SERBIA/CROATIA/SLOVENIA 24/10/2015 Saturday 23:15 evening up

SERBIA/CROATIA/SLOVENIA 24/10/2015 Saturday 23:15 evening update

EUROPE, PLEASE ACT! - An Open Letter to the Governments of Europe from Volunteers - http://www.europeact.eu

50+ groups of volunteers across the Europe connected to common call to action. Please read it, share it and urge your government to act now! #europeact

Thank all of you who already urged your government to act. Desperate pictures are flowing from the region and your voice is needed to be heard!

CROATIA/SERBIA
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BERKASOVO/BAPSKA (Serbian side) - Situation tense, big group of refugees slept over in Berkasovo and left to Croatia by noon. Currently no refugees, but many expected over night and in the next days. Hygienic conditions deteriorating. Volunteers will be needed. Serbian police has brought many fences and they should increase their presence tomorrow. Crowd control difficult. Small tents and sleeping bags not neccessary now. Big tents, 10 walkie-talkies, warm clothes, shoes and especially cash needed there, as well as volunteer help. Czech team asks to be strengthened, medical help will be a plus. Please bring your own headlight and high-visibility jacket. Contact number  +381 649 366 029.

BAPSKA (Croatian side) - German and other volunteers in place, but not enough. They will be leaving tomorrow and looking for their replacement. They were distributing food and clothes during the whole dayat their spot. Contact number - Bastian: +41 79 227 05 95

OPATOVAC - 1500 refugees in the camp at 7 pm but situation changing (buses on their way from Bapska). Further boarding trains at Tovarnik continues, and also buses from Opatovac went to Slovenian borders. Volunteer help needed in Opatovac, and supplies, especially shoes (size 39-45), socks and children & men jackets.

PRESEVO - A lot of people are waiting in the line in Presevo - waiting cca 6 hrs. NGO´s only inside the camp, but not in the queue. There is cold out there, but finally no rain. Food, also warm clothes, tents, sleeping bags needed. Also the number of volunteers decreased in the last two days, so new volunteers needed. MSF on the spot but more doctors would be appreciated to provide 24/7 assistance and many people are sick. Contact number +381 642 653 479

BEOGRAD - Volunteers helping at Miksaliste (Mostarska 5, Beograd) set up also their VolunteerSpot account and are asking anyone who is in Belgrade to sign up for various tasks needed to be done there. Visit http://www.volunteerspot.com/login/entry/4179297180119 to see what is needed there and to sign up for timeslots.

SLOVENIA/CROATIA
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RIGONCE / HARMICA - This appears to be the main route at this moment. Refugeees arrive by train (every few hours) to Kljuc Brdovecki and walk 1,5 km to the border. There are enough volunteers ready to help on the croatian side. Harmica/Rigonce borders crossing closed for regular traffic. In Rigonce volunteers and food needed but should be supplied tomorrow by German team.

DOBOVA - Some refugees stay in this camp, roughly 2 km from Rigonce. They wait here for several hours, then they continue to Brezice. Cca 1000 refugees in the evening but more coming currently from Rigonce.

BREZICE - Volunteers are allowed to help inside the camp. Good amount of volunteers there from Austria, Germany and Switzerland, also funding OK at the moment. Slowly the police drives them by buses to Sentilj to the Austrian border. Volunteers can register with IHA  http://www.iha.help/english.html. Situation was stable during the day, current evening/night report claim thousands new refugees coming from Croatia and so the situation may change during the night. Contact number is +386 303 154 59.


SPIELFELD/SENTILJ - The Slovenia/Austria border crossing at Spielfeld is now the main entry to Austria. 7000 refugees came today so far. Red Cross and Army organise the welcome camp, heated tents are available - but not enough, hundreds will be sleeping outside. Volunteers are needed and are swiftly integrated by the Red Cross Einsatzleitung. Right now few more medical doctors would be very much welcome to offer more continuous service. Situation in Sentilj is stabilised. In Obenaus we invite volunteers to come for a rest, it's just five minutes away from the border station Spielfeld. They also offer a few places for volunteers to stay over. Contact: +436801327177 or +436803060900.

For Slovenia-related updates throughout the day, follow Protirasistična fronta bez meja on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Protirasistična-fronta-brez-meja-962830080456004/



OTHER NEWS
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- Thousands of refugees are reported to be on their way from Greece, so the flow will continue for some time for sure.

- Do you have enough time and sources to travel to Lesvos, Greece, where situation is more desperate? Read this volunteering guide to Lesvos: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KBPNoW1fNvDdmmzCyc3yMBBGJ5V21s-EP0yxQY4K990/edit

- Supplies which are needed almost at all places: warm and/or waterproof clothing (jackets, pullovers), blankets, shoes, hats, gloves, socks, dry and canned food, fruit; food for babies and milk. Generally, anything what could make them at least little bit warm and help them of hunger.

- Also SIM cards for those who has to wait would be great so they can contact their relatives.

- Be prepared, that individual volunteers could have problems accessing refugees to provide help. Please always try to communicate UNHRC, Red Cross and/or police on the site before providing help, however, they may not be welcoming your there, so be polite and patient and don't get refused. This is the common approach of Red Cross at many places, and eventually it was always possible to find a common way. Problems are reported in communication with Slovenian police, help is easier on Croatian side of the border.

- Supplies and money donations are also being collected in the Social Centre Rog (Trubarjeva 72, Ljubljana) and in Maribor (at the parking lot in front of the railway station, where they set up a container.)

- Large amounts of supplies could be picked up also in Zagreb, please call Lejla +385 91 456 77 05  if you are able to bring any supplies from Zagreb to any of the borders.

- UNHRC released a report, which states that number of refugees crossing to Greece this year just hit the half million mark: http://www.unhcr.org/56263d536.html

UN high commisioner for human rights urges Czech Republic to stop detention of migrants and refugees http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/Media.aspx?IsMediaPage=true&LangID=E

- and don't forget to act: http://www.europeact.eu