One may look at our current situation and wonder, "Where has humanity gone?" With a push of the button, the war in Syria could end - solving the refugee crisis amongst rising tensions in the Middle East. On the other side of the coin, we can look at the combined effort of the volunteers in Greece and observe an example of selfless service at humanities best.
Everyday people are working here; whether it be organizing clothes, feeding the hungry, cleaning, performing search and rescue operations, or coordinating efforts (to name a few). I continue to exist in awe at the collective effort of the volunteers on the island of light, Lesvos.
The days have begun to blur together for me. Our crew, Refugee Rescue, is out on the water most nights and some days; therefore, we have a sporadic sleep pattern. Resting for a few hours, then immediately jumping up to suit up and run to the boat. A full adrenaline rescue mission followed by a couple more hours of sleep. Then perhaps we train, hold debrief sessions, or service our boat. There is little down time to rest the mind - as we are always on call, standing by.
The past few nights we have helped shepherd in boats. Basically, we do our best to communicate with the refugees on board the boats, letting them know we are there to help and point a direction they should head their boat. Depending on the situation, we either take the lead and show them where to go, or we shepherd from the back, making sure there are no casualties. Ideally, more than one rescue boat will be on scene so we can have one in front and one in back.
A large percentage of the boats arriving in these days have been made of fiberglass, a cheap version of a speedboat that appears to be made as cheap and quick as possible. The possibility of these boats cracking is high - even with the impact of a strong wave. It seems that smugglers are trying to find methods to be faster and more discreet, as the pressure from Turkish coast guard continues to increase.
Around 1 AM a couple of nights ago, we guided a fiberglass boat safely to shore. A landing crew was present, and as the refugees piled off, the landing crew (including Anais) became aware that there was an 8.5 month pregnant woman with 2 kids on board. The impact of the boat into the beach gave her slight contractions and an ambulance with medics came to assist her. By the grace of Allah, her baby and the mother were safe and well.
Anais spent a few hours with this group around a big fire. She played her harmonica and laughed with the refugees. The husband of the pregnant mother agreed to share their story with Anais on camera, which he told in Arabic - when it is translated, we will share! The refugees were so excited to reach the coast safely, that they did not want to sleep, rather celebrate through the night.
A similar scenario played out this morning with a boat we escorted in to the beach. This time, there was a pregnant mother aboard and a man having heart problems. Certain teams bring medics with them, which we are grateful for, as they are trained and equipped to perform emergency procedures in remote landing areas. Because communication and teamwork was strong, we were able to make sure everyone was safe and received medical attention.
Refugee Rescue welcomed a new crew member, David from California, the other day. We are happy to have him as he is well trained, willing to learn, and experienced. Richie will be with us for one more week, so it is imperative that we get David up to speed so our team can continue to function effectively. We also welcomed a new skipper, Chris from Greece, a few hours ago. He will join us tonight to begin his training.
We continue to improve our methods and teamwork. We are functioning totally off of the support of individual donations. For this, we are in gratitude.
With love and peace we go, helping those who we can. Thank you.
Everyday people are working here; whether it be organizing clothes, feeding the hungry, cleaning, performing search and rescue operations, or coordinating efforts (to name a few). I continue to exist in awe at the collective effort of the volunteers on the island of light, Lesvos.
The days have begun to blur together for me. Our crew, Refugee Rescue, is out on the water most nights and some days; therefore, we have a sporadic sleep pattern. Resting for a few hours, then immediately jumping up to suit up and run to the boat. A full adrenaline rescue mission followed by a couple more hours of sleep. Then perhaps we train, hold debrief sessions, or service our boat. There is little down time to rest the mind - as we are always on call, standing by.
The past few nights we have helped shepherd in boats. Basically, we do our best to communicate with the refugees on board the boats, letting them know we are there to help and point a direction they should head their boat. Depending on the situation, we either take the lead and show them where to go, or we shepherd from the back, making sure there are no casualties. Ideally, more than one rescue boat will be on scene so we can have one in front and one in back.
Around 1 AM a couple of nights ago, we guided a fiberglass boat safely to shore. A landing crew was present, and as the refugees piled off, the landing crew (including Anais) became aware that there was an 8.5 month pregnant woman with 2 kids on board. The impact of the boat into the beach gave her slight contractions and an ambulance with medics came to assist her. By the grace of Allah, her baby and the mother were safe and well.
A similar scenario played out this morning with a boat we escorted in to the beach. This time, there was a pregnant mother aboard and a man having heart problems. Certain teams bring medics with them, which we are grateful for, as they are trained and equipped to perform emergency procedures in remote landing areas. Because communication and teamwork was strong, we were able to make sure everyone was safe and received medical attention.
We continue to improve our methods and teamwork. We are functioning totally off of the support of individual donations. For this, we are in gratitude.
With love and peace we go, helping those who we can. Thank you.
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