Syrian refugees along the Serbia-Hungary border wonder ‘what’s next’?
The family sat on a mat in the shade of trees in a paved area near the border. They slept on the ground near the border the night before.
Neither Teasadi nor her husband, Ali, know when they and their four children will move along or what their chances are for crossing the border from Serbia to Hungary. Last night while they were sleeping, the border was closed. Now the refugees have been told to move from one border crossing to another while they wait to see whether they will be allowed to enter Hungary.
Teasadi was a teacher in Daraa, Syria, before she and her husband decided to sell everything and take their family away from the war. As a helicopter buzzes overhead, patrolling the border from the Hungarian side, she points to it and says, “In Syria, helicopter”… then makes hand motions to show bombs falling. “Children – mort,” she says. “Dead.”
What makes the closing of the border especially difficult for Teasadi, her family, and the many others like them is that they can't go forward and literally have nothing to go back to.
Their four children: Hamid, 10; Zamzam, 9; Noor, 6, and Abdul, 5, seem to be taking everything in stride. They use rocks and broken chunks of concrete to crack the walnuts they’ve gathered. They put the shelled ones in a plastic bag to carry with them. Noor hands them around to World Vision staff and tries to also give them packs of cookies from one of the family’s bags.
Both parents watch as Noor and Abdul, tip over two small tents where the six family members will bed down for another night. Abdul zips open a tent and carefully removes his tennis shoes before stepping in.
Ali keeps a protective eye on the youngsters as he exchanges information with other refugees.
Teasadi turns her head and coughs quietly. She’s had the cough for a while, likely aggravated by heat and exposure. She packs the water bottles and bananas she received from World Vision staff into a few small bags around her on the ground. Her eyes weigh every item carefully—there’s no room anything extra.
Discarded items -- torn jackets, broken shoes, empty water bottles -- mark the path taken by so many refugees before them.
To best support the refugees, World Vision staff are constantly asking those they meet: “What do you need?” and adjusting distributions accordingly.
Not on any of the distribution lists is one item that brought delight to the children, and smiles to their parents’ faces – a bottle of bubble soap and a wand. World Vision communicator Aida Sunje handed it out to the first children she saw today – Noor and Abdul. And for a brief moment wars, helicopters, and tomorrow’s challenges were forgotten as Noor blew shining bubbles and everyone watched them rise on a gentle breeze.
World Vision is responding to the refugee crisis in the Western Balkans by providing basic hygiene and food packages. World Vision also intends to expand its work to include providing child protection services.