Greece

I, like many other people, have had my heart broken by the countless stories of death and tragedy that is occurring right now with the refugee crisis. I have wanted so badly to do something--but have been unsure of what to do as this crisis is unlike any other humanitarian crisis our world has seen to date. I'm bothered and angered by the responses I get---mostly the ones who say, "the problem is too big" and that's where they leave it--like it's just going to go away...or maybe if they don't think about it, they won't feel guilty about doing nothing.

I've heard people, mostly Americans, say it's Europe's problem. What they don't get is Europe doesn't even want them. Europe may not be as explicit in their language, but their actions have clearly shown their distaste for the refugees by building walls along their borders to prevent the refugees from getting in.

I hear of wonderful organizations feeding, clothing and giving medical aid to the refugees. I hear of the incredible Greek people who already have nothing giving out of their nothingness and I'm moved to tears. You see, it's so much easier to do nothing--but the Greeks are witnessing it first hand and they are moved to action because they see the faces of each man woman and child that comes to their shore and that moves them to action.

So, after lots of prayer and thinking and researching, I'm going to ask the question, "how can Greece use this opportunity to better its economy?" I have an idea...it's going to take a lot of hands and money, and this will not solve the whole refugee crisis, but maybe it's a start, at least for Greece.

Let start with the question, "What do the refugees need once they arrive in Greece?" Well, let's look at who they are. A Newsweek article says that an estimated 56% of Syrian refugees are under the age of 20--so they need schools.  The UN Refugee Agency, or the UNHCR, conducted a study between April 2015-September 2015 of refugees arriving in Greece. What they found is that 86% of the refugees they interviewed had a secondary or university level education--so they need jobs and they're educated. And of course, they need housing.

So, now, let's start with the Greek economy. It's is not good. A simple google search will show that their unemployment rate is at 24% and one in three homes is vacant---yes, some of those are vacation homes and secondary homes but I'm still including those in the numbers here. So, we know that Greece has a high unemployment rate and a lot of vacant homes...which gets me to my next point.

Greek housing prices are at an all-time low. A simple Google search shows that one can purchase a 10 bedroom apartment complex for 350,000 Euros or you can purchase a small one bedroom apartment for as little as 7,500 Euros (now, I know this is the very low end, but still!). There are many store fronts, office buildings, and industrial spaces for sale---place of business with no businesses in them--for really cheap.

Now, what if Greece created incentives for the Syrians to stay in Greece and open the storefronts, creating new businesses that employ the Greek people who need jobs so desperately? What if Greece used the vacant housing situation for the Syrian refugees so they can stay in a safe and warm home with a roof over their heads? What if Greece built more schools to so the Syrian children can get the education they so desire?

Now...I know this is a lot to ask of Greece, so now I want to ask the churches, businesses, and other organizations a question: what if you bought that one bedroom apartment for $7500 Euros and adopted a Syrian family, helping them with job training or finding a job or even help them open a new place of business? What if you gave that home to the Syrian family, giving them stability for the first time since they fled their home? What if you were able to change the life of one family or one person---and as a ripple effect, it changed the course of two countries? I'm talking not just about Greece but the future Syria. Now---what if you were able to buy a 10 bedroom apartment complex for 350,000 Euros and help 10 families? What kind of an impact would that make?

My hope is that this will create some dialogue and maybe spur some to action. Thanks for reading.