Lesvos

Kara Tepe refugee camp 

On 9 September 2020 the Moria camp burned down. After the fire, 12,000 people were left without shelter. Many were relocated to the mainland, but around 7,800 asylum seekers were resettled in the new temporary site of Kara Tepe. 

Camp residents live in tents, and there is not sufficient electricity or running water in the camp. There are continuously disease outbreaks, such as scabies and lice. The geographic location of the camp makes it extremely prone to the consequences of storms and heavy rain. During the winter season, the temperature drops to around zero degrees, making an already difficult situation even worse.  

What does A Drop in the Ocean do on Lesvos? 

The living conditions for the inhabitants of Kara Tepe are extremely difficult. A Drop in the Ocean has a team on the ground consisting of experienced coordinators, and international, local and community volunteer field workers. Our team monitor the situation and assist wherever it is needed, often in co-operation with other organisations.  

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We have been working on Lesvos since 2015. Before Covid-19 and the fire in Moria, we organised activities at our Drop Centre in Moria Village and our Drop Learning Centre. We ran activities for unaccompanied single minors inside Moria refugee camp.  

After the fire in Moria Camp, we initiated the following activities. 

Our programme activities: 

Humanitarian Aid 

• Laundry service

Without proper access to water in the camp, laundry is a big challenge. We support all camp residents with a laundry service. In our own launderette outside of camp we wash clothes to medical standards. Everyday we collect laundry bags in the camp from residents, which are then returned the following day. This is one out of many measures to prevent the spreading of scabies and other diseases.