Advance Relief Efforts for Refugees in Greece

It has been a warm spring and our teams are busier than ever, from Ramadan in Ritsona to ECO cleanup activities on Lesvos. We are constantly in awe of the support you provide to our programmes year round, in and out of the field. We quite literally couldn’t do it without you: thanks to your generous contributions, we have been able to continue our vital operations and make plans for the summer – always a busy time.

So far this year, our team on the north shore of Lesvos has faced a number of challenging circumstances. In February, a young girl tragically lost her life when a boat encountered difficulties as it approached a rocky patch of coast in the northeast of Lesvos. In March, we received news that yet more lives had been lost in an attempt to reach safety in Europe: two people were reported missing off the coast of Chios, and four more in a shipwreck near the Turkish coast.

These events remind us of the importance of our presence on the north shore of Lesvos, and the need to guarantee safe passage into Europe for those seeking refuge. In 2019, our team has assisted over 1,500 new arrivals on the north shore. May has been a quiet month, with smaller numbers in each boat, but people continue to attempt the crossing and our team is hard at work.

In Ritsona refugee camp, residents have been celebrating the end of Ramadan with music, dancing and colourful decorations. Our team is busier than ever, running art workshops, language lessons, after school programming and sports. Each day, over 140 young residents attend our Child Friendly Space and Youth Engagement Space.

LHR operations rely on the extraordinary generosity and enduring support shown by you, our global community. Across our programming, your help has allowed us to successfully consolidate our staff teams and achieve the financial stability necessary to continue our operations. Now we are looking to go further, making improvements and expanding to ensure that we are providing our vital services to the highest possible standard. With your help, we can meet this challenge!

2019 marks Lighthouse Relief’s fourth year in Greece. Although much has changed, we continue to uphold our mission to provide a dignified, respectful and empowering humanitarian response to the thousands of refugees arriving or residing in the country. 

In 2018, our emergency response teams on Lesvos assisted around 7,000 people who had made the dangerous Aegean crossing, a 50% increase compared to the previous year - and boats are still coming. So far this year, we have already supported over 1,000 new arrivals and attended 25 landings, many of them made safer by the prompt action of our day and night spotting teams.

And yet, despite the empty pledges of European authorities, people continue to die at Europe’s doorstep. On 13 February, a young girl tragically went missing, presumed drowned, when a boat encountered difficulties as it approached a rocky patch of coast in the northeast of Lesvos. The fact that we are still witnessing heartbreaking scenes like these at Europe’s doorstep has strengthened our resolve, and reinforced our understanding of why our presence is still needed here.

In Ritsona, our programmes are more sustainable than ever, with the successful Resident Volunteer programme allowing camp residents to take ownership of the spaces and participate in their development. As thousands are caught in limbo, LHR gives them room to develop their talents and form a community.

Ritsona camp houses almost 900 refugees from many different countries, making it one of the largest camps in the region. The population of Ritsona is set to increase dramatically over the next 6 months, with many new living quarters being installed. We aim to ensure that we can extend psychosocial support activities to as many children and youth as possible.

Lighthouse Relief’s CFS currently welcomes between 50 and 60 children per day, and an average of 80 unique beneficiaries each week. The YES, which a year ago saw an average of 15 young people attend daily, has seen numbers soaring to around 80-100 per day.

Just last week, our volunteers helped girls aged 12 to 16 as they worked hard to create new decorations for their ISOBox - a place where they can find respite from the hardships of camp life and take some time to be creative, chat with their friends and feel empowered.

For years now we have never ceased our commitment to serve as a lighthouse for those in need. Whether on the shores of Lesvos or in Ritsona camp, our teams have been there as an unwavering beacon of warmth and stability. With your help, we can continue to meet this challenge.

Links:

• Ritsona Kingdom Journal, Issue 7