Feature: Life in Greece's largest state-run refugee camp
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E-mail Xinhua, January 22, 2017
In the largest state-run refugee camp in Greece at Skaramangas, 11 km west of Athens, more than 3,500 people try to function as a community and overcome daily challenges as they wait to be relocated in other European countries.
Run by the Greek navy and operated by NGOs, the camp is located in a vast industrial zone next to Piraeus port. As a former shipyard, it is one of the most developed areas in infrastructure. With electricity, water heaters and air conditioning, the camp has 410 container homes which are equipped with small kitchenettes, washrooms, and beds.
According to NGOs, security is their main worry, while rubbish and waste issues need to be taken care of more thoroughly.
Most of the residents are Syrians, followed by Afghans and Iraqis; there are also Iraqi Yazidis in Greece and Palestinians.
"This is an accommodation for asylum seekers with all the challenges it poses on a daily basis. But it is better than many other camps around Greece. What would be very important for the asylum seekers in the camp is if the authorities would come to a decision about the asylum claims. So, they know how their future looks like," Roland Schonbauer, a spokesperson with the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR, told Xinhua.
Until then, refugees try to develop their skills within the developing community of Skaramangas camp. They try to improve their living conditions using their knowledge or expertise.
During a tour inside the camp, Xinhua reporters saw small shops run by refugees in an attempt to put their life back on track. There are hairdressers, washing machines, an internet cafe, canteens and a mini market.
According to the camps' coordinators, these activities help refugees socialize and prevent tensions inside the camp.
Alaa Saleem, a 29-year-old architect from Syria, runs with his brother Fayez, 30, a popular falafel canteen.
"In Syria, we were not used to staying without a job for a long time, so we had to do something. Since my brother is a chef; we decided to open the canteen," Alaa told Xinhua.
They came to Greece last March and have been living in Skaramagas since May 2016. They opened the canteen in August. While they wait to be relocated to France, they do not forget about their journey.
During their first attempt, the authorities caught them and put them in prison, Alaa recalled. The second time, the most difficult part was crossing the Turkish borders because there were snipers. It took them 12 days to reach Greece.
For Abdul Kader, 48, a lawyer from Aleppo, the internet cafe he has set up was a way out for him to cover his needs and not ask his relatives to send him money.
Mohammed Kaasim, 60 years old, his wife Leila, 54, and their two children arrived in Greece in March 2016. They are refugees for a second time. They belong to a group of 60 Palestinians who came from Al Yarmouk, a district of Damascus which became home to Syria's largest community of Palestinian refugees. Their camp was once home to 150,000 people, before being ravaged by extremists during the Syrian conflict.
In December 2016, Mohammed opened a mini market to help people with everyday necessities since the camp is far from the city. He hopes to reach Germany where his other two children live.
"We have no other option but to wait. We are forced to wait, and every minute that goes by, is like a burden in our soul," he said.
As the camp started its operation last April, there are refugees that live there more than ten months waiting for their asylum claims to be processed.
Malek Shaikh Ibrahim, 46, from Kobani, northern Syria, came to Greece with her 14-member family from Aleppo 11 months ago. She had an interview in December, and she waits for the critical answer from the Greek Asylum Service.
"At Skaramagas everything is better than any other camp. But, we want to relocate, to go to any country," Malek told Xinhua.
"Because she does not have any work, she gets up late, she walks along the sea, and she makes breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She goes out to Omonoia and Syntagma square, or Monastiraki. There is no work here," her friend Iman Kalo, 26, told Xinhua as she helped in the translation.
People escaping from war and violence have left not only their homes behind, but also for the time being, their professions.
For Iman, who used to be a teacher in Kobani and came to Greece with her husband and three-year-old son, the lack of activities is a huge problem.
"There is no activity, there should be schools for older people, not only for children. I want to work. I want to learn," she said.
With 63,000 refugees and migrants stranded in Greece since March 2017 when the EU-Turkey deal aimed to stem the refugee flows was launched, the assessment process takes several months.
According to Schonbauer, Greece and the European Union need to focus on three main issues to address the challenge of the high number of asylum seekers.
"First of all, to speed up the registration procedures particularly on the islands, this goes to Greek and European authorities that want to support them. Second, more people need to be transferred from the overcrowded Greek islands to Greek mainland. Third, European countries show the solidarity promised and relocate thousands of asylum seekers from Greece," Schonbauer said. Endit
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