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SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah County man who volunteered to help Syrian refugees in crisis this fall is headed back to Greece next month with a plan to help save children's lives. Adam Paul Steed said he witnessed too many children dying in the rescue boats. So, the humanitarian volunteer wants to get them in lifesaving gear. "Last week, 21 children were dead from three boats," he said. He gets daily updates from fellow volunteers in Greece. Many boats arrive in Lesvos, Greece, every day as Syrian refugees come ashore after a rough ride from Turkey, where the boats depart.
"I think we've lost somewhere around 200 children in this little area in the last two months," Steed said.
Steed volunteered there for six weeks. His father, mother and sister are still there. Among the Syrians' dire needs: the babies and toddlers struggle to survive the soaking journey in chilly water. Life jackets are rare, and they have no protection from the cold. "None of the children at all had any kind of thermal protection, often arriving unconscious," Steed said. He witnessed children dying on the beaches.
"These children are catching hypothermia in the water until they go unconscious, and then they start to drown after they've gone unconscious."
A Greek rescue boat captain told Steed the open sea is just too perilous for infants.
"Two months, five months, six months… all babies with no life jackets, with nothing," Sakis Sotirakis told Steed in an interview last month.
Many of the youngest kids travel in their parents' arms. "It sounds silly, but a wetsuit would save these children's lives," Steed said.
Online there are many options for wetsuits for babies and toddlers. They range from $12 to more than $70. Steed will head back in January with other Utah volunteers after they have gathered donations for wetsuits and proper life jackets. Steed has a youshare.org* account set up online for donations.
"Right now, we need to get the wetsuits into the system because they are just not there," Steed said.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
