THE LOST BOYS - BELGRADE, SERBIA

Today we woke up early after our first sleep in over 24 hours -- and went off in the light snow to join Hot Food Idomeni, a wonderful local group, chopping and cooking food all day. I was shaking from the cold, but their smiles warmed us up quickly. In the afternoon we went with half the group to the "barracks" - an abandoned army barracks / train station where up to over a thousand refugees live - with no electricity or amenities and barely any running water. We served food to these young mainly afghani and Pakistani boys. We talked to them about life, how horrible Bulgaria was, how the people are nice in Serbia but the conditions are so rough. They don't want to go to camps because sometimes the government deports people back to Macedonia or Bulgaria and also they are not always safe.

"Daesh (ISIS) attacked my school."

"I miss my family so much."

"I traveled alone."

"I tried to cross to Hungary but they beat me."

Some of the kids we talked to were as young as 10 and 12 years old, traveling alone. They put on a good face but it is easy to see how hard it is in the cold, away from home and family, sleeping on cold floors, hungry, never knowing what is coming.

60% of refugees in Serbia are unaccompanied minors.

From Are You Syrious: "In Serbia right now, there are currently around 7,000 refugees, and the numbers are increasing all the time. Most of the people want to continue their journey to other European countries. Since the borders to Hungary and Croatia are impossible to cross, most of the people stay in Serbia for a long time. MSF, Info Park, and UNHCR report about illegal deportations to Macedonia. There are official and unofficial camps. Official camp means that registration is required, also in some state-run camps it is possible to stay without any papers or registration. Most of the refugees in Serbia are from Afghanistan (80%) and Pakistan, Syria and Iraq. Five days a week, ten people are allowed to enter Hungary legally."

Thank YOU all so much for making it possible to feed all of these people -- who just want a safe home, showers, warm beds, and a future.