Hope's smile

An Afghan girl smiles, as refugees wait to enter Moira refugee camp on Lesbos Island Greece. When refugees arrive in Lesbos they are separated by nationality. Syrians go to Kara Tepe  camp, where most people stay in shelters, while other refugees , mostly from Afghanistan , are assigned to Moira camp. People  moving back and forth from these camps can cause delays and backdrops.
According to Greek Law only the mother and father are recognised as legal guardians. Many underage children are thus seperated from their relatives upon registration. The seperation  can last for as long as it takes for the minor to be transferred to an open  reception facility for UAMs. This can take two weeks to a month on average.
When people arrive they have nothing but the clothes they wear to protect them from the elements. Many having drowned in their attempt to reach Greece.
Moira, where long lines, squalid conditions and limited supplies have created what many are calling the world's worst refugee camp a living hell, overshadowed by razor wire. A repositary for human suffering. Many forced to sleep out in the open, people in the 21st Century forced to lie on a few rags on the ground.  Despite her dreadful conditions and the unknown future waiting for her ahead, this girl was still able to smile to the camera.
I see this smile, and I want  to return one back.  I hope that all the other children around her on their long journeys of hardship, find a place of safety happiness and security, but  these people are not ok, despite the smiles of innocence the future holds only uncertainty.
Now among winter, with Christmas coming , young and old struggle to adapt to the cold nights,  we cannot forget their plight and their desperate struggle. 


Photo :- Colleen Sinksy