Kos is a tiny Greek island four kilometres from the Turkish coast and currently the tip of an enormous iceberg that European policy-makers are meeting with wilful indecision and indifference. This is the frontline of the refugee crisis and a humanitarian catastrophe that we all have a stake in.Every night between 80-400 people arrive wearing shoddy, fake life-jackets in overcrowded boats that you wouldn’t trust on a swimming pool. Not everybody makes the crossing, and those that do have to wait for up to a week before they get their papers and are able to move on to Athens. UNHCR and MSF have a presence here, but it is small non-profits and individuals who are on the ground helping to make this step of the long journey to Europe bearable. Donations and unpaid, unqualified volunteers are filling the gap, providing essential aid and assistance.I have been volunteering with Kos Solidarity for coming on for a month now, and hope to stay for another month if my wits hold! Kos Solidarity is a local group run by genuinely good people and supported by international volunteers – all of whom work around the clock. We provide two basic meals a day, distribute clothing, tents, blankets, sleeping bags, medicine, hygiene stuff and other essentials to those on the island and leaving for Athens. At night we patrol the beaches and meet all new arrivals at the port, explaining the registration process, getting people warm and finding them shelter. These are the bare bones: everyday brings many complex challenges and special cases and Kos Solidarity is there to support in any way that it can.To my mind, of all the small organisations operating on the island, Kos Solidarity’s approach is the most realistic, sustainable and human. They treat the refugees as people – with respect rather than pity. Our politicians are ignoring the plight of refugees from the Middle East and other parts of the world, but also offering no assistance to Greece: In donating to Kos Solidarity you are standing with ordinary Greek people as well as those fleeing conflict, destruction and crippling poverty.Money you donate to this page will not solve the gargantuan crisis unfolding across Europe, but every last penny will go directly to buying essential resources here on Kos and making life better for vulnerable people as they pass through...If you would like more information about what is happening here or how money from this page will be spent then please do message me. I've tried to keep this page unemotional and sensible, when really my soul is weeping... if you´d like to talk about the personal stories of people here and my experiences on Kos then I am happy to chat.Love you allKxx
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