Two young refugees lie by a makeshift shelter in Kos. Demotix/Monika Skolimowska. All rights reserved.
After seeing images of children’s bodies washed up on European shores in an attempt to reach lands that they believe could protect them, I made a decision to go to one of the main receiving islands: Kos.
My reasons for going are two fold: first to provide essential supplies to people that desperately need basic support, who have arrived after long arduous journeys with nothing. Secondly this is an attempt to influence the narrative; from one where it is over sensationalized and paints us as powerless, to one where we have the means to help in the face of system failures. I will not bring back lives that were lost, nor will I change larger issues such as the crimes of people smugglers, but it does not mean I cannot have a positive impact on this abominably dark situation unfolding on our doorsteps.
