May 2019 | Reception crisis in Northern Greece: three years of emergency solutions FACHNAZ K.* (30) AND HER HUSBAND MEZGID M.* (35) 9. Fachnaz K.* (30) and her husband Mezgid M.* (35)cxxxii escaped from Allepo in Syria with their four children aged 10, 8, 6 and 4. They arrived in Greece through Evros in April 2018 and spent two months in a tent in Diavata camp before being transferred to Filippiada. Fachnaz described their difficult experiences to at the end of August 2018: “We arrived two months and ten days ago in Greece. We got arrested and detained for three days. Upon release, we received a paper valid for 6 months. We went to Thessaloniki and from there to Diavata camp. We bought a small tent and stayed there for two months with non-stop strong rainfalls. We were getting wet, getting wet, getting wet. All our children were sick. We have been in Filippiada for three months. We are waiting for our asylum interview in Thessaloniki. Everyone has to pay for his/her transport to the Asylum Service for the day of the interview. The tickets cost 55 Euro per person. For one family who gets 500 Euro in one month, this is really a lot. In May 2018, we got our Cash-card. It is not enough for my family. We were without cash for three months in Diavata. I have mental health problems, but there is no psychologist here. Also, the doctor here is not helping us. My husband was tortured in Syria. I saw beheaded persons and people torn into pieces in Aleppo. Our biggest problem here are the doctors at the moment. … (Also) we cannot give anything to our children. They will go to school after the summer. They have nothing to do since we are here, just a few lessons inside the camp. But there is no possibility for them to see something else than containers and trees. Recently there was a big fight with knives. How should we protect them here? During the fight we escaped outside of the camp and hugged our children tight until it was over. That night we slept outside of the camp from fear. They built a playground for the children now inside the camp, but we are scared to go there or to let our children go there. The camp is very dark during the night. We are living far from everything now. We live and we are not. There is the forest and mountains around us. The ambulance needs two hours to come here. I cannot imagine my future anymore. I just feel stress… .” VAGHIOCHORI FATIMA G.* (30) AND AHMAD* (31) 10. Fatima G.* (30), her husband Ahmad* (31)cxxxiii and their two children aged 3 and 1 are from Deir Ezzor, Syria. They arrived in Greece through the land border with Turkey last July and went directly to Thessaloniki where they registered at a police station. They were given a suspension of deportation order valid for six months. Fatima is a lawyer and Ahmad an engineer. Following their registration, they were told to go to Vaghiochori camp to find shelter. RSA met with them three weeks after their arrival in Greece. They said that they were subjected to three push-backs in the months before they managed to enter Greece. https://rsaegean.org/en/reception-crisis-in-northern-greece-three-years-of-emergency-solutions 29