Bulgaria, Harmanli, October 20, 2015,
Near the Bulgarian border with Turkey, a former military barracks in Harmanli has been converted into a vast complex housing refugees. One building is cordoned off for unaccompanied female refugees. In some cases they are widowed, or traveling by themselves. “I stick to myself and rarely go out of my door,” said one Syrian woman through the crack in her door, and who didn’t want to be identified.
There are six refugee reception centers in Bulgria, with approximately 5,130 beds. However, they are only 70-80 percent full, due to refugees making the journey onward to Germany.
The picture could go with the story: Bypassing the treacherous sea, Bulgaria offers a safer but transitory route for refugees who can afford it. By Rebecca Murray