Border play center provides some respite for young refugees

Children watch a movie at a refugee camp near the northern Greek village of Idomeni near to southern Macedonia, Monday, Nov. 9, 2015. Migrants are facing long waits to cross Greece's border with Macedonia after a four-day ferry strike ended and eased a bottleneck on the country's eastern Aegean islands, where the vast majority of people arrive from nearby Turkey. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos) Children watch a movie at a refugee camp near the northern Greek village of Idomeni near to southern Macedonia, Monday, Nov. 9, 2015. Migrants are facing long waits to cross Greece's border with Macedonia after a four-day ferry strike ended and eased a bottleneck on the country's eastern Aegean islands, where the vast majority of people arrive from nearby Turkey. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)

By Associated Press November 9, 2015 2 min read

IDOMENI, Greece (AP) – As thousands of refugees wait long hours to cross the Greece-Macedonia border to head to more prosperous northern European countries, some respite is on offer for the youngest.

Charities have set up a children’s play center, which opened about 10 days ago and is operational 24 hours a day, in the Idomeni camp, where children can watch cartoons or draw to pass the time while their parents wait for their family’s turn to cross the border.

“We try to occupy the children, care for infants and also identify unaccompanied minors so efforts can begin to reunite them with their families,” said Alexis Vrahnos, local coordinator of the Arsis charity that set up the play center in cooperation with Save the Children and Terre Des Hommes.

The play center is staffed round the clock by a psychologist, a teacher, two interpreters and a nurse.

Sitting at one table is 5-year-old Alman from Kobani, Syria, along with his two brothers. He proudly holds up the picture he’s been drawing.