Learning
from Lesbos
15
The Role of Civil Society in an Emergency Response:
The Aphrodite Hotel in Molyvos
It was on April 27, 2016 that the first boat came ashore amid diners stretched along the
beachfront at the Aphrodite Hotel, unloading 11 adults, four children, and a man paralysed
from the waist down, all overwhelmed with relief to have survived the perilous voyage.
At the height of the crisis, in the middle of the tourist
season, the hotel would see as many as seven boats
a day arrive on its small stretch of shoreline and hotel
staff worked around the clock to take care of their
guests as well as to provide support – food and water,
access to hotel facilities to shelter and get clean, first
aid and logistical help, just to mention a few of their
activities – to the new arrivals, often using the hotel’s
van to transport them to the centre of town, where
they could either find someone willing to drive them
to Mytilene, or set out to make the journey on foot.
The majority of international NGOs and foreign volunteers
began arriving on the island in September four months
after the arrival of that first boat at the Aphrodite Hotel.
The response that followed was characterised by a serious
lack of coordination, with a multitude of organisations and
individuals working independently, without cooperation or
collaboration. In the chaos that ensued, the management
and staff of the Aphrodite Hotel felt that they were left to
deal with the situation without any assistance from Greek
authorities, their efforts neither recognised nor respected.
Even the normal considerations that would be
expected were often being neglected, with people
– refugees, migrants, volunteers and professional
humanitarian actors alike – simply coming and going
from the hotel without consultation or permission.
Unsurprisingly, this situation generated resentment
on the part of the management and staff of the hotel
towards the local government and other responders.
Delays in taking concrete steps to provide assistance
to refugees and migrants and support to the local
community, who were trying to help new arrivals at
the same time as they watched the crisis negatively
impact their own livelihoods. As Aphrodite Vati Mariola,
whose family owns the hotel, states, “It’s like I invite
you to my home and cook for you and then you tell
me how to manage my household… I can’t begin to
stress how frustrating it is when the local community
is bypassed, ignored, or looked down upon, even.”
below: The beachfront at the Aphrodite Hotel – new arrivals, along
with their dinghies and life jackets, can be seen by the shoreline.
Aphrodite Vati Mariola/Aphrodite Hotel
Learning from Lesbos
16
Key Findings
(continued)
In light of these tensions, the IRC, in partnership with
the hotel’s owners, worked to establish a safer and more
orderly process of transporting new arrivals to the hotel.
An IRC staff member was also available on call to help
the hotel to manage the process. The hotel’s owners
welcomed this partnership and acknowledged the IRC
as one of the few international NGOs in Molyvos that
had recognised and shown appreciation for the hotel’s
efforts as a civil society stakeholder in the response.
More importantly, the IRC ensured there was genuine
consultation with the local community. It was essential
to understand their perspectives and challenges so
that interventions met the immediate needs of refugees
and migrants as well as benefiting local people, who
were also facing this new reality. “When someone
comes along and shows genuine interest in working
together with the local community, it can make all the
difference in the world,” said Aphrodite Vati Mariola.
It should be noted, too, that local actors – even those
actively working to contribute to the emergency response
– are themselves impacted by the crisis. While some of
the Aphrodite’s guests were understanding of the difficult
situation the hotel was in, on the front-line of the crisis,
as it were, many bookings were cancelled. The hotel
experienced a 65 per cent drop in visitor numbers for
the summer of 2016 while reservations from the town’s
tour operators overall were 80 per cent down from the
prior year. Many tourism-based businesses have since
closed and the unemployment rate in Molyvos is high.
What’s more, social tensions among locals have increased,
with extreme right and extreme left voices frequently
engaging in verbal altercations. Given the pre-existing
economic crisis in Greece, this is a financial and social
setback that the town can ill afford, and it remains to
be seen how it will cope. Many tourism operators in
Molyvos have been similarly impacted, and it is vital
that humanitarian actors are alert to the vulnerabilities
of the host population as well as the new arrivals.
above: The Aphrodite Hotel made both its staff and services
available to new arrivals on Molyvos, greatly aiding them on their way
to Mytilene for registration.
Aphrodite Vati Mariola/Aphrodite Hotel
“
When someone comes along and
shows genuine interest in working
together with the local community,
it can make all the difference
in the world.
”
below: The beachfront at the Aphrodite Hotel in quieter times
Samer Saliba/IRC