ADRA is working in four camps close to Katerini, on the northern region of Thessaloniki. One camp contains around 1500 people, including more than 500 children (Yazidis), while the others have 200, 300 and 400 people.
The projects are related to water and sanitation, distribution of supplementary food, and health. With its medical volunteers, ADRA is providing protection and support (psychosocial support, care of children, translation and community centers).
ADRA's objective is to give support to the people of these camps where ADRA is the main organization operating. It is to give better living conditions to the refugees including buying containers for housing - that are much better than tents - and setting up an educational system for children that don’t attend school.
At the bottom of Mount Olympus, where according to Greek mythology the gods gather to decide the destiny of the lives of the human beings, one can find the Petras Olympus refugees' camp with around 1500 Yazidis, 500 of whom are children.
There, Daria (whose name means "Queenly") plays joyfully with her sister. As Yazidis, they were persecuted and had to cross the Mediterranean, with many dangers, to arrive at a safer place. ADRA is in this refugees' camp giving medical support, organizing activities for children, making psychosocial support available and creating adequate sanitation conditions.
Soon, ADRA will also install containers where families, like Daria's, may live with better conditions than they face now in tents.
In the meantime, Daria and all the Yazidis in this camp will keep waiting, hoping that a solution may come to their destiny that may give her dignity of a queenly person, as her name means.
“ADRA EUD is present, we have an important project,” shares Joao Martins, ADRA EUD Director. “We are dealing with individuals who have lost everything and are just looking for a safer environment in which to raise their children.”
As Adventists, we believe that it is our responsibility - given by Jesus - to defend the rights of other human beings like those who are being severely affected by the war in Syria and Iraq.
“We do also have many difficulties in our mission,” explains Director Martins. “One of the main difficulties is that there is no ADRA office in Greece and so the team is creating all the facilities from the beginning.”
Nevertheless, ADRA EUD is glad about the support from the government, the local church and the acceptance of the refugees.
“We think that these people will have to stay longer in Greece than they expect, so the intervention will be longer than it was before.”
We invite the Adventist Church members to be aware of the difficulties that these people are facing. As Adventists, we should be glad to welcome them into our countries, as they are running away from the war and have no alternative but to search for safer places.
“Thank you for supporting us,” pleads Joao Martins. “ Thank you very much. God bless you!”