Here’s why the people of Greece deserve to be nominated for the Nobel Peace prize

Greece, already enduring one of the world’s worst economic crises, has opened its arms to those fleeing war, ISIS and instability. “Every day in Lesbos it is like a new village is born,” mayor Spryos Gallons has said of the influx of refugees and migrants landing on the shores of the small island. More than 1 million refugees and migrants entered Europe in 2015 as Europe’s “biggest migrant influx since World War II” continues. An astonishing (with one of the world’s largest coasts lines, Greece is a prime destination for those who are seeking asylum as, according to the Schengen Agreement, upon arriving on Greece’s shore they are free to cross borders with 26 other European countries).

One fourth of these migrants to Greece have been children and nearly half of all migrants arriving in Greece are Syrian refugees desperately crossing the Aegean in the hopes of a better life.

There is a movement afoot to nominate the people of Greece for a Nobel Peace Prize. Such a nomination is appropriate in light of the heroism and philotimo displayed by Greeks on a daily basis in response to one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.

To put it in perspective, it is important to understand that Greece — already reeling from one of the worst economic situations in modern history and struggling to provide for its own people, is at the frontline of Europe’s migration crisis and is bearing almost the full burden. Greece, a tiny country with just 11 million people, experienced a 7.7% population increase as wave after wave of refugees and migrants landed on its shores last year. Since 2012, the US has accepted just 2,174 Syrian refugees – roughly 0.0007% of America’s total population. If the US were going through what Greece is going through, it would see 25 million refugees and migrants land on its shores. Can you imagine that?

Much has been made in the news of the fact that Turkey has welcomed 2 million Syrian refugees, and that’s laudable. Europe has offered Turkey some 3.4 billion to assist those refugees. Still, when comparing statistics, Turkey only saw a 2.2% population increase (there are nearly 76 million people living in Turkey).

Simply put, the Greek people have opened their hearts and doors in a time that is difficult not only for refugees but for Greeks as well. Greece has been experiencing unprecedented levels of high unemployment, suicide, child poverty, and societal stress. Still, in one of its darkest hours, Greek society has been a beacon of light for desperate families hoping to start a new and better life.

The islanders and those from the mainland have come together in Herculean fashion to help. Churches, hospitals, and local businesses have all made accommodations help the migrants who arrive daily. The Hellenic Coast Guard has saved the lives of thousands of men, women and children. Over a three day span alone in November, they plucked 1,244 from the brink of death at sea.

It’s not just the coast guard that deserves praise. Greek communities have selflessly stepped up as well. Three grandmothers in Lesbos were photographed helping a young mother with her infant child:

The baby needed aid, and they instantly took the baby out of the mother’s hand and poured out their love. One of the women was 83-year-old, Emilia (Militza) Kamvisi, she said “I took him firmly in my hands. The child needed security. His mother was wet, looking for some clothes to change, and his father was in a state of panic because he would not stop crying. We were sitting there and we could do something about it. I grabbed the baby, took the bottle, the baby felt a dry lap, we sang to him and then he drank his milk at once.”

There are many in the world who fight for peace and justice, humanitarians and activists and champions of the poor, and surely, they will be nominated for their life-changing works. What is clear from Greece’s focus on helping others — from the choice of Greeks to be strong, proud, and courageous when it would have been easier to simply deny nearly 1 million people the basic principles of humanity — is that the people of Greece deserve to be nominated as well.