Two Greek volunteers awarded with Nansen Refugee Award
Two Greek volunteers, Constantinos Mitragas, member of the Greek Rescue Team, and Efi Latsoudis, volunteer at an open refugee hosting centre of Lesvos, were awarded with the 2016 Nansen Refugee Award by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
According to an announcement of the UNHCR, the Greek Rescue Team was chosen "for its unrelenting efforts to save refugees in distress at sea" and Efi Latsoudis "for her compassion and care to the most vulnerable refugees arriving in Lesvos."
Once a year the Nansen Refugee Award honours extraordinary service to refugees, and outstanding work on behalf of the forcibly displaced.
The Nansen Award was established in 1954 in memory of the Norwegian Arctic explorer and first High Commissioner for Refugees in 1921, Fridtjof Nansen. The aim of the prize is to draw attention to the difficulties faced by refugees and to encourage international assistance and cooperation.