Once back in the Netherlands, a phone call soon followed: “Boat Refugee Foundation wanted to start providing medical care on Lesvos. The need was enormous. I packed my suitcase, full of medication and a stethoscope, and went.”

“There on the beach at Eftalou, in the north of Lesvos, we received the boats. It was an impossible place with many sharp, dangerous rocks. We saw people with epilepsy without medication, diabetes, and infected wounds. But also people fainting from emotion, spraining ankles as they enthusiastically jumped out of boats, and pregnant women who no longer felt life in their wombs. Among the most beautiful moments were when we could let them hear the heartbeat again using a doppler,” Pieter recounts.

That initial medical care quickly grew into a structured programme with doctors and nurses. Pieter led the team and worked alongside other organisations and authorities. He contributed to streamlining and professionalising the care: “At that time, the beach was swarming with doctors and other aid workers. Everything was completely uncoordinated, and everyone did their own thing. We took on a coordinating role and made agreements: how do you receive a boat? How do you triage? That way, we could manage everything smoothly together. We focused on quality and good relationships with the government and other NGOs, which made Boat Refugee Foundation a stable and reliable partner—as it still is today.”

Pieter returned to the Netherlands in early 2016. He says, “My time as a volunteer on Lesvos has had a huge impact on my life, and I still think about it a lot. I also really enjoyed leading a team and watching volunteers grow.”

After Lesvos, Pieter continued his work through various organisations, including on Samos, Chios, and in Athens. The situation has changed significantly over ten years, Pieter notes. “Back then, the help was emergency support, and people only stayed in the refugee camps for a short time. Now, it’s more like a general practice setting with long-term care. In addition to medical issues, there are also many psychosocial problems and traumas, and people sometimes have to wait for years. It takes far too long before people get clarity. That’s not powerlessness—that’s political unwillingness. Everything is aimed at deterrence—make it as unappealing as possible, and then people won’t come. But it doesn’t work that way.”

Pieter hopes that some awareness will break through. “I wish there would just be a little bit more humanity again. Especially in countries with so much luxury. If you read the newspapers, it’s about a refugee problem. But when you stand on the beaches or work in the camps, you look people in the eye, and then you don’t see a problem. You see people. And then it takes on a whole different dimension. All these people are fighting for their existence. For their happiness. For their children. For their families. Everyone should understand that.”