#EvacuateMoriaNOW
Dear NMOs and IFMSA family,
In these COVID19 times our health systems and global community are facing big challenges of dimensions we have never been exposed to before. We send you this email so that we don’t forget our human rights in these difficult times, but especially so that we don’t forget the human rights of those that are unfortunately deprived of them. We are specifically referring to the crisis that is happening in the refugee camp at Moria, in Greece. In this refugee camp there are currently 7500 children without any access to clean water, food, a roof over their head and the most necessary healthcare facilities. COVID19 is a big threat to us all, but we can’t even start to imagine how big of a threat it is and will be to the children in Moria. Implementing the security measures we have seen in our societies lately, like home isolation and quarantine, is unfortunately impossible to do in the conditions of the refugee camp, and the protection for these children against this virus is practically non existent.
We really think the situation is of utmost importance, and would therefore like to join other NMOs such as IFMSA Netherlands and AMSA Austria in raising our voices so that we can make a change for the children in Moria.
We in IFMSA are the future of healthcare, and we are big changemakers, which is why if we work all together we can evacuate the children from Moria. We are jumping on a campaign to raise awareness for this issue, advocate for the evacuation of the Moria refugee camp and raise our voices so our governments hear us and take action to save these children.
How we are planning to do this, is to send this to our members and ask them to write a message on an A4 paper regarding the children in Moria and human rights, and then take a picture where they hold this A4 sheet and upload it to their instagram with a small description of the problem and using the hashtag #EvacuateMoriaNOW. We hope that by this we will brighten the light of public awareness and help raise the voice of these children in need. By the end of next week, we will collect all the posts and make a video with them, share it on social media, and send it to the relevant stakeholders to incite them to evacuate the camp.
We collected some examples of the text we will send to our members so they can use in the pictures (the A4 paper) and in the instagram posts, as well as some sample pictures, which you can find at the end of this email.
We ask you to please do a similar campaign in your NMOs and to share this with your members, our voices will be heard much more loudly if we all raise them together.
Children are our future, but we are their present
We can’t wait to see your member’s posts and help the evacuation together as much as we can.
Much love and hope everyone is safe,
NMSA’s international group
Antonio Oluf Escalante Steffensen (VPE Assistant)
Hanne Dahl Vonnen (NORP)
Merete Lan Olsen (VPE)
Sara Soraya Eriksen (NPO)
These sample texts are just to make it easier for members to post the pictures and decrease their workload when doing so, but everyone is of course free to write whatever they feel like writing!
Short text for the A4 papers to be held in the picture:
- Children are our future, but WE are their present #EvacuateMoriaNOW
- Children should grow up without insecurity, but not without water, food and the most basic healthcare #EvacuateMoriaNOW
- When a child doesn’t remember when they last smiled, we have failed them as humans #EvacuateMoriaNOW
- The conditions in the Moria refugee camp are inhuman #EvacuateMoriaNOW
- Every child deserves a safe upbringing #EvacuateMoriaNOW
- Everyone should have the right to water, food, sanitary conditions and a roof over their head #EvacuateMoriaNOW
- There is no global health without refugees’ health #EvacuateMoriaNOW
- Human rights are refugees’ rights #EvacuateMoriaNOW
And for the text in the instagram post:
- In these COVID19 times our health systems and global community are facing big challenges of dimensions we have never been exposed to before. We cannot forget our human rights in these difficult times, but we especially cannot forget the human rights of those that are unfortunately deprived of them. This specifically refers to the crisis that is happening in the refugee camp at Moria, in Greece. In this refugee camp there are currently 7500 children without any access to clean water, food, a roof over their head and the most necessary healthcare facilities. COVID19 is a big threat to us all, but we can’t even start to imagine how big of a threat it is and will be to the children in Moria. Implementing the security measures we have seen in our societies lately, like home isolation and quarantine, is unfortunately impossible to do in the conditions of the refugee camp, and the protection for these children against this virus is practically non existent. (modified opener of this email)
- From a wonderful article written by “A Drop in the Ocean” https://www.drapenihavet.no/en/erna-can-you-hear-us-calling-evacuate-moria-now/:
- People live on top of each other. Some with their own family members, others with people they have met on their way or with totally strangers. Getting food means standing in a crowded line for hours, every day. It goes without saying that the advice on good hand hygiene, distance and isolation is difficult to follow inside the camp. It is simply impossible! #EvacuateMoriaNOW
- We know that the virus spreads like fire in dry grass. Moria and other refugee camps are in great danger of being the driest place of all. #EvacuateMoriaNOW
- All children have the right to have a safe upbringing, no matter their nationality. The conditions in the Moria refugee camp are inhumane and represent a very big risk for the physical and mental health of the 7500 children in the camp, even more now with the current COVID9 threat. As a future healthcare worker I believe that we need raise our voices for the rights of health and safety, and evacuate the Moria camp to avoid a potential and dangerous humanitarian catastrophe. #EvacuateMoriaNOW
