Upcoming Advent on Lesbos

Of course, as a Christian, I know that the coming Sunday marks the beginning of Advent. I also know what Advent means in and of itself, "arrival". We Christians are preparing for the arrival of the Son of God. In principle, for all those who want to take it more seriously, to live it, it is about opening our hearts to love, to receive it and to give it away.

Personally, all this makes me very thoughtful. About 3/4 of the Austrian population are Christians, we celebrate Advent and Christmas. The festival of love.

Now to my question: how can we celebrate the coming of God's Son when we are not even able to provide humane accommodation for 8,200 people?

As a child, I was so firmly convinced that these symbolic figures like St Martin, Bishop Nicholas, the search for a hostel and then the birth of this persecuted and yet so sheltered child are messages for us to be interwoven with. That this attitude is part of our values, even among those who do not go to church every Sunday.

I keep hearing "Christian social values" from all kinds of politicians. It doesn't necessarily have to do with the church, but how much I would like to have a homeland that represents precisely those values, which can also be called "humanistic-social values".

Then we could discuss objectively how to bring about legally correct asylum procedures, that the maximum length of a procedure may be 1 year, whether and where deportation is justified and it would be as clear as daylight, no deportation to countries at war, or high-risk areas and no "letting people drown" in order to demonstrate with the help of human misery/death how hermetically sealed off we are in a united Europe.

When now, as today in the largest refugee camp in Europe, on Lesbos, the old lady from Afghanistan, supported by crutches, stands in front of me again and I have to put her off for another day with the shoes, then the Christian-social values that we celebrate in Europe only impress me insofar as I know: hundreds of people from the civilian population have just tried (once again) to save the dignity and values of all of us by doing what in the true sense would be the responsibility and obligation of politics.

Civil society sends clothes, shoes, nappies, baby food, it donates money to alleviate the worst needs here. Which, strictly speaking, could only succeed here in a holistic sense, i.e. everyone could at least be provided with a minimum of existential necessities, if the politicians wanted that. If Europe did that.

Then it would be like managing a disaster relief operation in a week.

So we wait for the "arrival of the Lord" while babies see the light of day here in this wretched camp, into the winter cold, into icy Europe, without having had a normal bed until their first birthday. Not even the straw of a cot, the bare plastic floor of a wind-blown summer tent, covered with a thin grey blanket barely able to cushion the hard, stony ground of the Lesbos coast.

I ask myself how we, who are witnesses of this European act of mutilation of our values in addition to our daily activities, can reactivate these values so that every person in Europe has a decent place to sleep, appropriate winter clothing, shoes and a warm meal every day?

8200 people, 3/4 of them families with their children, are seeking protection in Europe. And the debate must not be reduced to "we can't take them all". It must revolve around how and where we can accommodate these people with dignity and according to our European standards, and how we can guarantee fair asylum procedures.

Since in rich Europe the former is not succeeding, is deliberately not succeeding, we must all work to enable people to wait for their procedures in a dignified, humane way.

Exposing children without school education, people without hot water showers, outdoors, in ragged tents without clothing appropriate for the weather is a Christmas story that leaves many Austrians more than concerned and will one day bring those politically responsible before the courts.

Let us not hide in "waiting for the Lord", let us do together what makes communities love and shine. Let us enter into an Advent dialogue with those responsible, we all know them and demand the existential basis for people whose situation I can hardly put into words for those not present.

Hostel Search in 2020/Lesbos GR

Doro Blancke, AT93 3842 0000 0002 7516 Subject: Lesbos

Comments 5

  1. Dear Doro, thank you for always letting us participate in your work. Unfortunately, your words often only reach those people who have still retained a little empathy, while others are concerned about whether Father Christmas will also be allowed to visit the children, whether the shopping temples will be open and whether winter sports will be possible. How is it possible to break down these sharp dividing lines between people? We are currently in quarantine because of Ali's covid illness, but when we think of the people on Lesbos, any complaint about this sticks in our throat. In any case, our "Christmas letter" to children, relatives and friends will contain an urgent request for further financial help for your cause. Dear Doro, you are always in our thoughts and reflections! We wish so much for a "Christmas miracle" that will help humanity to break through. All the best and much strength to you!

  2. Dear Ms Blanke
    I would like to do something. You are collecting money, which is certainly good. What exactly is this money used for? Kind regards Jutta Kaltenbach

    1. Post
      Author

      Dear Ms Kaltenbach!
      Thank you very much for your interest.
      Helga Longin and I manage the money very mindfully and flexibly, according to need.
      For example, we have now ordered and already received rain jackets for 4000€, 1500 of them for children. 1200 solar shower bags, so that each tent (2 families have hot water), there are still no showers with hot water. We also bought e.g. 150 thermos flasks for the families with small children so that they have warm water for the bottles at night.
      We get a lot of donations in kind, but we buy what is not there. Nappies for newborns, bottles, popo cream, wet wipes.
      We also generously support the friendly NGO #HomeForAll with whom we cooperate closely and also have accreditation for the camp with them.
      You can also write to me by email and I will be happy to call you back to tell you about everyday life here and how we are using the funds. Best regards from Lesbos, Doro

  3. Thank you for your personal commitment on the ground.
    All the best and much success in the future!

  4. Dear Doro Blancke!
    Thank you very much for your courageous and immeasurable work on the ground, which will probably take you to your limits of endurance again and again due to the inconceivable reality of the refugee camp and the inconceivable inhumanity associated with it. I would like to support their work financially and ask myself what else I can do in Austria - write letters to politicians,....
    If you have any concrete ideas on how we can support your work beyond the financial contribution, please let me know.
    I am deeply grateful that people like you exist.
    Yours sincerely
    Christa Sarcletti

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