This is how Barça helps refugees trapped in Greece, where “the fields look like prisons”

2023-06-25 19:11:08

BarcelonaTens of thousands of refugees remain trapped in Greece, the country that the European Commission described as a “shield” against immigration, in camps where the authorities do not allow access to journalists. In Malakasa, 250 kilometers from Athens, the hundred survivors of the June 14 shipwreck, one of the worst in the history of the Mediterranean, have been moved there. The director of the FC Barcelona Foundation, Marta Segú, was able to visit the projects in which they participate in these fields a few days ago and tells ARA what she saw.

“The feeling is sad, it seems that the refugees from Greece no longer exist, because most of the international organizations and volunteers are no longer there. It is true that the arrivals have dropped a lot, but there are still thousands of people who need support . And the Greek authorities do not facilitate the work of solidarity organizations. The camps look like prisons,” laments the director.

As a doctor, Segú has seen first-hand the health situation in the camps where the Greek authorities, with EU funding, have closed the refugees. “It’s very poor. We’ve seen seven-month pregnant women who haven’t had any medical check-ups or babies with anemia due to the poor quality of the food, or with intestinal parasites or skin lesions. People are abandoned,” he complains.

The mental health impact of waiting in refugee camps, where life is suspended, is also serious. “They are very strong and resilient people, especially the women I’ve met. They had to leave their homes in a hurry and they had to leave everything behind. And then, on their journey to Europe, they had to face very tough situations, often alone, for the sake of their children. We have seen creatures with depression, anxiety or behavioral disorders that reflect their inner turmoil.”

The FC Barcelona Foundation has been working together since 2017 with the local Greek organizations Cheering and Organization Earth, two NGOs that are caring for more than 650 children and young people in several refugee camps (Malakasa, Schisto, Korinthos, and Ritsona). “We try through sport that children and young people can externalize all negative emotions: sport is a tool to improve the emotional situation and also to detect the most important affects,” explains Segú.

The power of the Barça brand

With their own methodology, which they call SportNet, they address all areas of the children’s lives, from physical to mental health, promoting healthy habits and also providing occupational training to help them build a future. “Sport is a very powerful tool and when it comes from the hands of Barça it is even more so. Boys and girls are excited by a shirt with the Barça crest. As a brand we have a very great power that can be at the service of families who are suffering a lot,” concludes Segú.

And he bets on fundamental solutions: “We have just seen the wreck of a fishing boat with 600 missing, including a hundred babies who were going to the hold with their mothers: it is unacceptable and shameful that the EU lets people die in the drift. Everyone has the right to migrate to seek a decent life for themselves and their children. It’s what I would do if I was born in Afghanistan, Syria or Yemen. It’s what any parent would do. It’s necessary open safe entry routes to Europe for people fleeing countries in conflict, natural disasters, climate change or hunger exacerbated by the war in Ukraine.Countries such as Tanzania and Lebanon host millions, while in In Europe, there are those who put their hands on their heads when 1% arrives here.”