Deacon Scott Haner, of Louisville and CRS Global Fellow provides his observation of the work being done for the refugees in the Balkans:
Today’s global refugee crisis represents a “river of humanity” moving at levels not seen since the close of World War II. As refugees travel for many months to reach places where they can seek asylum, they have many needs – food, warmer clothing, medical care, shelter, etc. And let’s not forget their psychological needs; this is a time of great stress and anxiety. I was heartened by the myriad of groups, from all faith and secular traditions that focused on the need and volunteered to help the refugees. Catholic Relief Services (CRS), local Caritas groups, Balkans Center for Migration, Foundation Ana and Vlade Divac, Orthodox Philanthropy, Doctors without Borders, World Vision, and the Red Cross all working together. They hold coordination meetings weekly and execute in flawless fashion. It’s nice to see likeminded organizations focusing on a common goal and making a real difference for those in need.
Nejra Hodzurda (left) with Erin Mackey in Serbia, near the Croatian border.
In my last post I mentioned the interpreter, Nejra Hodzurda who directed a pregnant woman to the clinic. The woman was subsequently taken to the hospital. I located a picture of Nejra and I thought you should see her. She is like so many of the aid workers that we met; young, dedicated and effective!
Deacon Scott Haner is a CRS Global Fellow who was part of our delegation. He provides this story that he heard from aid workers near the Serbia-Croatia border:
Nejra Hodzurda is an interpreter in Serbia who works with refugees to explain next steps and offer necessary assistance. It gives great comfort and reduces anxiety for refugees to speak with someone who knows their language.
A woman who was more than 7 months pregnant, came to the bus to train transfer station feeling a great deal of pain. She assumed it was from the stress of the journey. Taida urged her to go to medical room where after a quick examination it was determined a more thorough exam was needed. The doctors in the clinic arranged to transport her to a local hospital. After an ultrasound was done, the mother was informed she would have a daughter soon. Her medical condition was treated and after a few days rest she was given medicine for the onward trip.
The new mother was so grateful for the assistance; she promised to name her baby girl Nejra after the interpreter. The actions by Nejra saved the life of the baby and possibly the mother. For Nejra it was just another day caring for people in need, for the woman it meant life itself.
A young volunteer with the Boat Refugee Foundation (Bootvluchteling) of the Netherlands helps an arriving refugee couple in Athens Greece.As previously mentioned in a post, refugee aid organizations are collaborating in Greece where the refugees from war impacted areas are arriving. Caritas Athens coordinates the activities of many of these agencies to avoid overlap and fill gaps as best they can. Caritas Athens and Catholic Relief Services are partnering with an organization that I would like to tell you about.
A mother gets information at the Athens port after crossing the Aegean Sea.When we each agreed to participate in the Catholic Relief Services Global Fellows trip to the Balkans we knew we would encounter many refugees and have an opportunity to spend time with some of them to better understand the human dimension of the overall refugee problem. We knew there would be some commonality in the personal stories but that each story would be as unique as the person we were sitting with. Among all of the people that we encountered there are some that particularly stand out and we will remember them the rest of our lives. For me, a woman named Hiat is in this category.
Briefly, Hiat is a woman in her 30s who is a refugee from Syria. We met her with five of her six children at a free hotel in Athens which is run by Caritas Athens and supported by CRS. Hiat is the only adult in her family because her husband was killed in the Syrian civil war a short while ago. Hiat is beautiful with a wonderful smile that we only got to see when we complimented her children. She is exhausted and fearful.
It is not only difficult but it can be dangerous for a woman to travel this route without a male companion. This is not due to danger from her fellow refugees but from those who would prey on the vulnerable. We heard stories of smugglers taking vast sums of money from refugees for transportation when a cheap bus ticket would suffice and others who told of the Bulgarian police “examining” the refugee’s meager possessions and stealing whatever they wanted, including money.
Hiat, had arrived in Greece the day we met her and did not know when she would leave. She was worried about her children as any mother would be. In a real way, she is trapped. She fled Syria to save her children from war after her husband’s death, she is now in Greece where she has 30 days to move forward, request asylum or be returned to Syria. In addition, she fears some of her children might not survive the onward journey. Hers is not the anguish of a mother who is a nomad, a pioneer or one living in the Middle Ages. She is a 21st century mother on the run who just a few years ago had a husband, home, children and future.
Hiat is receiving help from CRS and Caritas Athens, she and her children have a warm room, they will receive two meals each day and she can get counseling and assistance to plan and understand the next phase of her journey, but she has hard decisions to make.
There is much more to Hiat’s life and story. It is a long post but I encourage you to take the time to read it all and reflect upon it. I ask this not because I’m writing it, but because I believe it will convey to you a more accurate sense of who the Syrian refugees are, what they have left behind and why, as well as their hopes for the future.
Normally, I would post a photo of Hiat and her son on this site. We asked permission to take her picture and she asked that we not do that. Refugees, especially those just arriving need to build trust in those who are helping them. Until that trust develops over the course of a week or two, they can be reluctant to allow photos. We respect her wishes. To see her full story, just click here. Continue reading “Hiat: The Difficult Journey of a Refugee Mother”→
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:
(Left to Right) – Mr. Nikos Voutsinos of Caritas Athens, Deacon Thomas Aumen, Fr. Martin Boylan, Deacon Joe Guiliano, Deacon Steve Swope, Fr. Ron Chochol, Deacon Scott Haner, Deacon Don Weigel, Deacon Bill Hampton, Ms. Erin Mackey – Not Pictured is Mikaele Sansone, she is behind the camera.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!
Ahmad Fares with his son Karam in Serbia near the Croatian border.
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.
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”→
A Syrian refugee with his son head to the bus that will take them to the Greek border. Formerly middle class, he carries all of the possessions of his lifetime in a black plastic bag.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”→
A Deacon's View 