CROATIA/SERBIA/HUNGARY/MACEDONIA UPDATE (Fri 15:00 2/9/15)

CROATIA/SERBIA/HUNGARY/MACEDONIA UPDATE (Friday 15:00 2/10/2015)

CROATIA/SERBIA border
======================

- Almost all refugees still transit via BAPSKA, which is the only crossing point for refugees on Croatian/Serbian border. Makeshift camps are being organized on both sides of the border, so please split your attention to both sides. On Serbian side mostly Czech/German team, on Croatian side more international.


- Refugees are brought here by Serbian buses and then moved further by Coratian buses - to Opatovac transit camp (if they need rest or medical treatment) and to trains and buses which takes them to Hungarian border. According to Croatian government, no one stays in Opatovac camp more than 24 hours, now it hosts about 2000 refugees.  Camp is server by volunteers and large organizations.

- After the busy Wednesday and Thursday, volunteers are now again able to provide help. Diplomacy involving Red Cross, UNHR
CR and some other people made Serbian authorities allow providing aid again. You don't need to register to provide help, however this could change anytime, as authorities are unpredictable.

- When arriving on place at Bapska to volunteer on both sides of the border, please report yourself at the organizing team and please obey they instruction. Your help is still needed - both Czech team on Serbian side and Croatian/international on Croatian side will use your help.

- Quick food and water are always useful, as well as garbage bags 200 liters. Also because weather gets colder, warm jackets and other clothes, gloves, hats, SHOES! (especially 41-44 size, but all sizes are good), SOCKS! - but please read about the transport of them across Serbian border. Also 5 liter water bottles, oranges, raincoats (unlimited number), headlights with batteries are needed. Food in larger quantities is also problem to delivery across the border, so please buy it in Serbia/Croatia directly.

- If you are able to deliver diesel generator, outdoor wiring and lights, please do it. Also set of walkie-talkies (4-8) will be really helpful.

- Foldable tables also are needed (10 of them), plastic cups, plastic spoons, thermo cups, AAA batteries, gafa, working gloves, rubber gloves, signal spray colors, mats.

- Help in the area on Czech side is coordinated by Jan, his number: +420 720 662 888

- Volunteers traveling via Hungary/Serbia and Croatia/Serbia border crossings are experiencing problems at the Serbian customs offices, which does not want to let them in the country without paying custom duties and declarations. Shoes, clothes and large quantities of food are also problem.

- Always try to reduce amount of aid you carry so it does not seem suspicious, also try to pretend you are not aid workers but just tourists. Cover supplies with your personal belonging and luggage. In case of problems, there is a possibility to leave your supplies at Tovarnik at Croatian side, but the size is limited. Use Tovarnik/Sid border crossing.

- Location of makeshift camp is near Sid at Serbian side, when approaching Sid from west (from Tovarnik) turn left on light, and after 2,5 km turn slightly left when road turns right (fork type of crossroad), then through the fields cca 3,5 km and you arrive on the spot.

- Croatian side is easily accesible via Šarengrad. The most important thing is NOT to stop at Opatovac or Tovarnik and ask anyone there about Bapska because there weer causes when locals/police told volunteers not to go to Bapska or that they need accreditation. That is NOT true for Bapska at the moment: people there have talked everything through with the police and they WILL let you through. Please print out map if you don't have GPS.

- Bajakovo, Tovarnik, Batina and Ilok border crossings are now open for transit, so it may be possible to cross border via Ilok/Backa Palanka border crossing.


HUNGARY
========

- MigrationAid is collecting material donations personally or via mail orders or shipments to their storage at Budapest, district 7, Verseny street 10, where they can receive donations at 16.00-20.00 every day. Please read carefully their daily donation list at  https://www.facebook.com/migrationaidhungary

- To Budapest, Berkocsis str. 41 they need volunteers on Friday, and saturday morning (from 10:00), to make foodpacks. We also need triangle cheese, yoghurt, apple, banana, cereal bars, chocolate bars.

- Train station of Magyarbóly at CRO/HUN border is closed by authorities, MigrationAid crisis center & volunteers are moving to Hegyeshalom.

- ZAKANY - still open for providing help to refugees. At Tuesday there were enough volunteers, but they accept donations. Refugees at Zakany constantly need water and food for lunchpackets (bananas, apples, sliced bread, sliced cheese, mueslibars) as well as blankets. Zakany volunteers set up a twitter account to inform what is needed there: https://twitter.com/zakanysolidar

- Inforamtion about times of arrival of special trains from Tovarnik to Botovo/Zakany are published on twitter account of Croatian government - https://twitter.com/VladaRH

SERBIAN-MACEDONIAN BORDER
===========================

- PRESEVO - The situation has changed for worse in Preshevo. Thousands of refugees arrived and are waiting in the main street to get registered. They are blocked there and spends the night without shelter. Food/water provided mostly by local NGOs and volunteers, but is by large not enough. Volunteers needed, please bring cash so you can buy supplies which are the most needed and help the local volunteers to distribute them.

- Contacts: Agon from the Youth Office when you come close only: Tel. 00381 628 54 94 69 or go directly to the office for instructions or contact Xhelal Hasani from the Center of Solidarity and Advancement Tel. 00381 633 74 034, xhelal_hasani@hotmail.com when nearby.

- International flights to Skopje, bus, taxi or rented cars to Preshevo. There is a huge need at the moment for easy to distribute food and water, also for children and babies, warm blankets, also needed are warm jackets all sizes and caps for children.

- For transports of supplies to Serbia see advice provided on this page, travel with small transporters and cover supplies if possible, for official transports contact Xhelal Hasani from the Center of Solidarity and Advancement Tel. 00381 633 74 034, xhelal_hasani@hotmail.com


Other news
=============

- Hungarian/Croatian border could be closed at any time with the fence. Croatian officials have declined to comment on what might happen if or when Hungary seals the border.

- Police department in Burgenland (Eastern Austria) has opened a 24hr hotline. Family members who are looking for their relatives can call: +43 591 331 033 33

- If you are willing to donate money, you can use my paypal paypal@esports.cz and I will move the funds immediatelly to the people on site. You can also donate donations@migrationaid.com for MigrationAid. Thanks to those who already donated, money are on their way to Serbia and Croatia.

- Czech only: Odkaz na užitečný manuál pro dobrovolníky: http://dobrovolnici.jdem.cz/ - určitě čtěte před odjezdem. Pro vjezd do Srbska stačí občanka, ale pas je vždycky lepší mít.

- At this moment we changed frequency to one update daily, unless situation will need more frequent updates.

- Please always double check exact location, time and date of every report from situation before sharing. Don't spread panic on social media without double checking the information. The more urgent the message sounds, the more it's needed to double check and confirm. Please don't share any information missing exact location, date and time, as this would cause more harm than good.

- When traveling to help, always take headlight, reflexion vest (!!!it's really important, we have noted some problems identifying volunteers in recent days!!!), good shoes, protective gloves and warm clothes and be prepared for rain. And always try to contact anyone in charge of coordination on site and obey his instructions. And be careful!

HOW TO PROPERLY SORT OUT CLOTHES AND SHOES FOR DONATIONS
==============================================================
DO:
- if you put things into boxes/trash bags, write exactly what's inside
- tie the shoes to each other by shoelaces or type them together with ducktape and write the shoe size on the ducktape with a marker
- put gloves, hats and scarves together in a box/bag. Write what's inside. If you separate them by kids vs. adults, even better.
- separate women's, men's and children's jackets in the separate boxes/trash bags
- separate socks (male+female and baby+children) in the separate boxes/trash bags
- separate male, children and female shoes in the separate boxes/trash bags
- separate thinner t-shirts from pullovers or warm hoodies - we separate them on the field anyway to save time when handing them out
- separate long stockings+leggings from the socks
- separate male/female/children's pants into separate bags/boxes - do not mix them with other clothes
- separate male/female/children's underwear from other stuff and put them into separate bags

DO NOT:
- don't put clothes and shoes together in 1 box/trash bag according to gender: we then have to sort out everything again, and that takes a lot of valuable time!
- don't send shoes/sneakers that can get wet in the rain: first rain, they get thrown away because they can't walk in wet shoes
- don't send all the baby clothes together in one bag just according to age: we have to take it all out and sort it out again!
- don't send all the male and female clothes and shoes in one bag
- don't send us winter ski suits: it almost never gets donated
- don't send us sandals, short sleeved t-shirts, female high-heeled boots, sturdy (not soft) male shoes: their feet are swallen and they can't wear them. Leather sneakers or soft leather/fake leather shoes are the best

Thank you everyone for your help! Most of the time we get a new donation on the field at the same time while refugees are approaching us and need something. And they all need something at the same time: we get approached by, for example, 5 mothers with barefoot children or kids without jackets and 10 men asking for shoes and 3 women asking for jackets or pullovers and literally everyone asking for gloves and hats.

When there is no human jam, they stay with us 10-20-30 min at most. We also need to feed them at the same time, and approach the group that's standing in the road in the lines and see what they urgently (barefoot kids or kids without jackets or men and boys in flipflops or no shoes at all are the priority). Having unproperly sorted clothes steals time and many times we have to send them to the buses without something they really need. This will really help us a lot. Thank you!!!