Every single minute, twenty four people around the world flee their homes
because of violence and natural disasters, war or human rights violations.
As a result, there are around sixty-five million people who have currently been forcibly displaced from their homes.
Fifty percent are under seventeen years old
while seven percent are unaccompanied minors.
But where do they go?
While many have discussed the social and political implications of these moving groups,
we wanted to understand 'how do you build a refugee camp?'
Refugee camps exist around the world
from Azerbaijan to Thailand to one of the largest camps Dadaab, located in Eastern Kenya
which currently has two hundred and forty-six thousand (246,000) people living in it.
We decided to visit Lesvos, a Greek island near Turkey
which has been an essential entry point into Europe for refugees
fleeing places like Syria and Afghanistan and making the trip across the Aegean Sea from Turkey to Greece.
The capital of Lesvos is Mytilene, a surprisingly lively port city
considering its population size of around 30,000 people.
But as the refugee crisis began in 2015,
it became one of the spontaneous sites for those fleeing war and persecution,
and a transit refugee camp called Kara Tepe was set up on the outskirts of the city
which would become a gold standard for refugee camps.
Currently, it is housing at-risk populations.
In the beginning Kara Tepe was just an Olive Grove;
no place to shower, no place to use a bathroom. It was complete chaos.
At the peak of the refugee crisis, thousand of people were arriving daily to this area.
They would stay for two to three days
and then continue their journey to mainland Greece.
At times, five-thousand (5,000) people were occupying Kara Tepe
even though its capacity was 1,400.
So the first thing that refugees need when they arrive at the camp is information.
After their traumatic experience, they may not know which country they're in,
they don't speak the language,
and they need information in this critical time to understand the process.
So I arrived here, I think it took us around ten hours.
In the sea.
Hearing someone speaking the same language with them.
"Don't be afraid, you are safe here."
"Listen to me and you will go through these procedures,"
"You will get your paper, you will buy your ferry ticket,"
What do they need to ensure that they can be safe here while they stay here,
but knowing that they would be moving off the island very very shortly
and they need the information that would be key for them
to make informed decisions about their journey to Europe.
Another really important aspect, obviously, for everyone is water.
And so when this crisis first happened,
what they would do is have people lined up and handing out water.
But thankfully it's close to a city
and they were able to actually hook the water up through the city
to right here.
The whole island is suffering this problem.
So for this reason, we provided the tank capacity of 15 cubic metres of water.
So in case there's a water cut, we have our own reserved water on site.
- Hi! - Hello
I youtube'd you, 6 million subscribers!
Okay, say hi to our new friends.
Can you let us know your name?
How are you?
- Eman. - And my name is Tharouat.
And they've been nice enough to let us see into their home,
and talk to us about how what it's been like here at the site.
So what were you studying?
I studied English.
Can he speak Arabic?
- Yeah
- What's that? - Topography
M: They're both very smart people.
G: They're both smart. Smarter than us!
Water is not only essential for hydration,
but a key component of the WaSH program
which stands for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene.
Poor sanitation can lead to diarrhoea, dysentery,
cholera outbreaks, and other serious issues if not contained.
You have to imagine 5,000 people with absolutely nothing.
So we're talking about open defecation, this kind of situation.
The first response is always chemical toilets
that are placed at least 50m away from the nearest dwelling.
These are not sustainable and only a temporary solution.
The priority is then to build proper toilet, bathing, and laundry facilities.
Ten showers, fourteen latrines, ten washing areas.
As you can see, everything was built as basic as possible,
just to be able to deliver as soon as possible
and being able to relieve the situation.
For me, I accept everything here.
I am happy for I am here.
I don't know.
We were students, but he don't complete.
Unfortunately, I don't complete, too.
And I stopped for the war.
Because of the war.
My familly's in Holland.
So we want to go to Holland,
and we want to complete our education.
So once you've got this situation in control,
you're able to monitor and to track them.
Then you can switch to a different distribution method.
Having like a kiosk, like the one you have behind us.
People have a certain amount of items they can receive per week.
This is the most popular item -- the baby wipes.
Why do you think this is so popular? Because it's just used for everything?
Yeah, you can use it for a baby, you can use it for yourself.
So they may have things like toilet paper, wash scrubs. - An example of the sanitary pads is like this.
And we take this nice bag
- We use always for dignity reasons.
- And we give it like that. So no one will know it's sanitary pads.
So people come here, and you mention they have a card.
- Yes. - So how does the card work?
This is the month, the shelter, the householder.
Two adults, five minors, one kid.
Food in Kara Tepe is delivered to people's door
in order to avoid complications that occur when forcing people to wait in long lines.
And there are several nutritionists who have designed balanced meals,
which include any dietary restrictions.
Next up is shelter.
In the beginning, refugees were staying in tents.
But as the site is built out, refugee housing units,
or RHUs, come into play.
These were designed in Sweden, in partnership with Ikea.
Plastic houses that can be built in a day
and help against the weather and the elements.
As Kara Tepe's population became more stable and permanent,
the final step was to install isoboxes
of which there are currently 258.
In each shelter, the capacity recommended is six people per shelter.
But they'll be focused on one particular family,
or a group of people who know each other?
So for example, this area is mostly Arabic speakers and African a little bit.
And then in the backside area and in this area is more Farsi speakers that are originally from Afghanistan.
So these isoboxes have only been here for a few months now,
and they're basically just solid structures with not a whole lot on the inside.
- Really hot. - Yeah, they can get really hot.
Some of them, I think, have AC units installed.
But at least protection from the elements in extreme cases of weather.
- That... kite.
Whoa!
- That's amazing! - YouTube!
Okay, sit down
Got a little. YouTube.
G: Why did you start making kites?
Hasan: "The kites are the only toys available for kids. They have no other toys to play with."
"So I became a master in making them!"
G: So how long have you been here in Kara Tepe?
H: Three months.
G: Three months. Okay.
H: Now, seven and a half months.
G: Seven and a half months. H: Yes.
G: In Greece. H: Yes, yes.
Electricity has been always a really big challenge.
We needed to respond with renewable energy,
like the solar panels.
And at the same time we have an olive kernel burner.
Kara Tepe has the same electrical installation as the common house, for the entire camp.
Which is why renewable energy has become so essential.
Here, behind us, the structure with the cupcakes on it,
these are solar panels,
and these solar panels will power these isoboxes to have one light,
plus a USB port to charge your phone.
And that's also really important because the USB port
and their phones is how they use flashlights at night
and obviously the light is important for them to be able to see at night.
Being connected to Wi-Fi is also extremely important to the refugees.
The news is always changing.
The options are always changing.
Or even if the options stay the same,
the rumours around those options are rampant.
So it's incredibly important for refugees
to be able to go online,
to be able to check and see what the actual facts are
around those circumstances here.
So it's a really interesting camp because it's so well put together,
there's so much sort of thought and order which goes into it,
which you've been told, in other camps, is not necessarily the case.
Some of them have much rougher conditions,
have a harder time getting water, or sewage, or electricity.
So basic needs are being met here,
that's an interesting good thing to see.
Kids, children who've been staying here for eight to nine months,
they need to have access to education.
This is part of the human rights, you know.
And children rights.
Eman: I just studied to pass the exam. Just to pass.
G: Would you learn Shakespeare?
E: Yes, Shakespeare.
We have a whole subject just for Shakespeare,
and theatre for Shakespeare.
It's very difficult.
G: Because it's hard for us to understand. M: Yeah, even if we speak English.
E: Yeah, I don't understand it. M: Another language.
E: It's not English. I don't know.
Education programs for a refugee and moving, displaced populations
are the basic courses that will enable them to join, at a later stage, a normal curriculum.
As the camp becomes more established and more long term,
things like psychologist offices come into play,
and doctors offices come into play, to help with,
not only trauma that has happened from the previous events,
but chronic issues with health and mental stability.
You know, these are people who,
for the most part, have fled war.
They're seeking sanctuary.
They really want nothing more than to live a safe life.
They want their kids to go to school.
They want to pursue their dreams.
And they're stuck here,
and they really have no true sense of what's gonna happen
for them in the next few months.
No sense at all.
If we want to go to Holland, I think we have to wait for the passport to go to Holland.
Then there we can say that we maybe don't want to come back.
I don't know the law. So I don't know.
We came here to talk about the actual logistics of building a refugee camp,
but you are just consistently meeting people,
talking to people,
and realising the humanity of it all.
And not only refugees, but the people who work here
who are so passionate about the work they do and care so much,
put themselves into...
I think the issue is just so complex.
Like so often people have these opinions on them.
They're like, "this is my opinion, and this is the way it should be."
But it's so complex.
The levels of what's going on,
and the empathy that's required for everyone to understand
and to move forward is really high.
It takes effort to learn about these things.
The whole thing is just being educated on the issue,
but not projecting your feelings too much
and not projecting that anyone can understand the entirety of this crisis.
And it's just a really difficult situation that
a lot of people are put in without wanting to be.
So being compassionate, being empathetic,
is the most we can do
to people who are suffering.
And so if something were to happen in your country,
there is laws and ways that you could leave,
and have something like this to be set up,
but you would always want your freedom back.
So far this site, the way it's improved,
and now the quality of life now existing here,
it's amazing.
You can't find another site all over Greece with the same living conditions.
But of course, as a human being,
I would like also these people to move somewhere else,
get something better.
Not a camp or site, or whatever you want to call it.
For the IRC, the ultimate would be to see
a world where there were no refugee sites.
Where refugees could be integrated into local communities.
Where refugees are integrated into urban settings.
They are living lives that are full
and self sufficient,
and free.
All we want from the government is to help us just to go out from here.
Yeah, we don't want anything -- just to go from here.
"Our Greek brothers spared no effort with us at all."
"And despite their limited resources,"
"they did more than what they should."
"But we hope for more than this."
"Not because we are greedy, but we hope they move us out of this prison."
"If you lock the bird up in a cage made of gold,"
"it will not be happy, it will be a prisoner."
"I am looking for some freedom and peace."