It feels like a lesson in humility. The camp on Lesbos lies right by the sea, and today it is bitterly cold\u2014piercing rain, an all-penetrating wind. People in slippers, in jackets unfit for this freezing weather. But more than anything, it is the realization of everything these people have endured. Waiting, an interview, more waiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You might wonder: how hard can it be? But the man from Afghanistan holding a small girl in his arms, the mother with her newborn baby, the man with piercing blue eyes from Syria\u2014they all came here with the hope of something better. And that better life is not here. The fact that, for most of them, it may never come at all\u2014that is a kind of emotional gymnastics for everyone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What strikes me most today is how the system demands an impossible level of abstraction from people telling their stories at the start of their asylum process. They must be consistent, provide details\u2014like a grotesque form of horror storytelling. The more harrowing, the better. But the cruel irony is that the more traumatic an experience, the harder it is to recount. Before they even begin, they are caught in a Catch-22. The man with blue eyes still has hope, but his story may not be \u2018horrific\u2019 enough. His country\u2019s asylum procedures are on hold. He drifted off during his interview\u2014how could he not?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And what I wish I could shout to the world is that these are all just people. People you could meet anywhere. People who could be your neighbors. People who smile, or walk away completely broken. People who watch their dreams fade, lost in a system. And today, it is unbearably cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thankfully, there are people like Aron, who confides in me where he finds his hope. He speaks kindly and clearly about what Fenix can and cannot offer\u2014and that matters so much. And Lily, who explains the entire procedure with care and attention. In both of them, you feel what the world so desperately needs: love for people. I truly believe it is that simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I wish I could drag a few people here and say: Look. Really look.<\/strong> This is how you make the world a safe place for everyone. Here at Fenix, they do exactly that. A glimpse of sunlight breaking through a dark sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s a first video with Aron, also from the Netherlands, briefly explaining what Fenix does in the camp. And Fenix does so much more. More videos will follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n