Razia Anwar spent nearly two weeks in Greece and describes the plight of refugees as they make their way across Mediterranean. Here in part two of her exclusive column she shares her experiences of life in the makeshift camps.

A week into my stay the day started with a distribution at the port of snacks and juice. I had 2 baby slings left in the jeep and found 2 grateful recipients. First was a Syrian father looking after his 5 children under 6 as well carrying 2 big binbags. 

The second father was from Yemen, he spoke English and had worked in the Yemenese oil business. 

He had left because of Saudi bombing Yemen, for the sake of his child he needed to get him and his pregnant wife out. 

He was now hands free to carry their only valuable belongings which comprised of 3 large bags. 

Drove to Greengate warehouse where we filled the jeep with more supplies of croissant, water and bars. 2 more precious baby slings were found. 

Next to Moria Camp, to speak to the Imam and medical team of any financial hardship cases. 

We could see volunteers working with life jackets to create a big mat for the flooring in the bell tent, utilising the thousands of piled up life jackets across the coastline.

A bus load of new arrivals were disembarking off the bus having 30 minutes earlier come safely to shore on a rubber dinghy. 

UNHCR blankets wrapped around them, juggling children on their hips with one hand and holding a heavy bag in another. 

I went over to a family coming off the bus, picked up a 2 year old girl and held her 3 year old son's hand, their mother smiled as she carried the 6 month old.

I felt the heavy load after 10 mins with carrying a child uphill, I could not imagine how much pain and mental anguish the mother would have endured but importantly I reminded myself they were the lucky ones to be alive.

The families were placed in a long queue, where people had already been waiting 12 hours in the cold, wet and mud.

The temperature had started to drop, the queue was quiet, people numb with exhaustion, cold, hunger and pain as groups huddled under the Grey UNHCR blankets.

A blue riot police bus was waiting on the side line in-case there was any sign of trouble. I was trying to find a misplaced rucksack for a refugee alongside finding dry socks for others.

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I noticed an upset  girl leaning on a car earlier on with her arms folded. I asked her age, she replied 13 and  then went quiet. 

For a good while, I spotted her with a blank dead expression. I sat her down and changed her wet socks, they were soaked and her feet were ice cold. 

Wrapping foil around her hypothermic feet and covering with dry socks. It was going to be a long wait ahead verifying and processing each refugee with registration papers. 
Half an hour later I saw the young girl smiling with colour back in her cheeks. She was smiling and upbeat, a different girl. 

The snacks and drinks were distributed in 2 lines, Afghani line and the Syrian line. 

More Baby slings were given to mothers. Sufiya, a fellow volunteer with the help of an Arab interpreter had come across some painfully tragic stories of killings, death, sexual harassment from the Syrian refugees, leaving widowers, widows, single parents and abandoned old individuals. 

She sought out the very needy and donations were given to them. 

As I finished for the day, I passed a girl shivering in the camp, I got her a blanket, a conversation resulted in me taking them to Mytilene centre and walking with a 35kg rucksack to 3 different hotels for an available room. 

As I sat with them in the taxi to Mytilene, the girl said she had not slept for 2 days. 

Both had carried 35kg plus rucksacks and looked exhausted. Hotel Argo was their saviour for the night before they boarded a ferry to Athens.

A day in Mytilene can never be predicted or planned, it just happens.  The night brought in more boats and camps will be busy. 


‘The mind of a confused, scared, stressed out, worried young girl’

Day nine started at the coastline, watching boats. 

Team Humanity from Denmark were kitted out in their wetsuits and waving their foil blanket flags, guiding the orange dinghys to safe areas to land. 

One boat was still a distance away as I watched. Some of the dinghies could come in within an hour if the winds and strong working motor were in their favour. 

Others could take up to 6 hours with complications on route dependent on weather, wind, rough sea or the dreaded engine failure. 

An order of various items was requested from Moria camp from the warehouse which was to be delivered quickly,  after a busy night and morning of boat arrivals.

The next 5 hours was mainly about my new Syrian family and the last question directed to me was "Can you stay with me?".

From the mind of a confused, scared, stressed out, worried young girl in her 20s, one of the only 2 English speaking people in her family of 12. 
All were young ranging from 6 months to 26 years old. 

A question that pulls on the heartstrings as you familiarise yourself with a family and their needs. 

From the moment they got off the bus, I motioned to the mother that I will carry her crying 18 month old. I picked her up and she was all smiling, content that she did not have to walk.  A moments relief for the mum. 

I got them their  ticket from the Greek policeman and then he ordered them to take their place in the registration queue for their refugee status paper. 

A document that will allow them to buy Athens bound ferry tickets at the port,stay at a hotel, use Western Union and more importantly cross borders in Europe. 

Today Moria was a camp for over 4,000 people due to improvements in Aegean sea crossing weather conditions.

 

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As the sun set and the cold rose began it's bite, various small camp fires were lit to keep warm.

The air smelt of burning wood, the grey wet blankets piled up as heaps of laundry.

The police riot bus still in place on the side, sleeping bags with worn out bodies laying anywhere on the gravel, groups huddled under grey UNHCR blankets, not much light seen from the rare overhead lamps apart from the small burning fires.

This was not universal studios or 20th century Fox film set, this was the current messed up worldly state of affairs of the 21st century.

Further up Afghan Hill, unorderly Crowds made uneven queues of families waiting to be sheltered overnight in the UNHCR huts. 

With 4 young children, I needed prams and baby carriers, a trip to the Zahra Trust warehouse I found precious prams, got some backpack carriers and distributed as many as I could to grateful relieved parents. 

I am happy to take my own initiative and directly ask the Greek police or the UNHCR or the bus drivers what the situation is.

Simple things as asking a waiting UNHCR bus driver a question of where he was headed and him responding with "Kara Tepe", I found families to fill the bus and take them to another camp, this is used when Moria hits overnight capacity, the overflow of refugees would be sheltered overnight.

When the pressure is building with masses of people, asking questions upon questions I find is the only way to get much needed answers and importantly to find a solution fast. 

‘The biggest migration of people in to Europe since WW2’

Day Ten and I am back at the hotel, just received a phone call about an elderly man and daughter that need to be sheltered overnight.

I head down to reception in my pyjamas. I passed the vanity phase, careless about looking remotely presentable 2 days ago.
 
All hotel accommodation is fully booked in Mytilene, leaving one choice, to sneak them into a room. 

I and another volunteer were the decoy agents to distract the managers as our new refugee friends were quietly hurried behind us. 

The noble volunteer lads would attempt to sleep in the car tonight.
 
Sixty boats landed in the last 24 hours, ranging from 20 to 120 people on a boat. 

The sheer number of people needing assistance is mind blowing, finding somewhere to shelter, providing food and  dry clothing.  

The mass movement of people from camps to port is visible from the main roads and around the centre. 

The biggest migration of people in to Europe since WW2. 

Exhaustion just about to knock me flat, throat glands have swollen, runny nose but I have nothing to complain about at all in my life. 

The day began with a strong coffee, mental adjustment to power on regardless of whatever will be coming our way. 

After a quick port visit to drop off snacks. I visited Moria camp and gave out juice and snacks. Went to the Zahra Trust warehouse twice and filled the jeep up with rain ponchos, rain jackets,  prams, carriers, nappies, wet wipes and sanitary towels to cater  for as many families as I possibly can. 

Today the weather was torrential rain with mud flowing river, low temperature and throw in dim lighting for extra measure, it was the worst weather to be standing for hours in the registration queues. 

My Syrian 14 year old family member found me, it was literally like my nephew greeting me, soaked through but the thrilled beaming smile said it all. 
They still had not been registered.
 
He took me where his family had found refuge from the cold rain in a large UNHCR Tent, already filled with families, single men or anyone that could find a place to stay dry. 

Thankfully some heaters were on to warm the area. 
Babies were crying. I shouted out  babies and small children, held up the nappy packs and distributed the best I could.
 
The remaining distribution nappy areas were family compound huts which housed around 12 bunks. Every inch of this hut was filled with a human ranging from newborns to 90. Kids jumped around and were playful which was nice to see. 

Ahmed, the 14 year old found me again and asked for the fourth time about registration, it had now been 24 hours, I went over to a police man and asked when will the registration line next open. He replied "now, families come". Me and Ahmed looked at each other and I shouted at him "get in the line.....I will get them". 

The kids were hurriedly placed in their new donated strollers, bags gathered and darted to get in the line. 

Families had already started  queuing, two police men were holding up the riot shields, stopping people joining. I had some family in the queue, the younger family members had not joined. 

I stood in front of the people, arms spread out and blocked people from joining. Some volunteers picked up what was happening and helped me get 2 prams in to the line and their bags. 

The shouting from the loudspeaker, from the riot officers, from families was utter chaos. 

Seeing the young family of 12 walk together through the metal barriers into the barbed wire compound for the anticipated registration process was a sigh of relief.
 
6.30pm On my way to the ferry port with 2 fellow volunteers to distribute baby slings and nappies, We saw about 30 people with children waiting in the pouring rain just off the roadside. 

Turning the car around, we flagged down and paid 7 taxis to get the people waiting for the bus quickly to the port. It was 6.45 and they were going to miss their 8pm ferry. 

 

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No bus seemed to be stopping, passing by  full capacity with Moria passengers. 

I just finished my late dinner. I look out from the warm cosy restaurant and see 3 young children under two with five adults aimlessly walking around. I go out and find out if everything is ok, they reply all hotels are booked up tonight.

I could not leave them and picked up the young girl, found a hotel room for both families at different hotels. Your donation money housed the families. 
They would have slept on the pavement but the children needed shelter out of the cold winter rain.

As I was sorting this out, they questioned my motives. I replied, not from me, keep us in your Duas, every person that has contributed to this, pray for us. 

As soon as I just finished. 2 Iraqi refugee boys walk in, one speaking good English. He asks for a room and says everywhere is booked.. I take them as my next family of brothers, get them fed with a hot meal and sort out their room at another hotel.
 
As he sits he chats about why he fled Iraq, Isis had killed 3 of his uncles in one day. 

His eyes welling up, he quickly changes the subject by concluding that he would love to be a volunteer and help like I had helped him tonight.. 

It is now 1.15am, sorting out the last few refugee needs and then sleep.


‘Day eleven and my final day’

Your donations bought a fantastic total of £10,920, plus 140 euros. Facebook updates helped enormously. I cannot thank you enough. I cannot stress how much it has helped. 

Being an aunt of 13 nephews and nieces and my friends children, I am literally broken to distressing scenes of children cold, tired, sleep deprived, hungry and worn out. 

The families and individuals are in tears of joy as they are being helped, surprised that kindness and help exists with no financial costs to them. 

As I hand them a pram or a baby carrier, they hesitate asking the price, I say free. 

 

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They hesitate again for a moment, process the reply and take if necessary.  

The ones that have sold everything and are solvent are honest to say they do not need financial help, "I have money but Thank you for asking".

Helping the families with children today near the port, the huge volume of people seen leaving the camps yesterday will have most probably resulted in many stuck there, waiting around the port, ferry ticket availability is in 2 days. 
Unfortunately not enough Arabic speakers or Farsi speakers to translate the onward travel information in camp so sadly they have brought their large families on to the cold streets of Mytilene. 

The last few days have been spent relaying  valuable helpful information and sources to the next volunteers so they can carry on the best they can. It is tiring, challenging, emotional but rewarding. 

Wow...I met my Moria Syrian family again, the older male in the group is 26, his mannerisms, stress wrinkles, tired worn out eyes make him look older than his years.

He said they had registered by 8pm at Moria camp yesterday and then took a bus to Mytilene centre, for 4 hours they were on the street looking for a place to stay with the 4 young ones and a 7 month pregnant woman.

They eventually met someone who found them a house. Your donations sorted out their shopping bill and shelter for 2 nights.

Nine families sorted for the night. 

Vulnerable families with children were on the pavement needing overnight shelter before they were Athens bound in 2 days. I did not get to Moria camp today as soon as I sorted out one family near the port, I quickly came across another.

The young adult men I sadly had to overlook, old people resting on benches, groups of children and babies were a priority. I carried various types of rucksacks today, bags, binliners holding daily essentials, warm clothing, nappies, sanitary pads, a few odd clothes, no signs of any luxuries.

I demonstrated different types of baby carriers, slings to fathers. 

I was helping to tighten a baby carrier belt around an older gentleman waist to prevent straining with the 2 year child load, he got up and began moving, I realised he was blind, he was being supported and guided by his wife.

In the different hotel rooms where I placed these families, their gratitude was overwhelming, their tears flowing, one distressed mother said she had been waiting 2 hours and the lady was so rude. "You have sorted our room out very quickly".

Her children were asleep on the reception sofas, a scene which needed to be dealt with quickly. 

I am not ready to head back to the UK. The only solace I have is that this is the best I can do for the time being. 

To everyone who contributed: I pray your lives are filled with happiness, love, joy and peace to consider others in this real life nightmare. A great start to 2016.

I will be heading back to Lesvos, Greece on 18 February to provide essential needed aid to refugees. 

Contact me on 07939 013974 or through Facebook on “MissRazia Anwar”.