Leopold is now on Lesvos for the tenth time. His first visit was in 2018, as a medical advisor. “I was actually too old to volunteer — the age limit was sixty. After retiring, I wanted to help people who need it more than we do.” That age limit was lifted, and now retired doctors form invaluable members of the team.

Threes has been to Lesvos about five times. Once as a host, now part of the support crew. “You could take up golf after retirement – but finding meaning matters more. Only when you can do something meaningful for someone else, can you truly enjoy the luxury of free time.”

What touched Leopold most in his early years with Boat Refugee Foundation was the despair he saw and felt in the severely traumatised people. “A man who sat on the floor because in captivity he was never allowed to sit higher than a ‘superior’. A woman who constantly hid under a sweater so she wouldn’t be seen. Someone who kept walking into the sea because he thought he heard his mother calling for help. We saw such cases ten times in one evening.”

The need was immense — and the resources limited. “At that time, there were only group sessions for psychosocial help. Waiting times for a psychiatrist were 3 to 4 months. You simply can’t help then; you feel completely powerless. The only thing we could do was be there. For many people we are the first people they meet who don’t want to take advantage of them. Who see the person behind the refugee.”

“What have we learned from volunteering? We won’t change the world. It’s arrogant to think so. We can’t change someone’s life, but we can mean something on an individual level. We want to do our part, look out for each other, connect person to person. Like bringing a neighbor a bowl of soup when they’re sick. We look at people with respect and make contact person to person. Only then does it work.”

In recent years, Leopold and Threes have seen many changes. The situation in the camps — Moria versus the current Mavrovouni — is different, and Boat Refugee Foundation has become a much more professional organisation. “We are better organised, working with a strong Greek team that provides continuity alongside the ever-changing volunteers. But the reason we are here remains the same. People often receive no adequate care elsewhere, no interpreter, no respect. What would happen if Boat Refugee Foundation weren’t here?”

Their message to people in the Netherlands is clear. “The terrible situation has disappeared from view. If people really want to know what’s going on, they can. But many don’t want to feel that empathy because then they have to do something about it. It’s easier to look away. But once you’ve seen it, you can no longer not see it.”

Don’t look away. Become a monthly donor and support essential healthcare for people on the move: https://bootvluchteling.nl/en/10yearsonthemove/.