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| Some volunteers make a difference to the lives of the refugees here, but too many don’t | |
| (1 day later) | |
| My wife Caroline and I are volunteering in an unheated, abandoned factory near Thessaloniki that is now home to more than a thousand Syrian refugees. Unusually, the camp is run by Syrians. The army keeps the power on, provides lunch and mans the gate, but everything else is in the hands of a committee of five Syrians. | My wife Caroline and I are volunteering in an unheated, abandoned factory near Thessaloniki that is now home to more than a thousand Syrian refugees. Unusually, the camp is run by Syrians. The army keeps the power on, provides lunch and mans the gate, but everything else is in the hands of a committee of five Syrians. |
| Last month, one of the tents in the camp caught fire. A family ended up in hospital and an eight-year-old boy was badly burned. | Last month, one of the tents in the camp caught fire. A family ended up in hospital and an eight-year-old boy was badly burned. |
| Shortly before the fire, we warned NGOs bringing supplies into the camp that we needed kettles because there is no hot water, and more fire extinguishers because we could see that there weren’t enough. Unfortunately, the warehouse manager thought that too many kettles would overload the power supply. So the kettle and toaster storage room remained full and tidy, while young mums boiled water for their infants’ milk on camping gas stoves in the middle of their tents. | Shortly before the fire, we warned NGOs bringing supplies into the camp that we needed kettles because there is no hot water, and more fire extinguishers because we could see that there weren’t enough. Unfortunately, the warehouse manager thought that too many kettles would overload the power supply. So the kettle and toaster storage room remained full and tidy, while young mums boiled water for their infants’ milk on camping gas stoves in the middle of their tents. |
| Every week we drive families for days out so the kids can play around and the parents can enjoy a coffee and a reminder of real life. Back at the camp I ferry the sick to dentists and doctors and sort through piles of shoes in warehouses full of cast-offs. If you were the person who sent the short black sequinned evening dress; what were you thinking? Someone also kindly donated 14,000 boxes of that dry toast stuff Italians occasionally dip in soup. That was four months ago, there’s 13,980 of them left, absolutely no-one wants to eat it. | Every week we drive families for days out so the kids can play around and the parents can enjoy a coffee and a reminder of real life. Back at the camp I ferry the sick to dentists and doctors and sort through piles of shoes in warehouses full of cast-offs. If you were the person who sent the short black sequinned evening dress; what were you thinking? Someone also kindly donated 14,000 boxes of that dry toast stuff Italians occasionally dip in soup. That was four months ago, there’s 13,980 of them left, absolutely no-one wants to eat it. |
| If you were the person who sent the short black sequinned evening dress; what were you thinking? | If you were the person who sent the short black sequinned evening dress; what were you thinking? |
| Speaking of volunteers ... while there are quite a few who make a difference to the lives of the refugees here, there are way too many who don’t. Take Mark; he turns up for work looking hungover and has to excuse himself to vomit. Volunteers who behave like this are betraying the people they came here to support, and it’s shameful. | Speaking of volunteers ... while there are quite a few who make a difference to the lives of the refugees here, there are way too many who don’t. Take Mark; he turns up for work looking hungover and has to excuse himself to vomit. Volunteers who behave like this are betraying the people they came here to support, and it’s shameful. |
| There are also the drippy volunteers, harmless and hopeless. On our first night here we were invited to attend something called a “sharing circle”. The subject was “conscious closure” and we were supposed to be dealing with the difficult emotions that come up when you stop volunteering. Bear in mind, most of the group are only here for two weeks and do next to nothing in that time. It was embarrassing to participate in something so pointless. Naval gazing never gets my vote, but in the middle of a humanitarian crisis, it’s verging on criminal. | There are also the drippy volunteers, harmless and hopeless. On our first night here we were invited to attend something called a “sharing circle”. The subject was “conscious closure” and we were supposed to be dealing with the difficult emotions that come up when you stop volunteering. Bear in mind, most of the group are only here for two weeks and do next to nothing in that time. It was embarrassing to participate in something so pointless. Naval gazing never gets my vote, but in the middle of a humanitarian crisis, it’s verging on criminal. |
| I have built a bus shelter outside the camp. This is the place where a mother and her nine-year-old son were recently run over and killed, partly because there was nowhere safe to wait for a bus. I was helped by Jason who showed up late and seemed so hungover, I told him what an unimaginative bunch of wankers I thought he and his friends were to spend their valuable time getting drunk. A Syrian guy who joined me was far more helpful. Abdul was a builder in Syria. I can’t always understand him, but I like him and he’s much less likely to throw up in my truck. | I have built a bus shelter outside the camp. This is the place where a mother and her nine-year-old son were recently run over and killed, partly because there was nowhere safe to wait for a bus. I was helped by Jason who showed up late and seemed so hungover, I told him what an unimaginative bunch of wankers I thought he and his friends were to spend their valuable time getting drunk. A Syrian guy who joined me was far more helpful. Abdul was a builder in Syria. I can’t always understand him, but I like him and he’s much less likely to throw up in my truck. |
| Caroline went to the camp meeting this week. It’s where NGOs sit around a table and discuss what they’ve done and what they intend to do. Essentially it consists of them apologising for what they haven’t done and promising to do it before the next meeting, at which they repeat the cycle. | Caroline went to the camp meeting this week. It’s where NGOs sit around a table and discuss what they’ve done and what they intend to do. Essentially it consists of them apologising for what they haven’t done and promising to do it before the next meeting, at which they repeat the cycle. |
| After the fire, three of the five extinguishers were used up. I offered to recharge the 10 that sit outside the police HQ at the camp, but I wasn’t allowed to take them. I delivered eight new extinguishers to the camp this morning. The police are still doing a great job of protecting the 10 empty ones against the wall of their office. | After the fire, three of the five extinguishers were used up. I offered to recharge the 10 that sit outside the police HQ at the camp, but I wasn’t allowed to take them. I delivered eight new extinguishers to the camp this morning. The police are still doing a great job of protecting the 10 empty ones against the wall of their office. |
| There is still no heat in the warehouse, despite a sudden 15 degree temperature drop. The agencies know Greek winters are harsh, but they are acting surprised. | There is still no heat in the warehouse, despite a sudden 15 degree temperature drop. The agencies know Greek winters are harsh, but they are acting surprised. |
| So there you have it: the drunks, the dimwits and the hoarders – they all add to our frustration. | So there you have it: the drunks, the dimwits and the hoarders – they all add to our frustration. |
| Neil Dykes is volunteering with Syrian Family Fun. | Neil Dykes is volunteering with Syrian Family Fun. |
| Join our community of development professionals and humanitarians. Follow @GuardianGDP on Twitter. | Join our community of development professionals and humanitarians. Follow @GuardianGDP on Twitter. |