Welcome to Europe

In 2019 Greek islands had the second biggest wave of refugee arrivals after the crisis that followed the war in Syria in 2015. The Greek islands located in the Aegean Sea continue being one of the most concurred access routes to Europe, and Lesbos is one of those hotspots. This is where the refugee camp of Moria is located, known for the poor conditions in which refugees are hosted. Even though it was designed to host 3.000 people, at the time of writing this article over 13.000 people live in this camp, where access to food, shelter and hygienic conditions are constantly challenged. Long lines to get an insufficient portion of food, very precarious tents to spend the cold and rainy days of winter and piles of trash lying next to the portable restrooms. This is how the gates to Europe look in 2019.

Multiple NGOs work hand in hand to improve the living conditions of the refugees in Moria and Zaporeak is one of them. This NGO from the Basque Country cooks and serves about 1300 portions of food to the most vulnerable collectives from the camp such as women and children. In September 2019 I spent 1 month collaborating with them documenting both their work and the life inside the camp. Following you can find the resulting series of photos, a mini-documentary and a set of video portraits of different locations of the camp.