Refugee Crisis

In 2015, I travelled from Finland to the island of Lesbos together
with the journalist Ann-Sofi Berger and the Nada Nord humanitarian aid team.

In November 2015, I travelled together with Ann-Sofi Berger, a journalist at Österbottens Tidning in Jakobstad, and the Nada Nord humanitarian aid team to Lesbos in Greece. Ann-Sofi and I had been commissioned to shadow Nada Nord for an extensive reportage on their work. The main goal was to provide more insight into the situation on Lesbos. Both Ann-Sofi and I knew that we wanted to publish a story about individuals and their backstory, rather than a story about anonymous people passing through.

Here you can read more about what we experienced on Lesbos:
https://kasperdalkarl.com/stories/essayonlesbos/

Three year old Rana is lifted from a boat by a volunteer.
Later we chance upon her family in the registration camp Moria. Her father Abdul Azad was a reporter in Kandahar before the Talinans arrived. He wanted a better future for his family and decided to flee.
The Azad family arrived during the day, without complications. They had to pay the smugglers 700 dollar per family member for the dangerous trip. Abdul tells us that no one in the boat had any experience with seafaring from before.
– We were cattled like animals, afraid of sinking, but we were not allowed to leave the boat – then they would have shot us. It was horrible, and everyone was crying, says Rana's elder brother Zubir.
A great majority of refugees we meet at Lesbos are families with children, but another large group is young men travelling alone.
The risk of sinking was high, and during their trip their motor stopped working. For over 10 hours the men had to tread water and use their feet to make the boat move.
Many among the refugees are hurt and close to dying from hypothermia. The volunteers give then blankets, new clothes, something hot toeat an drink and medical care.
Many among the refugees are hurt and close to dying from hypothermia. The volunteers give then blankets, new clothes, something hot toeat an drink and medical care.
The huge demand for life jackets on the Turkish side has caused smugglers and factories to sell them fake life jackets, usually filled with soft materials which wont help them float if they end up in water.
Greeks and volunteers try to clean up the beaches, and the only thing they can do with the fake life jackets is to burn them.
Most boats are overfilled with people, and many of them sink halfway to Lesbos.
A newly arrived refugee boy is freezing and has received a waming blanket until the volunteers can find him suiting clothes.
Gunilla Luther-Lindqvist usually sing for the children while she gives them food or clothes, and always manage to make them smile even in these trying conditions.
Everyone one has to take responsibility and help carry the family's belongings and provisions.
All refugees that come to Europe through Lesbos have to register in one of the two registration camps on the island. Many are confused and uncertain on where they need to go, and the language barriers are enormous.
Every day boats come to shore outside the small village Skala Sykamineas. The local women keep a close eye on everything that's going in their village.
Apart from his mother-tongue Pashto, Abdul Hadi speaks Persian, Russian, Urdu and English. He hopes that he will find a safe future in Europe for his children, and asks us many times where we think they would be safe and have a good future.
Even through all hardships the family manages to smile. We later found out that they managed to get citizenship in Germany.
Three year old Rana is lifted from a boat by a volunteer.

Three year old Rana is lifted from a boat by a volunteer.

Later we chance upon her family in the registration camp Moria. Her father Abdul Azad was a reporter in Kandahar before the Talinans arrived. He wanted a better future for his family and decided to flee.

Later we chance upon her family in the registration camp Moria. Her father Abdul Azad was a reporter in Kandahar before the Talinans arrived. He wanted a better future for his family and decided to flee.

The Azad family arrived during the day, without complications. They had to pay the smugglers 700 dollar per family member for the dangerous trip. Abdul tells us that no one in the boat had any experience with seafaring from before.

The Azad family arrived during the day, without complications. They had to pay the smugglers 700 dollar per family member for the dangerous trip. Abdul tells us that no one in the boat had any experience with seafaring from before.

– We were cattled like animals, afraid of sinking, but we were not allowed to leave the boat – then they would have shot us. It was horrible, and everyone was crying, says Rana's elder brother Zubir.

– We were cattled like animals, afraid of sinking, but we were not allowed to leave the boat – then they would have shot us. It was horrible, and everyone was crying, says Rana's elder brother Zubir.

A great majority of refugees we meet at Lesbos are families with children, but another large group is young men travelling alone.

A great majority of refugees we meet at Lesbos are families with children, but another large group is young men travelling alone.

The risk of sinking was high, and during their trip their motor stopped working. For over 10 hours the men had to tread water and use their feet to make the boat move.

The risk of sinking was high, and during their trip their motor stopped working. For over 10 hours the men had to tread water and use their feet to make the boat move.

Many among the refugees are hurt and close to dying from hypothermia. The volunteers give then blankets, new clothes, something hot toeat an drink and medical care.

Many among the refugees are hurt and close to dying from hypothermia. The volunteers give then blankets, new clothes, something hot toeat an drink and medical care.

Many among the refugees are hurt and close to dying from hypothermia. The volunteers give then blankets, new clothes, something hot toeat an drink and medical care.

Many among the refugees are hurt and close to dying from hypothermia. The volunteers give then blankets, new clothes, something hot toeat an drink and medical care.

The huge demand for life jackets on the Turkish side has caused smugglers and factories to sell them fake life jackets, usually filled with soft materials which wont help them float if they end up in water.

The huge demand for life jackets on the Turkish side has caused smugglers and factories to sell them fake life jackets, usually filled with soft materials which wont help them float if they end up in water.

Greeks and volunteers try to clean up the beaches, and the only thing they can do with the fake life jackets is to burn them.

Greeks and volunteers try to clean up the beaches, and the only thing they can do with the fake life jackets is to burn them.

Most boats are overfilled with people, and many of them sink halfway to Lesbos.

Most boats are overfilled with people, and many of them sink halfway to Lesbos.

A newly arrived refugee boy is freezing and has received a waming blanket until the volunteers can find him suiting clothes.

A newly arrived refugee boy is freezing and has received a waming blanket until the volunteers can find him suiting clothes.

Gunilla Luther-Lindqvist usually sing for the children while she gives them food or clothes, and always manage to make them smile even in these trying conditions.

Gunilla Luther-Lindqvist usually sing for the children while she gives them food or clothes, and always manage to make them smile even in these trying conditions.

Everyone one has to take responsibility and help carry the family's belongings and provisions.

Everyone one has to take responsibility and help carry the family's belongings and provisions.

All refugees that come to Europe through Lesbos have to register in one of the two registration camps on the island. Many are confused and uncertain on where they need to go, and the language barriers are enormous.

All refugees that come to Europe through Lesbos have to register in one of the two registration camps on the island. Many are confused and uncertain on where they need to go, and the language barriers are enormous.

Every day boats come to shore outside the small village Skala Sykamineas. The local women keep a close eye on everything that's going in their village.

Every day boats come to shore outside the small village Skala Sykamineas. The local women keep a close eye on everything that's going in their village.

Apart from his mother-tongue Pashto, Abdul Hadi speaks Persian, Russian, Urdu and English. He hopes that he will find a safe future in Europe for his children, and asks us many times where we think they would be safe and have a good future.

Apart from his mother-tongue Pashto, Abdul Hadi speaks Persian, Russian, Urdu and English. He hopes that he will find a safe future in Europe for his children, and asks us many times where we think they would be safe and have a good future.

Even through all hardships the family manages to smile. We later found out that they managed to get citizenship in Germany.

Even through all hardships the family manages to smile. We later found out that they managed to get citizenship in Germany.