Well in Greece !

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Heather Higginbottom on March 28th visited the northern Aegean island of Lesvos, where she met with local and national government officials and representatives from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The U.S. delegation visited facilities involved in registering newly arrived migrants and we had a chance to talk with some young refugees.

U.S. Deputy Secretary Higginbottom said during a press conference:

“… I’ve heard about, and now I’ve witnessed this beautiful town, incredible acts of kindness and generosity, the efforts to rescue people at sea, and to help shelter and feed them here in this community has provided a lifeline to hundreds of thousands of people.

The United States is a partner in this effort. I am here on my way to a conference in Geneva hosted by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. I’ll be representing the President and the Secretary of State, who back in Washington have this issue, both solving the crisis in Syria with a diplomatic solution, and addressing the migrant refugee crisis as a top priority of our administration.

But I wanted to come here first before heading to Geneva, to learn more about what is happening here and to express appreciation for all those in Lesvos and across Greece are doing for migrants that are arriving here. And I wanted to learn first hand how we can better support that work.

So I’m pleased to announce today that we are committing an additional 20 million dollars for efforts to provide protection, shelter, food and other life saving assistance to the most vulnerable refugees and migrants throughout Europe, including here in Greece. The 20 million dollars includes 17.5 million dollars for UNHCR, two million dollars for the International Federation of Red Cross/Red Crescent, and 500 thousand dollars for the United Nations Population Fund.

This new funding brings the total US humanitarian assistance for the regional refugee and migrant support effort to more than 43.6 million dollars since it started last year. The welfare of migrants and refugees, including those who are risking their lives in a desperate attempt to find safety in Europe is a top priority for President Obama and across our government.  We are strongly committed to supporting refugees through assistance to the region, resettlement in the United States and by working with other nations and organizations to increase global support”.

SOURCE: Embassy of the U.S. in Athens
PHOTO: State Department

Ambassadors of European Union state members and  Schengen associated countries visited the island of Lesvos accompanied by Alternate Foreign Minister Nikos Xydakis and Alternate Minister for Migration Policy Ioannis Mouzalas the delegation  met with dozens of migrants and refugees who had just disembarked from rigged dinghies.

The delegation boarded a Coastguard open-sea vessel and sailed the maritime borderline between Greece and Turkey.

Mr. Mouzalas stated: “We wanted you to see where the boats come from and explain to you, once again, that the work we are doing at sea to defend the borders of Europe is to save people. You can’t repel at sea. On our land borders, we can keep out people who don’t have the right to come in. On the maritime borders we have to save them”.

The visit concluded at the Regional Council Hall in Lesvos, where Mr. Mouzalas briefed the Ambassadors in detail on the procedures for reception, registration and relocation that take place in Greece, within the framework of international and European law. During the briefing, Mr. Mouzalas referred to the routes Syrian refugees are taking to Europe, and he went into detail regarding Greece’s duties.

He also noted the need for officials of foreign states to consult with the Greek authorities during their scheduled visits to the region, so that they can gain a rounded view of the refugee and migration issue. Having thanked the NGOs for their work in the region, Mr. Mouzalas noted that the government’s goal was to bring order to the way in which NGOs operate in order to optimize assistance for the refugees.

Alternate Foreign Minister Xydakis welcomed the international delegation to Lesvos: “You are eyewitnesses to what is happening on the European borders. We are shouldering the burden of receiving people from the war regions, from regions in civil conflict or regions of poverty and despair. We are acting in accordance with the rules of international law, in accordance with the EU treaties, and in line with the fundamental principles of the democracies and peoples of Europe. In accordance with these principles, we are not repelling people who are at sea; that is, we do not leave them to sink and drown. We are saving human lives. I ask that you convey to your governments and to your peoples what is really happening and the things you have seen with your own eyes. Just as France invoked article 42 of the Lisbon Treaty to activate the solidarity of the EU member states in the struggle against terrorism – solidarity that we all have a duty to provide – Greece, in accordance with international law and the European treaties, is asking for the solidarity and understanding of the EU member states.”

SOURCE: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Greece

An American mother of a two year old had a revelation one day while lugging her child in her arms during a routine trip to the grocery store and realizing how heavy he was. Then, captivated by the photo of a small Syrian child who had washed up on a Turkish beach while trying with his family to flee to the island of Kos— where her husband’s family is from— Crystal Logothetis had her very own “eureka moment.”

Reading the news reports and seeing so many photos of refugee moms carrying their children, walking for miles and miles across borders and through rough, wet— and sometimes dangerous terrain— I had a thought to gather baby carriers and send them to Greece to offer them to these parents.

From that single moment, a movement was born and Crystal’s vision grew and expanded to Carry the Future, an organization supporting parents with young children by providing baby carriers, food packs and other items to help ease the pain and suffering of refugees in Greece. With the help of thousands of people throughout the world, Crystal raised more than $40,000 via an Indiegogo crowd-funding campaign and received thousands of baby carriers that she and a team of volunteers took to Greece and handed out to refugee moms and dads.

“Locals scrambled to find dry clothes and babies that had been found with no parents were changed and cared for by local Greek grandmothers until authorities could take care of them. Churches were suddenly turned into a makeshift clinic with injured being attended to. The local priest kept coming in and out of the church carrying blankets and dry clothes, his wife was getting people cups of tea and comforting distraught mothers. Police were busy trying to get names of the people missing at sea, ambulance officers were stretched to the limit transporting only the critical to the hospital in the city of Mytillini (an hours drive away) while volunteers nursed the other injured.”

When Helen isn’t volunteering at the medical center she’s shopping for toys and other items to help the most vulnerable of the refugees– especially the young ones. She’s also lending a hand, where needed, for other vulnerable groups, including a group of LGBT refugees.