Stories of the refugee crisis often focus on how countries are failing to help — millions of refugees are suffering, yet nobody seems to care.
But in Greece, this narrative is being turned upside down. More than 500,000 refugees reached the shores of Greece in 2015, overwhelming a government that is already struggling with its own economic crisis, and forcing regular people to help out in heroic ways.
Recently, the human rights activist Efi Latsoudi and the Hellenic Rescue Team (HRT) of the Greek island Lesbos were awarded the Nansen Refugee Award for their efforts to ease the plight of refugees.
The joint award reflects two daunting phases of the refugee journey to Greece: surviving a perilous trip across the Aegean Sea and then getting by in a sometimes reluctant and wary country.
This year’s winners have improved the lives of tens of thousands of people and have set a global example for how to deal with the refugee crisis.
“Hundreds of thousands of people fleeing conflict and persecution last year made the desperate bid to reach Europe in search of safety, many risking their lives in unseaworthy boats and dinghies, in a journey which all too often proved insurmountable,” the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said in a news release on the win.
“Both the Hellenic Rescue Team and Efi Latsoudi refused to stand by as they witnessed the dramatic humanitarian situation unfolding on their shores, and are fully deserving of the Nansen Refugee Award,” Mr. Grandi added.
The Hellenic Rescue Team consists of more than 2,500 volunteers. They often work day and night with limited resources, patrolling the waters to make sure people don’t die.
Many refugees and migrants cross the cold sea on overcrowded and flimsy boats, wearing life jackets that don’t work as storms rage around them.
It’s a situation that seems doomed from the start.
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Miraculously, most survive. For at least 2,500 travelers, survival depended on the interventions of the HRT. After spotting a boat in distress, volunteers mobilize help and pull people to safety.
The team conducted 1,035 rescue operations in 2015 that helped more than 7,000 people to safety.
“I believe it’s something in your heart that moves you and makes you volunteer,” said Konstantinos Mitragas, the secretary general of the HRT. “Of course many times we are frightened. This is what keeps us alive. If you are not frightened, you are not human.”
Once refugees reach the shore, they face a whole different range of problems. Instead of navigating icy waters with shoddy boats, they now have to navigate legal and civic systems that seem, more often than not, closed-off.
This is where Efi Latsoudi has made a difference. In 2012, Latsoudi, along with a loose assortment of NGOs and other volunteers, founded Pipka, an open refugee camp.
Many refugee camps seem to be little more than holding cells for people waiting to be formally processed by the government. They can be depressing — shoddy shelters, inadequate water and sanitation, endless free time with nothing to do.
Pipka strives to be the opposite of this by providing refugees with a sense of community and by emphasizing humane treatment. There are always activities going — such as sports, arts and crafts, or educational classes — to keep people busy and invested in life. All meals are supplied and facilities are kept clean.
These refugees have all experienced some form of trauma, whether it’s the loss of a home, the death of family members, the deprivations of travel, or whatever else.
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Pipka provides mental health resources to help refugees cope with and overcome their trauma.
The camp also helps members transition to the next stage of their life by preparing paperwork and providing consultations and networks of help.
Even though Pipka has a capacity for 150 people, it hosted more than 600 a day in 2015, providing more than 2,000 meals each day.
Under the leadership of Latsoudi, Pipka has stepped up where the government has fallen short.
So far this year, the island of Lesbos has seen its population double from the influx of refugees.
Regular people are putting their lives on hold to lift refugees out of despair. And they’re making a huge difference.
As Latsoudi told the Guardian, “The human heart is surviving, and that’s very powerful.”
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