Meet the Syrian siblings living in limbo in a Greek camp
Ayham and Lin have been living with their parents at the Schisto refugee camp outside Athens for some eight months. The Syrian family's asylum application has already been rejected twice, but they have applied again and are currently waiting for the decision. In the meantime, they are trying to make the most of life in a Greek refugee camp.
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00:00This is Kisto, a refugee camp outside Athens.
00:04Ayham al-Bahaj's family has been living here for eight months now.
00:08They fled from Syria to Turkey in 2015.
00:11Then, last November, they crossed by boat to the Greek island of Kos.
00:17When we first arrived, I didn't want to meet anyone in the camp.
00:22I had friends, but I didn't want to meet anyone.
00:31We walked a lot in Zakka.
00:34We walked for three days.
00:39Most of the children at the camp attend Greek school and can speak a little of the language.
01:01Ayham's parents told their children that Greece is just a stopover
01:05before they move on to another country.
01:07How long will they be here? No one knows.
01:10The school is currently closed for the summer holidays.
01:13Because of the heatwave in Greece,
01:15children spend most of their days in the air-conditioned container they call home,
01:19only going outside to play in the evenings when temperatures drop to a bearable level.
01:24First, I eat.
01:28Then I go to school.
01:30When I come back, I go outside because of the heat.
01:33I can't go outside because of the heat.
01:35When it's six o'clock, I go outside.
01:38Ayham's family lived in Turkey for eight years.
01:41The children experienced violence there at school, says their mother, Alaa Al-Hattab.
01:46Nevertheless, the EU considers Turkey a safe third country for refugees.
01:51The family's asylum application has been rejected twice by the Greek immigration authorities.
01:56The family now fears a third rejection and the possibility of being sent back to Turkey.
02:18Ayham, Lin and their mother are on their way to the Refugee Week Greece festival in central Athens.
02:25Attending events like this outside the camp is a highlight for them.
02:29The festival's founder is sceptical about the general situation for migrants in Greece.
02:36I'm not sure if the situation has gotten better.
02:38I don't really think so, I'm afraid.
02:40I find that pushing out camps outside the urban centers has been quite challenging
02:48because access to transport or access to education has been a lot more challenging
02:53and also the amount of activities that take place within the camps are getting less and less.
02:58Events like this give the refugees a sense of community,
03:02says Athens' deputy mayor for the integration of migrants and refugees.
03:15Ayham and Lin are constantly asking their mother when they'll be able to move in their own home.
03:20Alaa Al-Hattab would like to give her children an answer, but for the moment she can't.
03:40Despite the uncertainty, the family is determined not to give up hope.
03:44School is also important for Ayham and Lin.
03:47They both dream of becoming doctors one day and living in a permanent home in a safe place.