THURSDAY 4 OCTOBER 2018
THIS WEEK:
KEEPING UP WITH KATSIKAS
We’ve been preparing for the last few weeks to welcome new residents from surrounding islands to Greek refugee camp, Katsikas. However, high winds in the Aegean delayed the transfer of people last week.
Thankfully, the weather improved, and 320 new residents were able to arrive from Lesvos over the weekend.
We had a busy day on Monday carrying out a big census of new arrivals. There’s a diverse mix of nationalities on camp now, and our volunteers have been working hard to ensure that all residents – existing and new – have access to calm, fair, and dignified aid.
On Tuesday, after receiving a huge delivery of fruit and vegetables, our volunteers served the current residents in the morning and the new ones in the afternoon. Our token system allows people to choose their own food, and first visits to the mini market can sometimes be an emotional experience for residents.
We are expecting to welcome another 200 arrivals by the end of the week. In total, this week will have seen the camp’s capacity double from 450 to 1,000.
Thank you to all donors and volunteers who have helped us to accommodate so many new arrivals so far. If you’d like to stand with refugees as costs continue to rise, we’d be very grateful for regular donations. No donation is too small.
STAND WITH REFUGEES – PODCAST
Following the release of her fantastic new article with The Guardian, we were delighted to be joined again by our friend, Dina Nayeri, on our latest podcast.
We spoke to Dina last year about her controversial Guardian article, The Ungrateful Refugee. Earlier this year, Dina joined us at Katsikas camp. Her latest article is an emotional insight into her return to a refugee camp.
In this special podcast, Dina and Paul talk about the humanity that shines through adversity, and about what it means to be a refugee.
Dina’s new book The Ungrateful Refugee, some of which will be based in Greece, will be published in spring 2019.
With Refugees
We were delighted to be nominated for the 2018 Nansen Award. Whilst we were not shortlisted for the award, our co-founder John had a fantastic time attending the award ceremony in Geneva last week. This year’s winner was the extraordinary Doctor Evan Atar. It was so humbling to be nominated alongside such incredible people.
It was a particularly momentous occasion as John had to wear a suit. Here’s a photo of him on the left looking very trim!
Thank you for reading, and we’ll see you next week.
Please contact us today at info@refugeesupporteu.com if you would like to stand with refugees or get in contact.
Refugee Support
