The story of a woman flying from Toronto to Leros is raising awareness in Canada for the ongoing refugee crisis in Greece.
Tia Tariq is one of the many international volunteers who travelled from their countries – at their own expense – to assist the aid agencies that are trying to welcome the hundreds of refugees arriving daily to the Greek islands.
She narrated her experience at a Syrian refugee camp in the small island, describing the situation as “utter chaos”.
Unlike bigger, richer islands like Lesbos, Chios and Kos, Leros is a small ‘forgotten’ island with very limited resources, which is very close to the Turkish coastline – which makes it ideal for the refugee-filled boats.
“I’ve been up for 48 hours,” she told Global News Network, something she attributed to the immense task at hand and the needs that have to be met on a daily basis.
She stated that, by the time refugees get to the island, they have already travelled for days, often without food.
“Either they pass away, they start fainting, or they are in the hospital, it is really crazy,” said Taniq, who admitted that she somehow feels powerless, unable to offer anything but emotional support to people that have left their fortunes and homes in ruins, while some have lost family, either at home or during the journey.
The task of dealing with dead bodies that have drifted ashore is another factor that has haunted volunteers.
“Because it’s a very small island, the morgue is not very big,” she said. “So right now you have four children, their bodies are in ice cream freezers because they don’t know what to do with them.”
Illustrating the need for warm clothing and bedding for the refugees who have to sleep in large, shared tents, as the harsh, wet wintertime is coming to its peak, she explained the one rule that has helped her cope with situations she never thought she would have to see: holding her feelings inside.
“Because if you start crying, if you start showing emotion, you are not giving them any hope,” she said.