Refugees, Christie Pitts, and Outreach in the City
I had the pleasure to experience an event put on by Doctors Without Borders last Saturday at Christie Pitts. It was called A Refugee Camp in the Heart of the City and it was awesome. As I waited for my two friends to arrive I watched as group after group was brought into the outdoor exhibit that showcased all the components of a modern day refugee camp. Most of the tour guides that I heard introduce themselves where fresh out of the field sharing anecdotes throughout the orientation to the exhibit.
Once we met our tour guide he brought us to a border crossing guard.
The guard asked us for paperwork disclosing our identity and told us we couldn’t pass otherwise. We were encouraged earlier to act as if we were refugees, who generally wouldn’t have ID after they fled their homes. After much bargaining the guard told us that the women and children could cross if they left the men behind.
Would you say yes? What if they asked you to leave your son or daughter behind? This happens every day.
Our first stop was shelter. Our guide showed us various types of shelters and explained that each would typically have 10 people in each.
He showed us the types of shelters that are being used by internally displaced people in Haiti. Mere sticks pulled together with string draped with sheets. It seems that people are so afraid of the earth’s instability that they won’t have anything heavy built over top of them. It really put things into perspective.
Each refugee gets 2,000 calories a day to ensure that they have a balanced diet. If Doctors Without Borders gets into an area and there is little organization they give out energy bars with 1,500 calories each.
As you can see, they didn’t taste very good. I think cardboard was echoed a few times throughout the demonstration. Thankfully the water station was next on the agenda.
Littered at the station were 5L and 20L bottles containing water. When Doctors Without Borders arrives they will usually distribute 5L bottles to each family and will start to distribute 20L bottles when a sustainable water source is found near the camp.
Because most refugee camps are huge, women often have to carry these bottles back to their shelters. I could hardly lift the 5L and failed to budge the 20L!
The thing I liked most about this exhibit was the open and effective nature of the tactic. Being outdoors, it was accessible to all, it was free and it was in a park where people would typically flock to on a nice summer day. The exhibit was staffed by field workers who had seen things for themselves and who could inform, educate and inspire participants.
As a PR professional who is looking for ways to engage citizens and create opportunities for people to better inform themselves, this exhibit is something I won’t forget.
