In 2015, 856,000 people passed through the Greek islands, and in 2017 and 2018 only just under 30 thousand (according to UNHCR). But 2019 brought already a growth – over 60,000 newcomers. Today, boats coming to Greek beaches are back again, and practice shows that you can get stuck in Lesbos for a good few years. Nikos and Katerina run a small restaurant on the island, where every refugee can feel at home and eat a meal for free.
13.07.2023
The sweltering heat is pouring from the sky. It is 40 degrees in the shade in Lesbos. There is no shade in the camp, so everyone is roasting in even greater heat. At 12:30 a.m. a bus with meals from our Home for All kitchen drives through the camp gate. A group of young men are waiting for us in the middle of the grounds. Every day they help distribute meals, visiting the sick and diabetics.
“Dad had to go into town to run important errands. I am here in his place. I really like to help,” Mohamedjo introduces himself as he packs the meals into a bag. He doesn’t take his mind off the task. He has come here to act. He takes a map showing the addresses of the containers to be visited. We move behind him.
Mohamedjo doesn’t like the camp, but he likes to help. He wants, amidst all the hopelessness surrounding him, to feel that he can still support others. Responsibility and trust add a few inches to his height. He expects nothing in return. He acts nimbly as if he were on a football pitch, leaping between the clotheslines strung between the containers. With the greatest decorum, he knocks on the door, gives his hosts the most charming smile, asks if everything is alright, leaves a meal and offers his greetings, wishing them a good meal.
“Sympathy is not enough. Delivering a meal to someone is solving a specific problem, says the boy. His words resonate. They sound like life coaching. Only better, because not theoretical. Mohamedjo gives a lesson in helping.
If compassion is also not enough for you, let yourself be persuaded to shop at GoodWorks 24/7. At our charity shop you can donate a meal in seconds to the sick residents of the camp in Lesbos who have nothing to eat. Mohamed will be happy to deliver it to their hands.
20.06.2024
A refugee I am Forced to flee, I become someone I am not These few lines from a Lao Che song have been on my mind all morning. The World Refugee Day, which we celebrate today, could easily be called World Day of Helplessness, Lack of Solidarity, Fences, Barriers, and Lack of Hospitality. “In Nigeria, […]
27.08.2023
The unpaved road stretches for kilometres and winds down the mountainous slopes. It cuts through bone-dry pine forests. From here to Mitylena, the island’s capital, it is more than 40 kilometres. To any sign of civilisation – more than 10. Out of sight, out of mind of all outsiders, a gigantic new refugee camp is […]
14.08.2023
Onur was a baker in Kurdistan. He is not afraid of any job. Stately, broad-shouldered, hands like vices. They have strength and feel. He arrived in Lesbos eight years ago. Abdul got off the boat on a Greek beach a year later. In Syria, he was a mechanic. He has fixed up his decrepit old […]
