This is Rahel’s phone. Fearing forced military recruitment, Rahel fled Eritrea in 2015.
Together with a friend, she left with nothing but the clothes she was wearing, and her plan was to reach Sweden where she has a family. Rahel had an Android Samsung phone which she had bought in Sudan. When she boarded the boat that would take her across the Mediterranean Sea, she hid the phone from the smugglers.
“I paied $400 for a space on an overcrowded wooden boat. One of the passengers had to drive it. I used the GPS function on my phone to keep track of where in the Mediterranean we were. After a 10-hour journey, we were rescued by the Red Cross.”
Visitors will also be able to step inside a Better Shelter unit, to experience how many of the refugees passing through Lesbos have lived during their journey. The solar-powered lamp and USB charger that comes with every shelter make it possible for these persons to charge their phones and keep in contact with friends and family during their journey.
