700.

Over seven hundred men, women, and children are believed to have drowned this week in the Mediterranean, making it the deadliest week of the year in terms of refugee boat deaths. An additional 14,000 were rescued from the sea as they tried to make their way from Libya to Italy. 

While the Libya-Italy route is significantly more dangerous than the path from Turkey to Greece, the closing of the Balkan route and the implementation of the Turkey-EU deal has brought a huge spike in numbers of those forced to risk and lose their lives in the tumultuous Mediterranean.

A few months ago I met a man on Lesvos who spoke eagerly and confidently about being reunited with his family in Germany in only a few weeks. My heart plummeted as he became more and more excited, thinking maybe he hadn't heard, thinking maybe I would have to be the one to break the news about the border closures that had come in to play just a few days prior.
"Oh, uh, did you hear the news? The Macedonian border is closed now.. I, mm, I don't think they will let you through..."
He smiled, puffed his cigarette, and responded, "For a smuggler, there are no such things as closed borders."

The closer I get to this crisis, the more I've seen the truth in his words. Closing borders, treating humans as numbers, and blocking routes will not stop a mother from risking everything to ensure the safety of her children.
The only thing it guarantees is that refugees will be forced to either live in danger and squalor or find new paths which are ripe with exploitation and even death.

"You have to understand
That no one puts their children in a boat
Unless the sea is safer than land"

If you are still learning about the refugee crisis, this is a wonderful link with lots of helpful information about what is happening and why so many people are willing to die to escape the reality in their own homes.

http://www.vox.com/2015/9/9/9290985/refugee-crisis-europe-syrian

My Growing Love for What'sApp

No Border Kitchen - The Anarchist Camp

All photos by Jodi Hilton. 

ERCI Training

It’s funny, the things that don’t apply here. “Stop and smell the roses,” for instance. A phrase meant to encourage people like me to take some time out of their busy schedules for simple pleasures, for appreciating what’s around them. This phrase doesn’t really make sense in the Jungle. Though there are many positives - beautiful community, inspiring resilience, amazing generosity and love - there are no flowers.

Step outside your tent, if you’ve got one, and try not to breathe too deeply. Don’t look, don’t look at anything too closely - not the puddle filled with diapers, teddies, tear gas canisters, and the slightly bloodied jacket of the man who got taken away by the police last night. Not the rats feasting on the only food you’ve got to feed your family with this week. Listen to the birds chirping, yes, but tune out the cough of your child and the sound of the local man, angrily calling you names through the fence - the fence that was put up to keep you separate, to keep you away. It will do you no good to notice when the freezing rain overflows the porter-toilet and a thick, tarry mixture comes seeping out and running in to the road and mixes with the mud, because you and your children have no choice but to walk through it, anyway. Try to ignore that mud as it oozes through the cracks in your shoes and up your socks until your whole foot feels as if it’s one with the earth, one with the puddles, one with the trash, one with the toilet.

No, though you have nothing but time, don’t waste any of it by taking in your surroundings. These things aren’t meant for you, aren’t meant for anyone. Remember that your worth is not defined by the squalor of the Jungle and you are more precious than anything this place is telling you. When you stop in the Jungle, don't breathe in the chemical toxins or piles of waste. Instead, close your eyes and please try to remember the beautiful smell of roses. Remember the company of your family, the warmth of a bed, the comfort of your own home, and the hope that one day soon these simple pleasures will be yours again.

First few days in Calais

Well, it took ten days, six countries, endless beautiful and bizarre encounters with strangers, and 41 hours on trains, busses, airplanes & metros, but it's finally happened. At long last, yesterday I arrived in ....France??!

No, no, not at all the country I had in mind, but through a series of either unfortunate or providential events, I've found myself with a little time on my hands. And what would any American girl do with two extra weeks on a new continent, but go to a toxic, chemical dumping site, home to potentially the most infamous refugee crisis point in Europe? :D 

Hahah, okay, so maybe I have peculiar tastes, but I'm actually incredibly happy to have ended up in Calais. While the situation here is a bit intense (6k refugees in "The Jungle," 3k more in Grand-Synth, all more or less stuck while they try to find a way in to the UK) and insanely different than Lesvos,  it's already been an amazing experience and really helpful in understanding the larger picture of what's going on.

I'll post more about the situation here soon, but just wanted to shoot an update out for all the kind people who have asked me to keep them updated. Wi-fi is a bit hard to come by here, so I'm sorry if I haven't had time to respond to your messages properly! 

Much love from the Jungle,

Sara

p.s. For anyone who just can't wait to know more about Calais: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=52&v=FITkN0hn3wY