Refugee Crisis
Over the coming weeks we hope to better explain, through blog posts and videos, what exactly is happening in Lesvos and why, as well as some of our own personal experiences on the island and at the refugee camp.
What is the Refugee Crisis?
First of all, let's define refugee. A refugee is a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.
There are refugees fleeing countries all over the world, but the refugees in Lesvos come from Cameroon, Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Algeria, Morocco, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria.... more than 30 countries are represented at the camp we visited.
Some of these refugees are fleeing war; some of them are fleeing for political reasons; some of them are fleeing due to religious persecution. All of them are fleeing because it was their best option, their only choice, their last hope.
Why are there so many refugees in Lesvos?
First of all the refugees that are now in Lesvos went to Turkey. Some of them arrived in Turkey legally, by bus, train, or even plane. Others arrived illegally; after having walked for miles, they paid smugglers who paid Turkish military to look the other way in the middle of the night as they crossed into Turkey. Many of them hoped to make a new life for themselves in Turkey, but life in Turkey is harsh. They are treated poorly. Many areas are unsafe. So they pay a{nother} smuggler to get them out, to take them to Europe.
Lesvos is a Greek [European] island that is only 4.1 miles across the Aegean Sea from Turkey.
As the refugees flee from Turkey, their hope is to arrive in European territory. Of course, they prefer to make it to land, but if they are caught in the middle of their voyage across the sea, they hope to be picked up by European coastguard, who are required to take them to Europe, rather than the Turkish coastguard, who are required to take them [back] to Turkey.
Often times, the smugglers pay the Turkish coastguard to look the other way at a particular time. Many refugees pay between $500-1000 for their passage to Lesvos; the price typically includes up to four attempts at arriving in Europe.
Our friend, Josh, does a great job of explaining why so many refugees are in Lesvos in this short **video:
**Contact Kate for the password
2. Why are there so many refugees in Lesvos? from Jordan Egli on Vimeo.
What is the Refugee Crisis?
First of all, let's define refugee. A refugee is a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.
There are refugees fleeing countries all over the world, but the refugees in Lesvos come from Cameroon, Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Algeria, Morocco, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria.... more than 30 countries are represented at the camp we visited.
Some of these refugees are fleeing war; some of them are fleeing for political reasons; some of them are fleeing due to religious persecution. All of them are fleeing because it was their best option, their only choice, their last hope.
First of all the refugees that are now in Lesvos went to Turkey. Some of them arrived in Turkey legally, by bus, train, or even plane. Others arrived illegally; after having walked for miles, they paid smugglers who paid Turkish military to look the other way in the middle of the night as they crossed into Turkey. Many of them hoped to make a new life for themselves in Turkey, but life in Turkey is harsh. They are treated poorly. Many areas are unsafe. So they pay a{nother} smuggler to get them out, to take them to Europe.
Lesvos is a Greek [European] island that is only 4.1 miles across the Aegean Sea from Turkey.
As the refugees flee from Turkey, their hope is to arrive in European territory. Of course, they prefer to make it to land, but if they are caught in the middle of their voyage across the sea, they hope to be picked up by European coastguard, who are required to take them to Europe, rather than the Turkish coastguard, who are required to take them [back] to Turkey.
Often times, the smugglers pay the Turkish coastguard to look the other way at a particular time. Many refugees pay between $500-1000 for their passage to Lesvos; the price typically includes up to four attempts at arriving in Europe.
Our friend, Josh, does a great job of explaining why so many refugees are in Lesvos in this short **video:
**Contact Kate for the password
2. Why are there so many refugees in Lesvos? from Jordan Egli on Vimeo.
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