Idomeni, disunity, solidarity – Three words to describe Greece today. Interview with 19year old Idomeni volunteer Eleutheria Girgeni

Idomeni, disunity, solidarity – Three words to describe Greece today. Interview with 19year old Idomeni volunteer Eleutheria Girgeni.

Eleftheria Girgeni is a 19 year old girl from Thessaloniki, Greece, that by volunteering at Idomeni, is teaching the rest of us how to be selfless and giving, and how to remain strong and stay hopeful. She just finished school and she is now a dance teacher. She answers a few questions about Idomeni and refugee crisis.

What is your opinion about people?

To begin with, I love people. I think we are strange beings and I would like to see people behaving nicely to each other in the future. No one should be excluded, discriminated upon or marginalized by the others.

What made you want to help the refugees?

I need to feel that I ease the pain of people and especially of children with no families.

Do you think Greeks help the refugees?

Most Greeks help the refugees by giving them food and clothes. However, after the propaganda of the media, some Greeks have been turning their backs to the refugees, and they even oppose us who are still helping these people.

You have been helping refugees out at Idomeni for quite some time now. How do these people live there?

They don’t know what lies ahead for them, they don’t know what is going to happen to them tomorrow, but they are still trying to regain their daily routine, for instance, they create their own markets, they listen to their music and keep up with their culture. On one hand, there are families who want to live peacefully, like they used to before. On the other hand, some people are passing leaflets and flyers trying to get everyone to fight for open borders. Either way, it is quite difficult to get all these people to leave Idomeni and relocate to hotspots. They have created their own society here.

We don’t really know a lot about these hotspots. Is there anything you know and can share with us?

The hotspots are meant to host the refugees temporarily, for a three day stay, until they have sent  their application online and until they are relocated to another place or country. The hotspots are safer than Idomeni. No one can enter or exit the hotspot area after 12 at night and people there have shelter against the weather, they are not exposed as they are at Idomeni. On the other hand, it is very  crowded there, about 10.000 people live in one hotspot. There is very little hygiene there and they end up staying more permanently. They go initially for a few days but some may end up living there up to one or two years.

Do you help them with their online applications?

Of course I do! Three children came to my house the other day, two of them had no family here. We  send their applications and they spent the night at my place, because there were some clashes near the camp and it was not very safe for them to return. They were very polite and nice children. They really appreciated the comfortable home. Each of them spent about one and a half hours taking a shower. ”I didn’t take a bath for over a month” said one of them. I was shocked.

What was the situation at Idomeni before the transfer and what do you know about the new camps?

There was enough food and clothes. They need more cleaning materials, detergents, chlorine, even baby-wipes and dippers. The good news is that volunteers from the Borderfree  organization helped them out. This is a German-Swiss organization that is being funded by volunteers worldwide. New volunteers arrive every week, they organize the cooking and they pass the aid around to refugees, and they let us know about shortages. They are amazing! I was working every day with them. Then it was decided to evacuate that place. Today there is nothing there. Only a few refugees at abandoned gas stations. The others have been transferred to new camps around Thessaloniki, where we have no access and we cannot evaluate the situation and the conditions there.

If you would say something to all of us what would it be?

We must help all people in need, without discrimination and prejudices. All of us at some point in the future may be needing help. I hear a lot of people saying that we have to help the poor homeless Greeks first and not the “foreigners”. But I don’t agree with that. If the people who said that, would  help those homeless Greeks,  no one would be out on the streets now! In addition I am embarrassed that the Greek authorities used teargas on the refugees. ”Sorry if I cannot speak to you again, I feel like I am back in Syria” said a child over the phone. I call all the people to defy the propaganda spread by the media and to help those in need. We have to be united and push the authorities to find  solutions.

I would like to thank Eleftheria Girgeni for the interview. A little girl with such great ideals earned my respect and appreciation. As long as I meet people like her, I will never stop hoping. Well done Eleftheria!

Παναγιώτης Γιουβανάς