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14 April 2003 by Max Bravo, of the Chilean Red Cross, in Santiago On 5 April, residents of the Chilean capital, Santiago, woke up to the unusual sight of a refugee camp in the city’s central square. But there had not been an influx of displaced people from a neighbouring country. Chilean Red Cross volunteers had put up the tents in a show of solidarity with those affected by the war in Iraq. The images of the war have had a big impact on the people of Chile, and Chilean Red Cross immediately launched a fundraising campaign in support of the international appeal launched by the Federation to deal with any humanitarian crisis arising out of the conflict. In this way, Chilean public opinion was made aware of the need to cooperate to help the innocent victims of war, especially children and women. “The mini refugee camp installation resulted from the idea to draw the public’s attention to the conditions in which displaced people and refugees have to live,” says Zoy Katevas, President of the Chilean Red Cross. Red Cross volunteers made the refugee camp as realistic as possible. They even hung pictures sent from the Jordan Red Crescent inside the tents. The volunteers guided visitors and journalists around the camp, explaining its features, about the most urgent needs of the refugees, about the installation of sanitation services and the important role of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Iraq and neighbouring countries. The camp immediately elicited a strong reaction from passers-by, and many visited it with a mixture of curiosity and amazement. “The horrors of war are always shocking. It is sad to see so many people suffering because of few others,” said a science student who passed through the camp on his way back from school. “I feel sad and cry when I see children dying because this war,” said 59-year-old Carmen Lara. “I wish we never see these kind of images again.” “This seems like a holiday camp, like those made by the Scouts. But here you can feel sadness,” said Hayde Valenzuela, 27. “I have never imagined what it was like being in a refugee camp. Now seeing this, I can imagine how depressing it is to live in one of these places, even if it is only for a few days.” Such opinions were heard constantly at this miniature camp thousands of kilometres from where the “real thing” was welcoming hundreds of third country nationals in Jordan and Syria. In honour of the volunteers throughout the Middle East, whose presence helps to humanise conflicts, the Chilean camp flew a Red Crescent flag, alongside the Red Cross one. At dusk, the camp was gradually dismantled, the objective achieved. Chilean citizens had had first-hand knowledge of a refugee camp, something they would only normally have seen on television. They also had a better idea of the important work done by the volunteers of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. As a sign of solidarity with their counterparts in the Middle East, national Red Cross Societies from all over the Americas have organised various activities to advocate on behalf of the people affected by the conflict. For example, journalists in Ecuador received training in International Humanitarian Law, as well as general information on the work the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement is doing in Iraq and neighbouring countries. “If you were not here, who would help these people?” one passer-by, 35-year-old architect Carlos Vergara, said when he visited the camp. It was a phrase that most moved – and gratified – the Chilean Red Cross volunteers. Related links: Iraq: humanitarian crisis Chilean Red Cross Make a donation |
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