There is a great demand for care in camp Zervou on Samos: due to the departure of a medical organization, there is no (urgent) medical care in the evenings and at weekends. To meet this urgent need and help more people on the run, we are starting a medical mission on Samos. Preparations for a mission in Athens are also in full swing; more on this later.

The new camp on Samos is modern; people do not live in tents, but have access to a cabin with running water, heating and a toilet. On the other hand, the camp is quite closed and is much further from the village of Vathy than the old camp, making it more difficult for people to get medical help.

Regardless of the circumstances in the camp, we as caregivers want to be close to the people; no matter what! By settling in the camp, we are accessible and can act quickly in acute situations. This can be the difference between life and death, especially in emergency rooms. Because we are the only medical organization in the camp in the evenings and weekends and have our own clinic, we retain our autonomy. In this way we hope to offer everyone in the camp a safe place and access to personal care.

Providing the best possible care to refugees remains our main mission. This means that with our care we also have to be physically close to the people in the camp. We are aware that in some way working in a camp makes us part of the system that we actually condemn. Just because we’re going to work in the camp on Samos doesn’t mean we approve of the camp’s largely closed structure; we will continue to speak out in favor of relocation and humane reception of refugees!

Starting a new mission costs money. Lots of money. And we need your help with that! Do you support our new mission? Do you contribute to safe and accessible care for refugees? Become a donor via boatrefugeefoundation.com/donate. Every amount counts. Thanks to your help, Boat Refugee Foundation will soon also be available on Samos for people on the run!