Lena Kristin Ellingsen is one of the actresses in our video ”På flukt” launched in July 2018. In the fall of 2015, she was one of the volunteers who traveled to Greece to help. Read about her experiences as a volunteer on Chios here.
A Drop in the Ocean – 3 years
This has been the best day (apart from when my five children were born) and the worst day of my life! I am spotting for boats with binoculars and a first aid kit. Those were the first items I was handed when I met up with the English couple that coordinates and alerts volunteers when boats enter the shore. Yesterday, 4000 people arrived to the island in rubber boats. They pay about 1000 euro a person to join the boat. And another 100 for a life-jacket. The children are often just carrying inflatable swim rings! There are piles of life-jackets on every shore! – Trude Jacobsen, 30 August 2015.
“Inside every refugee is a human”
Suddenly my country feels like the Titanic tragedy. You find yourself in a dingy with 9 others, well aware the fact that it actually has room for 30 people. But, you refuse to go back, refuse to turn the boat around. Instead you end up sitting in the dingy while you hold your breath.
What explains the unequal distribution of refugees in the world?
A startling 65,5 million people are forcefully displaced worldwide, many of whom lose their lives when embarking on a journey to Europe’s shores. Today, more than 86% of the world’s refugees are hosted in low- and middle-income countries. So, the poorest countries in the world take in the most refugees. Have you ever wondered why that is?
Eid Festival: Celebrating Eid in Nea Kavala
Being able to host an Eid celebration for the residents of Nea Kavala allowed our residents to relax, socialize, enjoy food from their own and other cultures, and dance the evening away. Muslim and non-Muslims alike gathered to celebrate the end of the Ramadan, showing us that even in difficult times, we can cross language and cultural barriers to create something amazing that can be enjoyed by all.