Updates and field stories

Another year has passed, and A Drop in the Ocean is currently in its 5th winter of doing aid work in Greece and on the Aegean islands. I am constantly getting questions about the situation “down there”. I wish my response could be; “the situation for displaced people in Greece is much better. The processing of asylum applications is running much more smoothly, and at a more rapid pace, and no children are living in tents. I wish I could tell them that all unaccompanied minors have received help from European states, that welcomed them with open arms. I wish I could tell them that Mohammed, the 4-year old I met in Moria earlier this month, is now living safe and sound in a foster home”. But this is not the reality.

This is the biggest school I have ever attended. I have learned incredibly much. You can gain a lot of knowledge in school, and in environments where you are comfortable, but being in the field is completely different – it facilitates professional and personal development, and it is something I would highly recommend. – Angelika Sogn

The refugee crisis still persists in Greece, more than four years after its peak in 2015. A Drop in the Ocean was established because of this crisis, and we work continuously to help the refugees in Greece. This text will link refugee rights, with an emphasis on children’s rights, to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as today is the United Nations Day. We want to use this day to highlight the rights of children and unaccompanied minors, as well as refugees in general, as the refugee crisis has cropped up quite heavily this early autumn. Our work with children and unaccompanied minors in the locations we operate will be highlighted in this article.