A Moray minister has returned from Greece with a new-found determination to help refugees there.
Leaving the island of Chios proved a wrench for the Rev Shuna Dicks after she had spent a week helping families fleeing for their lives.
During that time, the Aberlour minister cooked hot food for Syrians while more arrived to swell the 1,500 population across the camps.
Frequently, Ms Dicks had to make the heart-wrenching announcement to hungry refugees in the queue that there was nothing left to eat.
Seeing the “hellish” living standards in the camp has made the minister, who was a founding member of the Moray Supports Refugees group, do even more to transform the situation.
She said: “I would like to go back, but I don’t know how feasible it will be to do that this year. I want to continue to campaign and raise awareness of the issue.
“I’ve come back better informed with first-hand experience, so I can let people know the people of Chios are real and their struggles are real.
“During the week, I had a moment when I couldn’t call them refugees anymore. They are people who have made the choice to leave their homes and need support.”
While working in the camp, the minister was overwhelmed by the hospitality the refugees who lived there were prepared to show her.
Often, tents were shared between families with only a curtain to provide the most basic privacy in blisteringly hot conditions.
During her stay on the island, the minister regularly saw boats arriving in the harbour carrying more refugees to the already crowded camp.
As the population of Chios continues to rise, Ms Dicks believes the uncertainty about the refugees’ future will only increase as well.
She said: “When they arrive, they register and then stay until it’s decided whether they can move on or have to be returned to Turkey. I don’t know what’s going to happen to them.
“Nobody wants to be there, they want to be at home in Syria, but they can’t go back because it’s too dangerous. They’re just living day to day and doing the best they can.”
