This Christmas was not happy for everyone. For some, it was even tragic. Every day people are drowning in the Mediterranean. In this regard, the Christmas period was particularly calamitous this year.

We just celebrated the birth of Jesus, who himself experienced what it was like to be rejected and a refugee, at a time when countries (including our own) are shutting themselves off from people in a similar situation to his. We celebrate Christmas yet are unable to find a place for them here, albeit in hotels that have been standing empty for a year.

Christmas Day saw the recovery of the bodies of 28 people who were victims of drowning in the Mediterranean Sea. Among the dead, who drowned about 90 km outside Tripoli, was a small child. On the other hand, a boat with 88 Syrian and Palestinian refugees sank near the Greek island of Paros. Fishermen rushed to their aid and managed to rescue the survivors. Sixteen people died (12 men, three women and a baby), 63 were rescued and nine people are still missing.

It was the deadliest week in the Aegean Sea in years. 3 sunken boats in 3 days on the outskirts of Greece, a total of 31 dead and at least 45 missing.

More than six years have passed since the photograph of the dead two-year-old boy Alan Kurdi shocked the world. Today we have received further such horrifying images. Similar tragedies happen every day, but they no longer shock the public. The worst thing we can do is to get used to such tragedies. Let us not be indifferent!

If only you can extend a helping hand today to those who still cannot find a home for themselves in a safe place, visit GoodWorks 24/7 and donate a hot meal for a refugee on the Greek island of Lesbos. Let’s show them that we are not indifferent!