THE MARCH OF HOPE

In 2022, roughly 1,400 people died in the Mediterranean, including infants and children. And still, all humanitarian rescue efforts are privately funded without an EU-led mission in sight. In 2016, my good friend Jim Kroft and I travelled for ten weeks along the Balkan route from Lesvos to Berlin to show the human aspect of refugee migration and to produce the documentary film “The March Of Hope”. These are some of the film stills taken predominantly on the island of Lesvos and in the camp of Idomeni at the Greek-Macedonian border just after the Balkan route had been shut down in the wake of the EU-Turkey deal. This is where we spent most of our time, hardly able to detach ourselves from the humanitarian horrors we were witnessing and, despite all odds, from the many great people we met along the way - humbling me for as long as I shall live. For more information about the film and our experiences in general, please visit https://www.facebook.com/themarchofhope or watch the trailer in the video section.

Island of Lesvos, Greece. The Lifejacket Graveyard.

Island of Lesvos, Greece. A dinghy arriving close to Mytilini city.

Island of Lesvos, Greece. A volunteer bringing a little girl to safety. The boat ride is often especially traumatic for children.

Island of Lesvos, Greece. A woman receiving medical care shortly after her arrival on the island. Most passengers suffer from severe hypothermia after many hours out at sea.

Island of Lesvos, Greece. A volunteer helps a boy out of his wet clothes.

Island of Lesvos, Greece. An older woman helped on land by volunteers. Most efforts for safe arrival and humanitarian aid are done by volunteer groups and networks.

The March Of Hope. A woman saying a prayer after her arrival on a beach close to Mytilini city.

Island of Lesvos, Greece. A volunteer of the Spanish volunteer organization Proem Aid, consisting of Spanish firefighters and rescue specialists spending their holidays to help with safe arrival and first aid on the coast of Lesvos. Some of the greatest people I ever had the privilege to meet.

Island of Lesvos, Greece. A dinghy, safeguarded by a volunteer, arrives in the early morning hours outside of Mytilini city.

Island of Lesvos, Greece. A volunteer calming a young woman after her arrival on a beach outside of Mytilini city.

Island of Lesvos, Greece. An exhausted woman just after her arrival outside Mytilini city.

Island of Lesvos, Greece. An exhausted man just after arriving on a beach outside of Mytilini city.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. The heavily fortified Greek - North-Macedonian border.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. A father with his son is blocked by police. With the growing numbers of people and the shutdown of the border, the processing of asylum requests came to a complete standstill. Every day, for weeks, people stood in line waiting to be admitted to the registration office in a small makeshift container to state their case. Most days it remained empty.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. A boy waiting in line at the makeshift refugee registration office.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. A woman and her infant waiting in line at the refugee registration office.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. A police officer urging people to stand back after announcing that the refugee registration office would remain closed.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. A young man with his collected paper works waiting to state his case and to be allowed across the border.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. A young girl during protests for safe passage in the Idomeni transit camp.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. During a protest for safe passage in the Idomeni transit camp at the Greek -North Macedonian border. Despite the abominable conditions and the rising level of desperation, the camp was predominantly peaceful. Even more, we experienced an incredible sense of hospitality and warmth.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. A CNN reporter facing a crowd asking her for new information about the EU-Turkey negotiations. Even though the border had been closed for many days already, people were still hopeful for a reopening and a continuation of their journey. The EU-Turkey deal would soon put an end to this.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. Most people arrived in Idomeni just after the border was closed. Over just a few days the camp was filled with close to 10,000 people without accommodation or means to support themselves. Only tents, handed out by private organizations like MSF, provided shelter in fields that were easily flooded by the February rains.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. A man collapsing after hours of waiting in line at the refugee registration office.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. Police blocking the railway leading across the Greek - North Macedonian border.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. A woman standing in line at the refugee registration office.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. A scene in the Idomeni transit camp.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. This is Chalid. When we arrived in Idomeni, I felt insecure and anxious. Just the night before there had been clashes with police and tear gas had been deployed together with raid police. When I climbed out of the car, Chalid was standing there taking my hand, gracing me with the wonderful smile you see in this picture. For the rest of the night, he didn't leave my side. A 10-year-old boy protecting a 37-year-old man.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. A scene in the Idomeni transit camp. Tents were a much sought-after commodity and there weren't enough to go around. Since the surrounding fields were often flooded by the February rains, people preferred to set up camp around the deserted train station at the border.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. A small boy that appeared lost and heavily traumatised. Some Syrian migrants finally managed to communicate with him and tried to locate his family. I don't know what happened to him. A lot of unaccompanied minors arrive on European soil and very little care is taken to provide them with adequate care. For many of them, prostitution becomes their only means to support themselves.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. Greek police fortifying the border crossing.

Island of Lesvos, Greece. This is Fred Normal. He performs clown shows outside of camp Moria to offer a sense of normality for the many traumatised children. Watch the short film in the video section to find out more about him and his motivation to be a volunteer.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. A small boy who knows far too much about the handling of surface-to-air missiles in the Idomeni transit camp.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. A scene along the railway tracks at Idomeni transit camp.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. A scene in the Idomeni transit camp. Many children and women were amongst the people in the camp - despite the common prejudice that predominantly young men arrive.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. A small boy drenched from the rain in the Idomeni transit camp.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. Outside the MSF tent. A mother grieving the death of her son who was killed in an accident with a rescue car.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. Christian, a doctor from Copenhagen, during duty at the MSF medical tent.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. Brother and sister at Idomeni transit camp.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. A woman cooking outside her tent in the Idomeni transit camp. We were offered food and graced with a general hospitality throughout our stay. People who had barely a loaf of bread for themselves invited us to sit at their table.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. A small boy at Idomeni transit camp.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. A scene at the Idomeni transit camp.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. An encounter with a small boy at Idomeni transit camp.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. An encounter in the Idomeni transit camp.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. A father and son outside their tent in the Idomeni transit camp.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. A young girl sleeping on the tracks leading across the Greek - North Macedonian border. Due to a lot of rains, people preferred the stony underground to the moist and often flooded fields.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. A young boy playing on the train tracks leading across the Greek-North Macedonian border. With poorly maintained high-voltage electricity lines and other hazardous environments, many accidents happened - some of them lethal.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. This is Mustafa from Aleppo in Syria. He fled the atrocious bombing of Aleppo with his aunt, sister and brother-in-law. They had to carry his aunt in a wheelchair most of the way. His aunt suffers from a rare disease and can hardly move. Mustafa kept inviting me for tea and I visited their tent often. His aunt would be lying on the ground, made comfortable with the few possessions they had managed to salvage. It broke my heart every time. And, nonetheless, Mustafa's smile was always the brightest and gave me, the guy who could leave at his own choosing, great comfort.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. A boy playing in the flooded fields after torrential rains.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. A young boy playing along the train tracks leading across the Greek - North Macedonian border. With poorly maintained high-voltage electricity lines and other hazardous environments, many accidents involving children happened - some of them lethal.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. This is Rafi from Damascus in Syria. His and his family's tents were right next to where we had parked our camper van. They welcomed us with open arms and gave us a taste of what neighbourhood means in Syrian culture: a feeling of belonging. Every night we would gather around a fire and share our stories. They took us in as one of their own, even though our differences couldn't have been more pronounced. To this day I feel blessed. Thank you, my friend.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. Families gathered at the Greek - North Macedonian border waiting to cross over. Even after the Balkan Route was closed for good, due to the EU-Turkey deal, people still waited for days and weeks, having nowhere else to go.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. A boy who has just picked up a sandwich from the food dispensary. This is the staple diet three times a day.

Idomeni Transit Camp, Greek - North Macedonian Border. A boy at the Idomeni transit camp.

Island of Lesvos, Greece. This is Hooshyar, a former Iranian shotput champion just outside of camp Moria. He gave me one of the competition jerseys that he had worn at the London Olympic Games in 2012. It is one of my great treasures of this trip.

Island of Lesvos, Greece. An Iranian man outside of the Moria camp which was closed to the public and to journalists.

Island of Lesvos, Greece. A migrant shipwreck at Molyvos beach.

THE MARCH OF HOPE

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