At some point in the past week I should have introduced our Catholic Relief Services Global Fellows Delegation to the Balkans.  So, here they are:

We have seen quite a bit over the past week.  Below are some pictures of the refugees and the work we have seen taking place in the Balkans.  A story about one of the refugees we met will appear on Sunday.  Be sure to check back for that!

Continue reading “Our CRS Global Fellows Delegation” →

 

While our Catholic Relief Services delegation was at the hotel that serves as a rest area for the refugees, I met a man and his son who were waiting to see one of the doctors. The man’s name is Ahmad Fares. Telling his story is not easy or brief, so I hope you’ll take the time to read about him.

Continue reading “Ahmad Fares – A Man Seeking Peace for His Family” →

This is not the refugee story that I planned to post today but it is late here in Serbia and I want to be sure of the facts of the story about Hiat. There were several of us meeting with her so I am sending the story to them to ensure its accuracy.  So, in this post I want to tell you a bit about how the refugees leave Serbia and how they are treated here.  In a separate post I will tell you about a man named Ahmad, with whom I spent some time today.  Continue reading “Trains, Buses and Waiting” →

Today was a travel day for us.  Our Catholic Relief Services Global Fellows delegation moved from Athens, Greece to Belgrade, Serbia.  It is a trip of about 700 miles and it took our flight about an hour and forty minutes.   The refugees we met at the port yesterday are most likely near Macedonia and still have 350-400 miles to go to catch up with us.  When they reach Belgrade they will have traveled over 1,600 miles and have about 1,000 more to reach Germany.  The differences in our travel are numerous. Continue reading “Refugee Migration – A Perspective” →

 

Before I left Atlanta I was asked how we would know that what we were seeing in Greece and Serbia was typical and real versus a show put on for our trip.  I was very certain then and know for sure now, that such a false display would be impossible.  The size of this problem and numbers of refugees would make pulling off a hoax like that harder than solving the real problems!

Late yesterday we learned that a ferry would be delivering refugees to Athens early today.  So, early this morning our CRS delegation arrived at the port in Athens in order Continue reading “Refugees at the Port” →

 

Today was a busy day for our Catholic Relief Service delegation.  We are seeing more and more refugees and the various humanitarian efforts underway by CRS, Caritas Athens and Caritas Hellas (Caritas Greece).  It might be possible for you the reader to imagine how fluid and changing the refugee crisis in Greece is; or perhaps it might be hard to understand that there is a crisis in Greece and why it affects those of us in the United States.  Therefore, it might be worthwhile to hear what is known and not known about this situation. Continue reading “Things Known and Unknown in a Fluid Refugee Situation” →

 

As posted earlier, we worked at the Caritas Athens Refugee Soup Kitchen today.  These are some pictures of where we were and what we saw.  Peace. Continue reading “The Caritas Athens Refugee Soup Kitchen” →

 

This is a brief update on out Catholic Relief Services visit to Greece and Serbia where hundreds of thousands of refugees are coming to make their way to what they hope is a better life.  It is brief because after a long day we are back in our hotel, it is late and we will be up at 5:00 a.m. tomorrow morning to be at the pier when the first boats with refugees arrives in Athens.

There are two brief thoughts that I want to mention tonight and I will I elaborate on them in the next day or so.  The first relates to the photo above.  In graffiti it reflects Continue reading “Refugee Tidal Wave on a Small Shore” →

 

Our Catholic Relief Services delegation was able to depart Dulles International just as Snowmageddon 2016 was hitting the Washington area.  After a 4-5 hour delay to get de-iced we were off, evidently the last flight that left Dulles on Friday.  We missed our connection in Paris and ended up on a connecting flight through Frankfurt.  More on that part of our trip in a bit.  First it may be good to share some first thoughts since arriving here in Athens as a backdrop for the posts to come.   Continue reading “From Athens – First Thoughts” →

  
Our Catholic Relief Services delegation is about to board our flight from Washington, DC to Athens, Greece.  The snow is really coming down but we are confident of an on time departure.

Over the past few weeks we have all been asked why we are going to Greece and Serbia to see the refugee crisis first hand and what we hope to accomplish.  These are good questions.   I will be providing some answers to those questions and others over the next few days. 

As a bit of background, this is what we understand as of now.  The refugee issue in Greece, Macedonia, Serbia and the Balkans in general is the largest and most serious refugee crisis since World War II.  Quite literally, millions of people have been displaced from their homes, families and any semblance of normal life by the war in Syria and ISIS.  These refugees are truly fleeing for their lives, seeking safety for themselves.  When vast numbers of people are on the move looking to escape violence it creates a humanitarian crisis.  Most refugees fled with few or no possessions and need food, shelter, clothing and in some cases medicines and medical attention.  

We will be able to see the situation firsthand, meet many refugees and aid workers, and hear their stories.  I look forward to reporting on what we see; the plight of the refugees as well as the response of CRS, other aid groups and the world to this crisis.