Where governments fail, volunteers come to refugees' aid

When Hungary closed its Serbian border, thousands of people were left stranded in Horgos without much more than their backpacks. Volunteer groups from Hungary and surrounding countries immediately shuttled aid to the camp through nearby border crossings, allowing many refugees to receive blankets, sleeping pads and tents before the next day.

Language barriers are overcome with the help of Arabic and Farsi speakers who volunteer as translators. Above, Yahya Abdullah, a Syrian studying in Hungary, helps guide refugees to trains at Keleti Station in Budapest. He said when families arrive "exhausted and weary … talking to someone in their native language or a language they understand [is] a relief."

In Tovarnik, Croatia, refugees receive hot meals from Polish and German volunteers who distribute food from the back of their van. One refugee thanked the volunteers, saying the meal was a welcome change from his daily diet of sardines, bread and crackers. The group cooks at least three meals a day and distributes them throughout the camp.

Children leave a distribution tent with a box of water bottles in Tovarnik, Croatia. Using a mix of personal savings and donation drives, volunteers purchase humanitarian supplies from local grocery stores, often leaving aisles of empty shelves behind.

Water trucks are rare, so local residents often turn on faucets near refugee camps, allowing people to take showers or simply wash their hands. In Tovarnik, Croatia, refugees rely on a granary for not only water, but also electrical sockets to charge their phones. Some local volunteers even provide hotspots through their smartphones.

Much of the refugee voyage is defined by waiting in line to board buses and trains. Sometimes the process can take days so, once in line, people are reluctant to move. Though the Red Cross had a distribution center in Tovarnik, independent volunteers delivered food and water directly to people standing in line so they would not lose their places.

Those who arrive last are often those who need the most help. Families with children move slower than single men, and volunteers work at all hours to supply aid. "I haven’t eaten anything today," said Nezir Likaj, a Croatian volunteer. "I eat coffee for dinner and Red Bull for breakfast. If I’m lucky, I sleep three hours during the afternoon."

A refugee camp sprung up in a highway transit zone when Slovenia stopped refugees entering from Bregana, Croatia. Nezir Likaj, a Croatian volunteer, said medical services weren’t initially available because Croatian doctors and the Slovenian Red Cross were both prohibited from entering the area for several days. As a result, Likaj used his personal savings to set up the camp.