A Month in Focus – March 2017
Script in English
Samos - Greece, one year after the EU-Turkey deal
Swaziland - Sign language for TB patients
Syria – A specialized burns unit in Atmeh
Chad - Hepatitis E and water provision
Rotavirus - A new vaccine: a game-changer
Tuberculosis – A clinical trial
Uganda: “I wish to go to South Sudan when there is peace”
GREECE - A year after the EU/Turkey deal came into effect
One year after the EU-Turkey deal came into effect, thousands of migrants and
refugees continue to be blocked on the Greek islands.
On Samos island, almost 1,600 people are crowded into a “hotspot” intended for 600.
In this camp run by the Greek government, people are crowded into containers and
makeshift tents while they wait to see what their fate will be. Other EU member states
promised to take in 66,000 refuges, but in the past year, barely 7,200 have been granted
asylum.
Here on Samos refugees are waiting to be allowed to go to Athens to finalise their asylum
applications. Those who are turned down are deported to Turkey or back to their home
countries.
ABULKADER (in Arabic)
“I’ve been here for 3 months. Others have been here for 10 months. I don’t know if I’ll be
allowed to leave, to stay or if they’ll send me back to Turkey. I don’t know why. The way we’re
treated in the camp is really tough.”
KHALIL KHALIL (in Arabic)
“I’ve been turned down. It’s not just me, all the Syrians have, especially Kurds. They turn us
down and tell us we’ll be safe in Turkey. Read history and you’ll see how Turkey has fought
and killed us. No one’s listening to us. People get depressed because they feel like they’re in
an open prison. I’m alone in the world. I feel like I’m dying a slow death.
SAYED afghan (in English)
If we go outside, people act like we are not human. Police ask us, “Why you are here? Go
back to the camp.” You cannot walk, you cannot buy something, you cannot eat something in
the city.”
But getting away from the camp is the migrants’ only distraction — going for a walk outside,
fishing to supplement their food or taking their children to the park.
The deal is supposed to facilitate family reunification.
Samira is Palestinian. She lived in a camp in Syria before fleeing the war. Three of her
children are in Europe.
Samira (en arabe)
EUP / MSF 1
“My life here is nothing but suffering. I’m 50 and I’m all alone, with no one to support me. I’m
waiting for somebody to take pity on me so I’ll be able to see my children. All I want is to hold
them tight and for them to hug me. I haven’t seen them for two years.”
MSF offers psychological care on Samos.
JAYNE GRIMES, PSYCHOLOGIST, MSF (in English)
“Often people come and they unfortunately develop psychological problems, when they’ve
been here a long time. So I see a lot of people who are very depressed. Depressed because
of the state of limbo that their life is in. So there’s a lot of people who are very traumatized,
who have really horrific experiences that they describe, having had to pull bodies of family
members out of the rubbles, so really hard things. And they really need support.”
MSF puts up the most vulnerable people in hotels. Hassan and his family have been staying
in a room for several days now. Next week they should be able to go to Athens and finalise
their asylum applications.
SYRIA – A Specialized Burns Unit in Atmeh
MSF has been providing care, performing surgery and vaccinating people in Atmeh
and in camps around the town since 2012.
In December 2016, 10,000 people arrived from Aleppo adding to the 160,000 displaced
already living in harsh conditions in the area.

After 6 years of war, 5 million Syrians have sought refuge abroad and another 6 million are
displaced within the country, living in camps like this one close to Atmeh in the northern
province of Idlib.

This little boy’s injury was not caused by a shell or a weapon, his burns are a consequence of
the ha