April 13, 2018 - Another Location with the MEDU RV
Mark here. Last night I went out with the MEDU mobile medical unit or camper again. We went to a location near the Via Vannina site that I wrote about previously (where the police came and kicked everyone out). The new site (Via Tiburtina, 1044-1048) is a little more than a kilometer from the Via Vannina site. Apparently, people have been living there for some time and most estimate that there are between 200 and 500 people living there now. Many of those who were living at the Via Vannina site have moved to the Via Tiburtina site.
The site is a large factory complex, with many abandoned buildings, almost all of them with people (African immigrants) living in them. They do have access to running water, but bathrooms are scarce to non-existent and there is no garbage removal. There is no electricity, other than occasional generators, and most people cook on open fires or in makeshift wood-burning stoves inside and outside of the building. The buildings are primarily large open areas with just floors and ceilings supported by columns, with no inner walls and sometimes without outer walls. The people have brought in pieces of wood, metal, sheet-rock, cardboard, and anything else they can find to build small, personal "homes" or rooms to live in. Many of these little spaces have a blanket for a door. There is garbage EVERYWHERE, often in very large piles, sometimes taller than I am. We did not see any rats last night, but, based on the thriving cat community, I'm guess they are abundantly present.
Everyone I saw was African (We had people tell us they were from many different countries, including Senegal, Gambia, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Eritrea, etc.). I saw two women among all of the men and no children. It is likely only a matter of time before the police come to kick these people out of this site as well.
The map below shows where we were parked, and nearly all of the buildings shown had people living in them.
When we first arrive, a group of us goes inside and walks through the building, telling everyone that we are there and that they can receive medical care out in the camper. There are other organizations of doctors who come and set up a tent inside the complex on other days of the week.
I don't have many pictures inside, and they are often blurry, unfortunately. I try to take the shots as quickly and as discretely as possible. I don't want people to think we are just coming to take pictures of them or to be voyeurs.
The picture above is on the third floor of a building on a portion where the ceiling has collapsed (see the area circled in blue below). Notice the laundry hanging out in the background. The red circles below mark large piles of garbage.
The site is a large factory complex, with many abandoned buildings, almost all of them with people (African immigrants) living in them. They do have access to running water, but bathrooms are scarce to non-existent and there is no garbage removal. There is no electricity, other than occasional generators, and most people cook on open fires or in makeshift wood-burning stoves inside and outside of the building. The buildings are primarily large open areas with just floors and ceilings supported by columns, with no inner walls and sometimes without outer walls. The people have brought in pieces of wood, metal, sheet-rock, cardboard, and anything else they can find to build small, personal "homes" or rooms to live in. Many of these little spaces have a blanket for a door. There is garbage EVERYWHERE, often in very large piles, sometimes taller than I am. We did not see any rats last night, but, based on the thriving cat community, I'm guess they are abundantly present.
Everyone I saw was African (We had people tell us they were from many different countries, including Senegal, Gambia, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Eritrea, etc.). I saw two women among all of the men and no children. It is likely only a matter of time before the police come to kick these people out of this site as well.
The map below shows where we were parked, and nearly all of the buildings shown had people living in them.
When we first arrive, a group of us goes inside and walks through the building, telling everyone that we are there and that they can receive medical care out in the camper. There are other organizations of doctors who come and set up a tent inside the complex on other days of the week.
I don't have many pictures inside, and they are often blurry, unfortunately. I try to take the shots as quickly and as discretely as possible. I don't want people to think we are just coming to take pictures of them or to be voyeurs.
The picture above is on the third floor of a building on a portion where the ceiling has collapsed (see the area circled in blue below). Notice the laundry hanging out in the background. The red circles below mark large piles of garbage.
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