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‘Proud’ Tunisians aid Libya refugees

Volunteers helping those fleeing Libya say the aid effort reflects a post-revolution shift in Tunisian social pride.

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The Libyan border of Ras Jedir is around 140km from Djerba, an island just off the coast of southern Tunisia [Credit: Rama Knight]
Published On 29 Mar 2011
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A few kilometres from Ras Jedir is a refugee camp, housing about 17,000 people who have fled the fighting in Libya [Credit: Rama Knight]
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The occupants are mostly from Sudan, Egypt and Bangladesh [Credit: Rama Knight]
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Most are stranded because their own governments cannot help to repatriate them [Credit: Rama Knight]
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A doctor from the Tunisian Red Crescent says: "What we need most now are flights to get these people home" [Credit: Rama Knight]
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A trickle of refugees are continuing to cross the border, rolled up blankets under their arms and bags perched on their heads [Credit: Rama Knight]
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The camp is littered with discarded water bottles and plastic bags, but signs of domesticity have started to appear [Credit: Rama Knight]
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Many tents are draped with drying laundry [Credit: Rama Knight]
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And one man has set himself up in business as the camp(***)s barber [Credit: Rama Knight]
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Tunisian volunteers, mostly young men with their faces covered by medical masks, hand out bread [Credit: Rama Knight]
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Many more Tunisians are giving their time and money to help - something many say would not have happened before the revolution [Credit: Rama Knight]
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Their charitable spirit in part reflects their own sense of pride at having overthrown their ruling regime, many say [Credit: Rama Knight]
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Most of the refugees cannot speak English or even Arabic [Credit: Rama Knight]
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One said he had not been paid for six months and did not know how he would get home [Credit: Rama Knight]
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Even when they do reach home, many will have to move again in search of work [Credit: Rama Knight]
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For many of the residents of the camp, their journey is only just beginning [Credit: Rama Knight]