Erica, Nathalie e Nazmie. Il nostro impegno per il campo di rifugiati di Vasilika.    - English version below -        

 LA NOSTRA STORIA: http://www.vasilikamoon.altervista.org

Sono previsti nuovi e numericamente importanti arrivi dai campi presenti sulle Isole e nelle periferie. 

Essendo Vasilika un campo permanente, il numero di persone presenti sarà più o meno costante; abbigliamento, scarpe, beni di prima necessità saranno sempre una necessità!

è nostra intenzione ripartire tra la primavera e l'estate del 2017 e nel frattempo continuare ad informare, sensibilizzare e raccogliere fondi. Abbiamo creato un sito internet a questo scopo. 

Proporremo eventi come mostre fotografiche, proiezioni di foto e video durante serate di vario tipo.

AL FINE DI GARANTIRE LA MASSIMA TRASPARENZA ABBIAMO DECISO DI AFFIDARCI NUOVAMENTE A QUESTA PIATTAFORMA , IN MODO CHE SIANO DISPONIBILI PIU FORME DI PAGAMENTO  E TUTTO SIA TRACCIABILE E VERIFICABILE. Se desideri maggiori informazioni o hai problemi con il pagamento, contattaci. lalunadivasilika@gmail.com

PER ESSERE AGGIORNATO SULLE DATE DEGLI EVENTI E L'UTILIZZO DEI FONDI VISITA IL NOSTRO SITO INTERNET!!! http://www.vasilikamoon.altervista.org

09/01/2017 

THIS IS VASILIKA NOW. PLEASE HELP US! WITH DONATIONS WE CAN BUY WOOD, VEGETABLES AND WARM CLOTHES. 

ENGLISH VERSION

We are three italian girls, who met in September 2016, in Vasilika, a refugee camp near Thessaloniki (Greece).

1300 people, 500 of whom are children, presently live in this camp. They are Syrian arabs and Kurds who, after fleeing their war torn country, found themselves stuck and stranded in refugee camps in Greece, since the now strictly controlled Greek borders were closed months ago. These people faced long marches on foot, a life-threatening journey across the sea separating Turkey from Greece, and at their arrival in Europe were deported to temporary camps first, and to government-controlled camps afterwards.

Words cannot fully describe the amount of difficulties that refugees face on a daily basis inside the camp.

Many kids, women, men, wore the signs of the war on their bodies, as many had still pieces of bombs stuck in their arms and legs, under the skin, causing them neurological issues and incessant pain. People suffered from post traumatic stress disorder, and many had nightmares at night: what they saw and lived through haunted them at any hour of the day and night. They fled home with not many personal belongings, and many lost all they had in the dangerous journey to Europe. Unfortunately they are doomed to stay in these refugee camps for many months to come, due to bureaucratic and political reasons.

Nevertheless they still have hope for a brighter future.  

In Vasilika camp tents are located inside hangars, and in each tent live at least 3-4 people. 1300 people use everyday common showers and chemical bathrooms, installed outside the hangars. They don’t have many clothes, and that is a main issue now that winter is approaching. Rats are everywhere, and fresh vegetables and food are available only for the very few who are lucky enough to have some money left to buy them. The rest have to rely only on the food provided by a EU funded private company that has been delivering everyday, for the last 5 months, the same nutritionless ready-to-eat food. The quality of this food is very poor, and personally I wouldn’t feed with this food even an animal.

Hygienic levels in the camp are very poor, and in this dusty environment many kids suffer on a daily basis from asthma attacks and viral and bacterial infections (moreover infections spread very fast through the camp population). Patients with cardiological or metabolical pathologies have been left untreated for months. Many kids are underweight because they don’t eat enough and therefore don’t grow properly.

Refugees don’t directly receive money from anybody, as many might think they do. They are not even allowed to work, as a UN resolution set restrictions on this issue many years ago. Most of the refugees had a job that they left to flee the war, and now use they craftiness to help fixing the camp, and making it a better place. That’s also the only thing they can do in the waiting for the bureaucratic process, that will hopefully lead them to other European countries, to go through. Women try their best to make the tents as comfortable as possible, and some men have even built swings for the kids using some pieces of wood and cloth. There are also some barbers and hairdressers in the camp, and a little coffe shop was set with the help of volunteers.

Big humanitarian organisations are present at the camp for only few hours a day, and unfortunately bureaucracy makes their actions slow. On the other hand , Firdaus is present at the camp all through the day, trying to meet the unanswered needs of 1300 people. Thanks to our continuous presence refugees have learnt to trust us and rely on us for support.

We believe that it is of the utmost importance dignifying people as human beings in such a precarious situation, where they feel mistreated and desperate.

The reality is that what we do is just a drop in the ocean of the needs of these people, but it is better than nothing, and it is a way to give them some relief. 

That’s why we decided to go back to Vasilika in 2017,  and that’s why we are trying to make everybody aware of the miserable situation refugees live in.

You can help us with donations, thanks to which we will be able to buy directly in Greece, at a lower price and avoiding luggage costs, what is needed by refugees. Things that are going to be desperately needed now that winter is here, are warm clothes, shoes, boilers to have hot water and personal hygiene products. Every money transaction will be documented through receipts and photos. Receipts will be available for tax return purposes, or simply as a proof of how your money will be spent. Even a little donation can help.