Hey folks,
An update, to give a bit of insight on
the work, and to let you know I am safe and well.
I don’t really want to touch on what happened last week. I
am more in the dark about it than you are. I’ve heard a small bit, made the
mistake of opening Facebook for a moment, and then decided to live in my shell
for the time being.
Big Picture:
People leave Turkey by boat. The boats are whitewater rafts
style, with an outboard motor. They are one way trips, not reused.
Stage 1:
Based upon currents, there are 3-4 main landing spots /
beaches that they land.
At each of these locations, there’s about 1,000 random
volunteers helping. Some of it is great help, some of it is a bit over the top.
Folks with good intentions grabbing perfectly capable people out of a boat
through the water and to shore. There’s an interesting dynamic here. It’s the
most exciting picture-perfect moment to validate you coming, something to write
home about, but sometimes causes more problems than solutions. Not being
cynical; it’s just interesting to see.
These landing sites are not official UNHCR (High Council for
Refugees, fancy name for the folks that are in charge) camps. They are staffed
by whoever shows up any given day.
Stage 2:
Then there are other volunteers picking the people up at the
beaches and taking to Stage 2, the ‘transit sites’.
These are 1-6 hour stops to get a change of clothes, maybe a
bit of food, a chance to collect your breath, a medical tent, etc.
Samaritan’s Purse (SP), along with some other aid
partners, manages two of these sites, with probably 1,000 – 2,000 people per
day coming through, although it varies widely. Today was very calm, and the
camps were able to clean up a good bit. Who knows why, what is going on across
the water, that causes the pace to vary so widely.
My role here is to make sure we have adequate and clean water
and sanitation facilities. Toilets, sinks, etc. All of these have/are/will be
built. The transit sites are in random/unplanned locations, so they didn’t have
facilities to handle the refugees.
I have 2-3 Greek staff to help manage Contractors or to fix
problems onsite.
Also, I have a staff of 10 ppl who work shifts to keep the
sites clean. Tough job.
Stage 3:
After a few hours at Stage 2, the refugees are loaded onto
‘greyhound’ type buses and shipped to two overnight camps. One camp is for
Syrian families, and the other camp is for everyone else (Syrian males, and all
other nationalities). The refugees register with the UN there and become actual
legal ‘refugees’, and are then take an 8-hour overnight ferry to Athens.
I don’t know what happens after then. And I don’t have the
brain capacity to care at this point.
My Work:
Two nights ago I received an email from UNHCR WASH (water
sanitation hygiene) leader asking us to expand from our two stage 2 transit
sites to the two stage 3 overnight camps.
Yesterday I naively entered a weekly meeting lead by UNHCR,
and they cornered us, asking us once again.
So, I drove the 90 minutes to the other side of the island,
and ventured through 4,000 future-refugees looking at toilets, showers, and a complete
lack of sinks. Pretty eye opening.
Ended the day with a 9pm meeting once again with UNHCR and a
handshake agreement to do what needs to be done.
I’m heading back in the morning to ‘Chair’ the WASH meeting
for the island, which somehow I was hoodwinked into leading. And then spend the
afternoon at the camp making sketches, trying to find the water supply to
determine capacity,
Blah blah blah…
All that being said, I am moving into Scopes / Bids /
Contracts and Construction Management to repair and construct latrines, sinks,
showers, etc.
The work we are about to do is a pretty big challenge, but a
super opportunity.
Closing:
I don’t have much in the way of pictures. I don’t feel
comfortable taking photos of the people. It seems a bit off for me. Maybe I
will take a few, just to remember.
I am as safe as one could be on a small island in a village
where everyone walks, eating large amounts of feta, tomatoes, and calamari. And
fresh bread.
I appreciate everyone’s concerns and prayers and support. I
love being here, but miss some of you (well, maybe only one of you).
Cheers,