12 year old Riham Saad is Syrian. Her father is from Sudan. She was born and raised in Damascus. She left Syria with her parents and siblings fearing they’d be killed if they stayed. “The house I was living in was destroyed,” she said. They also left, she said, because it was really important to their father for them to continue their studies. She says the schools were destroyed in Syria so they had to leave if they wanted to continue school. Speaking of life in Moria camp, Riham says, “life in the camp is not good, because people are fighting, because of the gas bombing by the police, and it is not good for us… the camp environment is making the situation difficult because many kids are sick in the camp, the food line makes life difficult and increases the stress…the environment in the camp is very difficult especially the food line and makes people fight, if you miss your turn you miss your food and water.” Speaking about her own state of mind she says, “I am always angry because all of the children are sick and vomiting and coughing all the time… I’m angry because my sisters and brothers are sick and suffering,” she adds, “I’m not blaming anyone just angry.” She goes on to describe her mental health: “I have nightmares from the war, and now the situation because many people are stuck in the small place, and makes me remember the war, and it reminds me of the war because it’s also dark - in Moria sometimes there is no electricity, especially at night.” In reply to being asked how she makes herself feel better she says: “when I’m frustrated I go to the sea or to Mytilini or to one of my relatives who has a little baby and play with him to change the mood… When I am sad and frustrated I remember my house before the war started… I don’t think about the camp as my home… I’m happy I think about my house before the war.” Talking about her hopes for the future she says: “All that I hope is to leave the camp.”Thousands of people looking for safety from countries such as Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan, Congo continue to risk their lives to reach Europe. Those who try to arrive via Turkey and the Aegean Sea have been trapped for an indefinite period of time on islands in Greece as part of the EU/Turkey deal and its deterrence and containment approach. In Lesvos (Lesbos), there are currently more than 7,500 people in a camp made for a maximum of 2500. With the camp so full refugees are now staying in an informal extension of the camp known as Olive Grove. The awful conditions at Moria camp/Olive Grove and arbitrary administrative situations have had a dramatic impact on their health and in particular their mental health. Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders, a medical humanitarian organisation) teams provide medical and mental health support out of the Moria camp and they run a clinic for severe mental health cases in Mytilene, the capital of the island. Photo Robin Hammond/Witness Change. Lesbos, Greece. 01 May 2018.
