By Sabine Wilke, CARE Deutschland-Luxemburg
I recently bought a new winter coat and was justifying the rather expensive purchase to myself with a strong argument based on practicality, not fashion: I would never be cold anymore. You probably know the feeling. Whether it’s standing on a train platform in the morning for your commute or turning on the cold car’s engine. Walking your kids to school, seeing your own breath turn to chilly fog. There’s nothing worse than being cold, I find. I instantly cramp, pull up my shoulders and bury my chin in my scarf. If my feet get cold and I start shivering, all I want to do is go home, put my feet on the heater and drink a cup of warm tea. You surely know the feeling.
On a day in mid-December, wearing my new coat, I stand in Sjenica in the South West of Serbia. This town sits on a plateau, with the wind mercilessly blowing across the plains and temperatures way below minus 10 degrees Celsius. I see children playing in the snow. The scenery could be idyllic, but it’s not. Some of the children only wear light sweaters, others have a strong cough and some glance at me with a look in their eyes that tells of the horror they have witnessed: these children are refugees, from Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and other places where war is raging.
When the borders were closed in Central Europe early in 2016, thousands of people on the move got stuck in the Balkans. Serbia still sees an influx of 200 to 250 new arrivals each day. People are being transferred to official camps, most of these are former hotels, factories or deserted gas stations. Their desperation is tangible when I walk through the overcrowded building. 15 to 20 people in one room, putting up blankets on their bunk beds for a little privacy, queuing to use the toilet and waiting for an information, a beacon of hope. They can apply for asylum in Serbia or for family reunification if one of their relatives has made it to Europe. But procedures are slow and information is difficult to find. They can also pay smugglers to get them across the border, but patrols are strict and reports of abuse in detention centers frightening. Spending your day waiting, your children not allowed to go to school, waking up in the morning freezing, not knowing what the future holds – this is the daily reality for hundreds of thousands of refugees who fled their countries to seek safety and freedom.
CARE staff distribute winter clothes. Photo: CARE/Sabine Wilke
Here in Sjenica, CARE is distributing warm winter clothes and I am happy to see a few of the kids that were playing outside later in line with their parents. The volunteers who organize the distribution find the time and patience to help every child select the right pair of boots, a bonnet and gloves that are not too big for small hands. Adults receive blankets, hygiene items and bed sheets, they can choose the color of towel they like, probably the only choice and gesture of respect they have been given in a long time.
Yes, these items are not much. They are not a visa to get through the borders. They are not the future these people risked their lives for. But they offer a little warmth during cold, cold Christmas times. These faces I look into didn’t choose to become dependent on aid. They fled war and persecution to save their lives and the future of their children. You and me, if confronted with that choice, would do the exact same thing. We would pack our bags and run for our lives.
I’ve been early with my Christmas shopping this year and happy to have found nice things for my loved ones. Books and concert tickets, clothes and toys. I wouldn’t say I spent a fortune but still, it adds up. But I can still feed myself, pay for my apartment, save up some money and take a vacation next year. That is why I decided to donate the same amount I spent on Christmas gifts to charity this year. You’re probably wondering why I would, given that I work for a charitable organization and get paid, so what’s the need? To me, these are two different things. Yes, I work for CARE and earn my living with this job. But I am also a very privileged citizen of a free, wealthy country, with a steady income and the means to share, to help. I consider this a privilege. My Christmas donation will go to CARE. That’s the organization I know and trust, and I have seen first-hand how carefully and efficiently the money is spent in our programs around the world, just like in Serbia. I have seen again and again how women and girls who are most vulnerable in desperate situations are placed front and center in CARE’s response.
If you prefer another charity, that is fine, too. Whichever cause you want to support this Christmas, and maybe even more long-term with a regular gift, don’t let the noisy news stream paralyze you. Yes, there continues to be war and despair around the world. Yes, we all sometimes feel like wanting to cocoon in our little world and not be confronted with all the suffering and bad news mankind produces each day. But that is not going to help the children building a snow man in Southern Serbia. And it is not going to make this world a better, more just place. If you ask me, there can never be enough drops in the ocean.
You can find more information about our work on the Balkans here.