STEPPING up as a volunteer in the refugee camps of northern Greece has proved a life-changing experience for Redditch man Josh Yeng.
He’s done two stints working with people fleeing death and destruction and is at pains to emphasise the positive nature of volunteering while not forgetting the tragic circumstances that has led to millions of Syrians giving everything up to escape.
I’d been away travelling and was heading home when I saw a news item about the refugees,” he said.
“There was an image of a train station in Germany seen from the air and it was completely filled with people.
“And all these people had done all these things to get where they were and now they had nothing and were completely lost.”
The Webheath man volunteered to help and found himself working in the Polykastro camp at the top end of the Aegean Sea close to Turkey.
“Volunteering is an amazing opportunity, and not just because ‘you want to save the world’ but because of the people you meet. And the world is crying out for volunteers, people who can teach or who have a skill – I can do building work – anything really.
“In the evening we’d think of things we could do just to make people laugh, just to lighten their mood and allow them to escape reality for a while.”
Polykastro camp, near Kavala, is run by the Greek military with the UNHCR and when Josh first went there, in June last year, it contained more than 2,000 refugees.
When he returned in October that was down to 800, and with the bitter Greek winter approaching, conditions were hard.
“We stayed off camp in a house accommodating ten volunteers. It’s a strange thing seeing the refugees in tents and then you go back to a house.
“It really makes you appreciate what you have,” said the 27 year old.
He’s also anxious to encourage more people to volunteer.
“It’s amazing the connections you can make when there is no money involved, no ulterior motive. I know I learned a lot from people there and I hope they learnt something from me too.”
And for him it’s proved to be a life changing experience: “I’ve learnt that there’s lots of injustice out there but from every difficult situation something beautiful can arise.
“The whole reason why we were in Greece was horrendous but as a group of volunteers we could create a situation to help ease that and bring a touch of happiness.”
Inspired? Josh recommends the charity Indigo Volunteers, a fee free charity based in Essex. For more details visit http://www.indigovolunteers.org/
