THE world we live in runs with services that people provide to improve their own and others’ lives. 

In Moria refugee camp, people try to do the same by opening shops. Due to restrictions, the police have taken down the stores. 

Mustafa

But that doesn’t stop some trying to take back control over their own lives. 

As one shopkeeper told me: “Every day is the same in Moria. As a human, I’d do anything to give my life meaning.”

Camp Moria has the capacity of around 2,500 people, but currently hosts more than 7,000 refugees. 

Had you taken a walk in the camp before April, you would have seen a lot of shops, especially if you passed the main road. 

Nowadays, the “shopping street” of Moria looks quite different. One afternoon the police entered the camp. 

They told the people to collect their stuff and to break down the tents they’d used as outlets. 

“After two hours all the stores were taken down,” a former trader told me. “The path that once was crowded with shops and people is now empty.”

People who arrive as asylum-seekers on the island of Lesbos receive monthly payments. 

But it is not a lot — €90 for adults and €50 for children. As many people struggle to get through the month, some of them find new ways to make a living. 

They start their own businesses. Starting a business allows them to financially support their families, as well as improving the living conditions in the camp. 

However, making extra money is not the only reason why people set up stores. 

In general there are three types of shops: barbershops, small convenience stores and bakeries. 

The latter prepare food such as bread, doughnuts, cake and popcorn. They bake bread using a home-made oven out of clay. 

While one person prepares the meals, another person walks through Moria to sell the food. 

Currently, there are only two people in the camp who offer this service. 

The other shops are not as easy to find as before due to the restrictions. However, there are still some people who take their chances. 

As I walk through Moria, I meet Ali* and Mohammed*. They tell me their reasons to secretly run a business in the infamous refugee camp Moria. 

Mohammed is from Afghanistan and works as a barber. He used to work in a shelter before the police raid but now, like the other barbers, he cuts people’s hair outside. 

Mustafa's article in the first edition of the Refugee Journal

Every morning, Mohammed puts a chair outside his tent and a mirror under the shed. You can usually find him sitting next to his soundbox — listening to a variation of European and Afghan songs. 

Mohammed grew up in Iran. He worked there as a barber as well. Unfortunately, he had to give up his profession. 

“People from Afghan origin are not allowed to open their own shops,” he told me. 

“That is why I had to become a construction worker. I quit doing what I loved the most.” 

As he is now able to perform his original profession, Mohammed enjoys the days cutting people’s hair. 

Besides this, he is one of the few barbers in the whole camp, which means he gets quite a lot of customers. 

“I cut around 10 to 15 people’s hair everyday,” he tells me. “Each person pays three to five euros. It is not a lot. But it helps me to financially support my family a bit more.”

The shopkeepers sell products through a small hole in their tents. If you look closely through these “windows” you can see several products displayed on shelves. 

Besides cold water, cigarettes are the most sold product. During my search for shopkeepers, I met Ali from Afghanistan. 

The police took down his store in April. Not knowing what to do with all his products, he reopened his shop, but this time somewhere out of sight. 

Running a shop in Moria is difficult. Besides having break-ins, it comes with a lot of responsibilities. 

“Three people work in shifts,” Ali tells me. “In this way we can be open all day. We buy our products in the Lidl, which is a one hour walk from Moria.” 

Despite their hard work, shop owners don’t earn a lot of money. Their prices are just a few cents more expensive than in the supermarkets. 

According to Ali, he makes a profit of only three to five euros a day. But it is better than doing nothing. 

He explains: “This work gives me something to do. Every day is the same in Moria. I can’t stand to only eat and sleep.”

People have several reasons to start a business in camp Moria — to financially support their families or to have something in their lives that they have control over. 

The police still try to stop refugees from opening shops but I wonder: will their restrictions ever hold back the attempts to fulfill the need of self-reliance? 

Like Ali said, “As a human, I’d do anything to give my life meaning.”

*For safety reasons the names of the interviewees have been changed.

This article was first published in the Refugee Journal in July 2019. Mustafa Mohammadi, an Afghan refugee, decided to write about Moria’s illegal “high streets” to show how traders were not just setting up shops for financial gain but also to regain an element of independence. 

Since the story was published Moria’s population has more than doubled to 20,000. Mustafa is no longer in the camp, having been transferred by the authorities to the Greek mainland. 

For six months he has been in a hotel close to the Albanian border, far away from cities and towns with very little to do. 

Despite having arrived in Greece more than a year ago, Mustafa is still waiting for his asylum interview. 

He tries to keep busy by improving his English and Greek and has recently started reading the Harry Potter novels.