Clean Clothes

Two summers ago I spent two weeks of vacation doing laundry. And I loved it. This was one of the hardest and best vacations I've ever had. I liked it so much I went back last summer and did it for 3 weeks. I've found it difficult to explain to people why spending 8 hours a day doing laundry was so incredible.

Ever since I found out I was moving to Italy I knew I wanted to go to Greece and volunteer with the asylum seekers arriving on boats.  But life happens and it took me a long time to do it. 

The first time I went was right after almost 600 people died when the boat they were on sank in the Mediterranean. No country provided aid to the distressed vessel and no attempt was made to salvage their bodies. Since Greece has made it a crime for civil organizations to provide aid in Greek waters, there are no longer any civil aid groups operating to assist the migrants who require assistance prior to reaching land. And at the same time, rescue crews from 5 countries were searching for the wealthy tourists who died in the submarine in the Atlantic ocean. 

The currently raging fires in Southern California reminded me that anyone, at any time, might need to flee their home. There are over a hundred thousand people under mandatory evacuation orders. Those are now internally displaced persons (and there are 63.3 million IDPs worldwide). That's not just a term reserved for war-torn countries or areas experiencing famine. Climate change is causing more and more people to flee.

If you haven't had to leave your home due to a hurricane or tornado or fire or war or domestic violence and if you don't know anyone who has had to leave or who has lost their home, chances are you will. If you can't even contemplate making the decision to get on a clearly unsafe overcrowded boat with your infant and without a life vest in hopes of reaching Greece or Italy or if you haven't walked hundreds or thousands of miles to reach a border because the dangers you are facing are less than what you are leaving, you are among the very fortunate. Let's remember, first and foremost these are human beings.

There are many horrors facing people who end up in asylum seeker camps. And that's after the horrors they faced en route. I specifically went to Lesvos island in Greece. You might remember (although probably not because the news probably barely covered it) that the camp there burned in 2020. A new camp was built that, while better, is still not somewhere you want to be. One of the many things it lacks is a way for residents to do their laundry.  

Most of us probably think of laundry as a chore that needs to be done, not as a luxury. How many of the evacuated Southern Californians left with only the clothes they were wearing and now don't have a way to wash them? Remember the scenes from the Superdome in New Orleans when it was filled with Katrina evacuees? They all needed to do laundry. I'm sure you've had a flight delayed or canceled and didn't have a change or clothes, right? Now imagine having no facilities whatsoever to do any laundry.

Clean clothes are not just a matter of appearance.  Keeping clothing and bedding clean helps reduce the spread infections like scabies which can rapidly spread in camps. Also, basic hygiene is essential to maintaining human dignity and mental health which are already hugely at risk in these populations. 

There are many NGOs (non-governmental organizations) operating on Lesvos. Most provide either some sort of medical care or legal aid to asylum seekers. I am not a medical professional or a lawyer. Also, almost all of the NGOs that provide services to the asylum seeker communities require a minimum commitment of 4 weeks from volunteers. But I found one that allowed volunteers to come for 2 weeks which is what I could do. However, due to Greek rules and the amount of paperwork required, if you were only going for 2 weeks you could not enter the camp. 

This NGO provides laundry services to the camp residents. The laundry stations was located outside the camp which is why it was possible to volunteer without entering the camp. Some volunteers (who were there for at least 4 weeks and could access the camp) would pick up laundry in the mornings while also returning laundry that was done the previous afternoon. Then in the afternoon they would return laundry done in the morning and pick up more laundry. We would do between 90 and 100 bags of laundry per day. Fridays were for unaccompanied minors (whose laundry might only consist of a few things making the loads very small) and medical laundry (scabies cases, incontinence bedding...) and for doing a complete clean of the laundry station.

It was hard work. Laundry is heavy. It's hot on Lesvos in the summer. Even hotter with 14 washing machines running on hot and 15 dryers (3 of which run on a gas flame) going constantly. 

And then there are little heart breaking reminders of the actual humans who you are helping. A newborn cap. A teeny tiny lone. A stuffed toy. The heavy, rough, wool UNHCR blankets.

I was so exhausted at the end of the day that all I could do was make it back to my little AirBnB and collapse. Granted, it did have this view

and the lady downstairs would sometimes have either left me food by the door or knock on the door with homemade goodies

The 2nd year wasn't quite as hard because the Greek government had moved a lot of people to other camps so there wasn't as much laundry to do each day. 

We were free on weekends so I got to explore the island but I think this post is long enough and I'll save that for another time. Will I go again this summer? If they will have me! 

When you hear stories about asylum seekers or migrants or refugees please take a minute to stop and remember that these are people and there is every chance you could be one of those people one day. 

NOTES: I used the term "asylum seeker" instead of "refugee" because the term "refugee" has different a legal meaning depending and a colloquial meaning.

According to the UNHCR, a refugee is someone who has been given legal protection based on a refugee status determination. Prior to that determination, they are an asylum seeker. 

However, many use the term "refugee" to describe anyone forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country.

Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have been forced to flee their homes but have not crossed an international border.