Advance Relief Efforts for Refugees in Greece

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