talk about this, because I had the privilege of being there, and that is why I need to pass it on. I know that I have returned with far greater sensitivity, when people are less indifferent to people, which is also part of European values. I don't want to be ashamed of being European, and I don't take this sensitivity and responsibility as a weakness, "Helena said at the end of the interview.