One last post from Samos - and it is a sad one. This morning I was meeting with Omar for an interview. He was just coming from the hospital. Last night a boat sank off shore and MANY refugees were in the water. Many are in bad shape, at the hospital suffering from hypothermia. Nine [...]
Our last jungle clinic. A chaotic and emotional day. A group of folks from Afghanistan came and we had a marginal translator. Our African group also came so we had a lot of people. Thankful for Georgia and Marcia coming up to help on their day off from the clinic. This camp has been difficult on [...]
Today was an easy day. Many of the refugees had to renew their cards. Our sweet nurse from Cameroon, Susie, suddenly got a call from the UN immigration office. We were on pins and needles until she returned and said she is being transferred to the mainland TOMORROW. Such short notice. She is excited and nervous. [...]
Today the sun was shining again. It makes such a difference. Mark did more ultrasounds in the tent and there were some with significant findings. They get referred to the clinic and hopefully will eventually get treatment. As I have said before, the system is so broken. But in defense of Greece, this small island [...]
The jungle medical clinic ultrasound’s battery ran out today. We were able to do about 7. Today we saw a couple from Nepal who have been here for 8 months and are the only Nepalese in the camp. They speak very little English. She is pregnant. Ohhh, so isolated - along with the horrible conditions [...]
The jungle medical camp has become a small refuge for the people. They come with their health issues but also for attention and recognition. We see predominantly Africans who are so marginalized. Over and over we hear how they feel people don’t like them, they feel they are treated like dogs. Officials have told them they [...]
Today the sun shined all day. It was warm and people gathered outside at the jungle medical camp. They sat around having our ginger tea and talking, some laughter was heard. Oh, the healing power of the sun!!!! On the way this morning Riikka and I found the truck selling oranges. We bought 25 kg of [...]
Another day in the jungle. Today Georgia and Marcia joined the jungle team. It was a women’s day and we also saw many minors. These young boys really break my heart. Their faces are so pained. Many are vot [victlms of torture] and have endured beatings. They are alone. None are with family. Many have [...]
Especially challenging day today. We saw about 7 young men, all minors aged 16 and 17. They are here alone, escaping bad situations in their country, most of them VOT (victims of torture). They are supposed to be protected and sheltered away from the general population but these boys are camped in the jungle in [...]
Our jungle medical camp today: The sun was shining but the cold wind was blowing. We saw 70 people today. Many, many VOT. Victims of Torture. Many just sick from the conditions and untreated chronic illnesses. Saw 3 women today with history of sexual violence. Raped in Turkey on the journey to freedom. The van [...]
