When photographer Alice Aedy first covered the refugee crisis in 2016 she believed Europe would respond with humanity to images of families seeking shelter and safety. As conditions on the Greek islands worsen, however, Aedy reflects on her role as a photojournalist. She met some of those surviving in the heavily overcrowded Moria camp on Lesbos with the support of NGO Help Refugees There was a tangible sense in 2016 that, if only the world knew what was happening, we would rise to tackle the challenge of the refugee crisis. I never thought that three years on little would have changed. In fact, the situation in Greece seems more bleak than ever. I lost my sister on the journey from Afghanistan. I go to the new arrivals centre every day, hoping she might be there Life here is very difficult. The toilet is very dark and dirty. They said we will only get our bank card in eight months The fighting and theft in this camp is a big problem. People are desperate In Afghanistan, I was a teacher. I lived with honour. Here at night with my three children, we shake with fear Masouma Ibrahimi, 42, Afghanistan with Ali Aghbar, seven, and Ali Akbar, two. In Afghanistan, you can die in a moment. Here, in each moment we are dying. There is no humanity here Fatima Hosseini, 25 Mohammad Rezwani and his family We don’t live here. We just survive. I can’t sleep. I had my first day at school yesterday. The activities distract me European countries always say there are no human rights in Islamic countries. But look, do you see human rights here? Yassin Raqyar, 27, and Massouma I didn’t know a place like this existed. I would rather have died in my country Life is so hard and stressful here, but we have to keep smiling. This is our message to anyone in power who can help us. If you are human, if you want a safe and secure life for your family, that is all we want, too Help Refugees supports over 100 projects across Europe, the Middle East and on the US-Mexico border, working with local partners and over 30,000 volunteers to provide aid and long-term solutions to improve the lives of refugees. Continue reading...
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