Last week, my team and I met an elderly Syrian man with serious health problems. Living far away from the hospital, we prioritised his case so that he could live in comfort, closer to a hospital with his family. When I was about to leave, he kissed me on the forehead and said my work had meant a lot to him.
That day, I was reminded that if humanitarian actors aren't there on the ground to listen to people's needs, who else will?
At World Refugee Day, 20 June, I am working with the UN Refugee Agency's (UNHCR) in Greece. Originally I'm from the UK and was deployed here through NORCAP as a Communications With Communities Officer for Central Greece.
My week can see me doing everything from touring a sewage plant at a camp and meeting with army officers and police chiefs, to visiting local super markets to discuss food donations for refugees with the manager. I'm a very hands on type of humanitarian, which is perfect as this is a very hands on role!
In the mornings, my team and I are usually on the road. Our office covers four camps and three urban and accommodation schemes set over large distances. We hit the road armed with coffee, juice, and lots of fuel to stand us in good stead for whatever lies ahead.
My colleagues are all Greek and fortunately for me they speak excellent English and are forgiving at my lack of language skill. In the car, we discuss the cases we need to follow up on, and set in place an outline of the things we need to achieve that day. This is very important as frequently arriving in refugee camps can be a very intense experience.
We operate from a container used as our mobile office space and when we arrive there is usually a long line of people already waiting to ask for our assistance.
At the sites in Central Greece 81% of the refugee and asylum seekers are Syrian. The other nationalities are 13% Iraqi, and a small number of Palestinians, Afghans and persons from African countries. We therefore work for the most part with Arabic and Kurmanji (the language of the Kurdish populations in Iraq and Syria) speaking interpreters to perform our role.
Having access to translators is essential and helps create a respectful bond between us. However many of the residents in the camps are now trying to learn other languages and like to practice their English with us, which can be fun.
When we meet with people in the camp, we always close the door of the container to ensure our conversations are confidential and people have a safe space to discuss frightening things that have happened - and sometimes are continuing to happen to them.
There is no longer tented accommodation at the camps in mainland Greece, everyone lives in containers or partitioned buildings. However there is not always a military or police presence at the camps so the residents say they feel safer and more secure with humanitarian actors around.
There are many single mothers with children in the camps that fear for their own security and they find it stabilising to come and talk with us.
We are aware that the elderly or sick can't make it to our 'mobile office' so we frequently go door to door to the rooms on site answering questions on everything from the risks associated with smuggling to problems they are encountering with other residents.
Although many people are waiting for relocation and family reunification to other European countries, many are not eligible for these programmes and will remain in Greece. New arrivals rates have dropped dramatically this year, and it has been less than 8000 new arrivals since the start of 2017.
Now, around 47 per day in comparison to up to 4000 per day at the peak of the crisis, however there are still over 40,000 refugees and asylum seekers estimated by UNHCR in Greece.
We meet people from all backgrounds, some have low education and literacy levels, and others may have traumas. These things affect how people receive information. Our job is then essential in breaking down the complexities of arriving in a new country, with a stretched asylum system.
We also play an important role in ensuring people who have fled such catastrophic scenes receive a dignified welcome, access to information , protection and security they deserve. I am grateful to NORCAP for sending me here, NORCAP's is the best training I have received in my humanitarian career, I hope that it has gone a long way towards to making me a more thoughtful worker when I put on my blue UNHCR visibility jacket and deliver services at the site.