Winter Appeal for Refugee Camps
Everyone must be aware of the massive influx of refugees from war devastated countries to Europe, and the dangerous journeys they have endured. Transit camps are where many of them end up, a crossing point from Greece to Macedonia.
Andrew Marr, a volunteer worker with Hackney Cypriot Association, is now at one of these camps, working alongside the Hellenic Red Cross, Medicins Sans Frontieres and other charity volunteers. Andrew has appealed for help in what is an increasingly fluid and desperate situation. Border restrictions increase; the European response to the crisis is unresolved; and the severe winter weather has taken hold.
Andrew has appealed to his friends in the UK for help, and how can we refuse? At the beginning of November he wrote:
“We are desperately short of everything; we have not nearly enough coming in. For me, the numbers of people heading our way, with the everyday possibility of FYROM (Macedonia) closing the border and the prospect of sub-zero temperatures, biting Northern Bora winds and driving rain or snow, we have a humanitarian disaster waiting to happen here.
We need winter clothes, particularly children’s and babies (hundreds of children come through every day, some with no shoes at all) we need just about everything for babies; blankets, small easy to transport sanitary products such as toothbrushes, shavers, soaps etc
Local people are very generous, and visit the camp with hot cooked food, but there are no kitchen facilities onsite”
Hackney Cypriot Association is collecting essential clothing and everyday goods that are urgently required and sending it over to the camps. This appeal is for the money needed for packing, freight transport and any other urgent needs at the camps.
To find out how you can help or to send a donation click here to visit the Hackney Cypriot Association charity page.
