“Back home in Afghanistan, I was a student, but when the war started, we couldn’t go to school anymore and girls had to stay inside the house all day. We fled to Iran but there we faced new problems. Afghan refugees were not welcomed. We were not allowed to obtain official registration in the country and we lived in fear of getting deported, so my family decided to continue our journey and try to reach Germany. We had learned that in Germany the refugees are free. They can study and work; and they will not face the same problems that we faced when we first arrived in Iran. However, the border closures have now left us stuck in Greece. We live in Elliniko Camp, but our life is not easy. It is not peaceful here, the men fight and there is a lot of frustration about our future. If I am lucky enough, I will make it to Germany eventually”.
Leila’s family did not have enough money to try to reach Germany together so they decided to send her youngest sister, who is now 16, to Germany and then apply for reunification. The young girl lives in a camp and as Leila proudly describes “is taking part in a lot of courses and learning a lot”. In the meantime, her older sister was caught when trying to flee Iran and is now trapped there.
My life in Athens
I live in a camp. From my understanding, it must have been some sort of sports centre before it became my home. I think it used to be a baseball or a hockey court. Now it is filled with tents in rows.
The living conditions are hard. I sleep with my family in a tent. Sharing one tent with five persons is difficult. You are never alone and do not have much space.
I myself don’t mind it however. It is not so bad for me. I am an adult who can understand what is happening and why it is happening. Mostly I am worried about the children. They don’t have toys or playgrounds and they play with empty cans and stones. Sometimes when it is too hot, you cannot sit inside the tent, so children go and play by the sea.
Across the street, there is a beach and children go there to freshen up a bit. Afterwards they come back to the camp and fall asleep.
For me, it is long walks outside the camp that make my day. In Afghanistan or Iran I could never do this. I always had to walk with a man and I couldn’t go wherever I wanted to go. In Greece, I enjoy this freedom. At first I didn’t feel very comfortable. I felt like people were staring at me. I would sit on a bench and the person next to me would leave. But as the days went by, things started changing. After all, maybe it was me who felt uncomfortable and not the Greeks I met on my walks. I take long walks by the sea and in the city centre. And I love the fact that I can find flowers everywhere.
My favorite time of the day is when the sun goes down. The colors of the sky make me feel a bit blue but at the same time calm. Every evening I get this feeling. It is like a deep sadness.
But then I take my long walks and see how beautiful life around me is and I feel better. Like the life of this couple I met in a hill close to the Acropolis. They are safe and loved. I wish someday all of us will be like them, safe and loved.
This story is part of the Photography Project “Through Her Eyes” implemented by CARE International in cooperation with the Melissa Network, which aimed at giving you the opportunity to view urban life for refugee women and girls in Greece through their eyes.
Add comment