Tag Lesbos Refugee Camp

In recent weeks, I have received many questions about how people in the Netherlands can support those in the camps on Lesbos or other places along Europe’s outer borders.

One of the most important ways to help is by challenging and changing the narrative that all people arriving here—or elsewhere—are criminals or mere fortune seekers (which, for some reason, is framed as something negative?). If this perception shifts, the work of all the organizations here would no longer be needed.

A single glance at the sea and the camp here is enough to understand that no one embarks on this journey just for the fun of it.

The stories circulating in the Netherlands—often fueled by figures like Trump and others in power—must be countered, with full force.

But that won’t change things here overnight. And more importantly: there are urgent needs in the present. We must do what is right and necessary today.

Haella supports 25 projects along Europe’s outer borders. These are all small-scale initiatives that provide essential, direct assistance—ranging from legal aid to first aid, from community shelters to food and clothing distribution. This work is largely carried out by volunteers, with only a minimal number of salaried staff. In the coming weeks, I will introduce some of these projects.

If you’d like to contribute financially, there are several ways to help:

1. Make a general donation to Haella’s partners working at the edges of Europe.

2. Support a specific project. See all partners here: https://lnkd.in/eXfnKGt8

3. Organize an initiative in your own community. Below, you’ll find information on how just one euro can make a tangible difference in the lives of people here in the camp on Lesbos. Fenix, like many other organizations, is doing truly invaluable work.

In all cases:

We do not deduct any administrative costs—100% of your donation goes directly to the partner organizations.

As I write this from my balcony overlooking Mytilene, the sun gently awakens the city. Two worlds under the same sun—one, a kind of paradise of warmth, simplicity, kindness, and stillness. The other, a bleak and deeply shameful point on Europe’s uncertain and perilous path to safety.

Donations can be made to:

Bank name: ABN AMRO Bank
IBAN: NL40 ABNA 0138 9831 86
BIC: ABNANL2AXXX
Account holder: Haella Stichting
IBAN: NL40ABNA0138983186
Reference: “Edges of Europe” or the name of a specific project, or “Interpreters for Fenix.”

You can only implement this policy by dehumanizing people.” In a single sentence, Aron encapsulates the reality—not only of the camp on Lesbos but also of what people experience on their journey there and their lives afterward. In a world of “they’re all criminals” and “applause for the strictest asylum policy ever.” In the harrowing reality of a camp on an island with so many children, broken sanitation, and people crammed into various types of tents/boxes. Knowing the lives of people who have behind them a path often filled with horrific reasons for fleeing, traumatizing experiences along the way (including rape by police and other violence), and a life-threatening boat trip. And ahead of them lies a continent that no longer sees them as human.

Aron, 25, a human rights lawyer in training, and I walk through the camp in the rain. Aron greets people kindly each time, always making genuine contact. Human to human. Endless rows of white, house-like structures and large tents, one of which has been converted into separate units. By the number of slippers at the doors, you can see how many people are trying to live in small spaces.

I have witnessed so much suffering in this world; it never becomes normal. Especially here, where it is evident that politicians and others deliberately deny these people a fair chance. They are left to drown at sea, perish in the desert, or be beaten to death along the way, as long as it doesn’t inconvenience us. We read reports that almost nonchalantly mention Frontex’s success, stating “they are no longer coming,” followed by a half-sentence about human rights, ignoring the realities of drowning, pushbacks, and torture. This disregards the European Court of Human Rights’ ruling that systematic pushbacks are occurring and must not continue. 

What I find difficult is that in many other countries facing terrible situations, there was usually still hope, as in “when the war is over, then…” or “now that we are doing this, then…”. But in this context, that prospect is absent. These people, just like you and me, are here now, dreaming of moving forward, but we know all too well what awaits them.

So, is everything we do here merely cosmetic? No! Because it must be done! It is inhumane not to act; otherwise, we completely surrender people to the horrors and power fanatics. But no one holds the magic wand that will finally teach everyone in this world that we are all human. It’s not much more complicated than that. I find this realization to be the most shocking every time.

There is so much to tell… so much to do. That will all come.

For now, never forget: no matter where someone comes from, no matter how different he or she is, at the core, we are all equal. We all seek happiness. And truly, there is no rule that one person has more right to it than another. Never.