A, 21, Syria. We buyed a 6ft boat for 2000$, complete with engine and life jackets. The seller was a friend of mine. Well, not an everyday friend, but a friend. We were 9 people on the boat, everyone paying 300$, we wanted to spend less, earning some money from people who needed a lift... After 20, 30 minutes the engine broke up..we paddled 6, 7, 8 hours, I dont now how much, till the shore of Kos.
Syria. A left Syria with her husband and her daughter."An airstrike attack from Assad regime destroyed our house killing one of my sons"
C., 25, Turkish Kurdistan. I swimmed from Bodrum to Kos, with a life jacket, for 8 hours. I did not want to pay smugglers. When Greek marines rescued me, they says "wow!!". I am Kurdish, but my nationality is Turkish. I have three children, one of them, the smaller one, has a cystic fibrosis, I knew that in France there are some good hospitals that will cure him. I'll reach Germany, I'll work, and I'll bring my family over there. When I started to have cramps on my legs, I was thinking to my son, only to him, so I turned on my back, and I continued to swim.
Look at his leg. He's been beated by Talibans"
Iraq, Bagdad. M. 7, is traveling with his father and his mother, and its other 2 younger brothers (one man, one sister). Till Germany, that is their goal. I meet them in Presevo camp, Serbia. The father has got 35 years old. I told hm my wife is 5 month pregnant. The day after, it started to rain.
Algerie, 19 years. He flyed from Algiers to Istanbul. I meet this guy on the Presevo-Beograd train. "En Algerie on a des problemes'.
Group of people from Bangladesh just landed on Kos shore with a 6ft inflatable boat, smoking their first sigarette on the Greek shores. "We payed 3000$ for the boat, with no engine, it is 300$ each. We paddled 4-5 hours to reach Kos. "It is impossible to get VISA for an European country. We can only get VISA for Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Oman, and really few other countries".
I am from Afghanistan. Kabul. My mother and my father die from Talibans.
I meet this Iranian family (here 3 members of the family) all along the road from Kos to Presevo. Their goal is to reach Germany.
(the iranian family, I meet them again in Presevo camp)
Father of an Iranian family in the Presevo serbian camp, waiting fro the paper released by serbian police. "this will be the last thing I do, to bring my family in Germany"
Money pocket. "we sold everything to escape Syria. We left some money to our family n Syria, and we carried some other (10.000) to make the journey". N.d.R. Almost all of this money will be used to pay smugglers.
Afganistan guy.
Baghdad, Iraq. wth an explosion of a bomb, my ear almost falled down.
Christian Iranian
E. speaking with his mother during the journey kos-athen.
Iraq. "I walked too much, (with bad shoes N.d.R), look at my feet.
Syrians often sleep in hotel during the journey. Here is F. sleeping in Kos. "we sold everything to escape Syria. I left wit 20.000 euros."
E, 23, Iran
Iran
somalia, I lived 20 years in yemen, Then war in yemen, we run away. My son has 7 months.
I carried all my family, my vhildren, and my mother from Kabul. She has a bad problem to both her feets, she can't walk.
Iraq, Bagdad. F. 9, she is traveling with her father, mother, and its other 2 younger brothers (2 brothers). Their goal is to reach Germany. I meet them in Presevo camp, Serbia. The father has got 35 years old.
Afganistan. 'the scars in my front has been done by Talibans'
Afghanistan
Syria
Syria
Syrian family.
Afghanistan
Christian Syrian
Pakistan
dress distribution held by volunteers in Victoria square, Athen,
Suman, 25, Syria. He payed 1300$ for the boat trip in between Bodrum and Kos, on an inflatable boat. The normal price for a ferry boat is less than 20 euros. "Secondo l'OSCE, nel 2015 1 milione di persone proveranno ad entrare in Europa attraverso la rotta balcanica. Di queste, si prevede che soltanto 450mila otterranno lo status di rifugiato. Siriani, afgani, iraqeni rappresentano i gruppi più numerosi. Ad essi si aggiungono iraniani, kurdi, pakistani, e genti del bangladesh, somalia, eritrea, sudsudan, e di altre nazionalità. L'accesso in Europa attraverso le isole greche appare più conveniente rispetto alla via libica, ma non per questo meno pericolosa ed infame, con tutto il traffico gestito da gruppi criminali più o meno organizzati, per un giro di affari di oltre 500 milioni di euro all'anno e un costo variabile che per un nucleo familiare può raggiungere e superare i 10.000 euro. Ma dopo la traversata con gommoni e mezzi di fortuna, centinaia di migliaia di persone scoprono che il paradiso che si aspettavano di trovare - l'Europa- è ancora lontano. La mancanza di una politica comune europea non permette di gestire in maniera coordinata questa crisi e di definire in maniera rapida, certa, strutturata lo status di queste persone, con meccanismi europei condivisi di registrazione, controllo, verifica, distribuzione, tutela, o espulsione. E così, dopo giorni di attesa, il governo greco rilascia un documento che obbliga ad uscire dal territorio nazionale entro 30 o 60 giorni, a seconda della nazionalità (e a meno che non si faccia richiesta di asilo in Grecia) per proseguire e cercare di arrivare ancora in Europa, ma questa volta 1500km più a nord. Ungheria, Slovenia, Croazia, Austria, Germania, attraversando i Balcani. Per la cronaca, continuando a pagare trasporti, vitto, alloggio, e smugglers, pur di arrivare alla meta. Una ecatombe umanitaria si è fin'ora evitata grazie al clima mite, l'abnegazione della società civile e di ONG locali, il sostegno di volontari. I paesi Balcanici - al netto delle evidenti difficoltà - stanno provando a gestire questa fase e questo transito attraverso i loro territori, costruendo e attivando campi di smistamento e primo soccorso. Chiusure, aperture, passaggi autorizzati o meno di frontiere continuano a cambiare giorno dopo giorno. Nel frattempo l'autunno si avvicina. E acredini e contrasti, mai veramente sopiti nei Balcani, si stanno riaccendendo. L'Europa risponderà, a breve, anche di questo.
Hamza, 4, Hala, 5 Syria. Their family spent5000$ for the 4km boat ride in between Bodrum and Kos
Kos, Greece
Yasser, 21. Falluja, Iraq
Kos, Greece.
Kos
#migrants from Pakistan
Kos
Document released by Greece police.
ma mubarak, 26 Bangladesh. "I dream Finland, I am committed to my goal".
Abdullahy, 25 Bangladesh
Syrian children swimming on a warm september day. Kos island, Greece. september 17th 2015