Greece: Spanish couple take time off to volunteer at Idomeni refugee camp

A nurse and computer technician from Madrid took some time of work to volunteer at the Idomeni refugee camp near the Greek-Macedonian border. Speaking from the camp on Saturday, Maria Jose Cordeiro and Jose Vina said that they decided to come to the camp "because our politicians have not been able to solve this situation, so the common people have to work on it."
The pair first planned to travel to the Greek island of Lesbos but after Macedonian authorities closed the border with Greece the couple decided to head for Idomeni, where conditions have deteriorated greatly in recent weeks.
Discussing their experience, the couple said: "The first day we had a bad experience and we paid the consequences. She felt a bit panic. She got scared. After that she didn't want to come, she didn't want to sleep in the tent... but slowly she's got used to it."
"Now we are focusing not on the whole camp, but on the specific area. They are people we know and we get to know their specific needs because they tell us 'we need shoes, we need a hat.' Once we gather all the things they need, we bring these things and distribute them. Otherwise we take notes of other needs and we continue to do this," Jose added.
Around 14,000 refugees remain stranded in Idomeni. Doctors Without Borders has warned that conditions at the camp have worsened significantly since Macedonian authorities closed the country's borders with Greece on March 9.