Claudio Rasano ; PRESEVO, Serbia, border to Macedonia

5 days ago, the big truck arrived in Presevo with donations. Hans from our team, Claudio the photographer and I had gone there to help on-site.We already knew what is happening there.

5 days ago, the big truck arrived in Presevo with donations. Hans from our team, Claudio the photographer and I had gone there to help on-site.We already knew what is happening there. We had prepared ourselves by reading numerous first-hand reports. we were anxious yet in good spirits. What we found overwhelmed us despite the glorious sunshine. The helplesness was palpable. For most of the refugees, the path to Europe leads through Greece, Macedonia and Serbia.

Once arrive, they have to register, just to leave the country again within 72 hours. If they surpass the time, they are immediately classified as illegal. Presevo is the bottle neck, here the registration is located. The people in the refugee trecks don’t have time to rest and relax. Stressed by the tight window of transit they rush from one tent to the other, non-stop pushed forward by police. Standing in lines for hours, pushing and shoving, they suffer from cold and hunger until they can finalize their registration.

26920001

Most of them have little or no information why they are standing in line or what will happen next. Without documents they cannot move forward. Those without a passport hold tight to the papers that were issued in Greece. Only Irakis, Syrians and Afghanis can continue. Those from other countries are sent back. Outside, busses are waiting over kilometers to bring the registered refugees to Croatia. Those with enough money pay 35€ per person, those without need to wait for the train that comes twice a day and pay 15 € per person. Refugees without money are sent off the train somewhere along the trip. We integrated into the system of the help organization Remar which made the start easier for us. There were moments of suffering and fear, sadness and bravery, hope and also happiness.

26910001

26910002 26910003 26910005 26920003 26920006 26920007 Kopie 26920008 26920009 26920010

The real horror started with the rain. It was unimaginable. People, utterly soaked, many without shoes, kids without pants, frozen to the bone and in a state of shock. Due to the incomprehensible customs rules in Serbia, used shoes cannot be imported. This translates into programmed neglect and makes the helplessness immesurable. To warm up the kids feet we wrapped them in emergency foil and couldn’t help but to put the wet shoes back on. Many people had to go on without shoes simply because there weren’t any more available. People were standing desperately and impatiently at the clothes distribution hoping to get rid of their wet clothes. They handed us kids, we changed them while their mothers stood by helplessly observing us digging in boxes for pants, socks, pantyhose. It was a race against time, against the cold, freezing and shock. A 3-week old baby was carried into the tent naked, just wrapped into a wet blanket. The mother had taken its wet clothes off and tried to warm it up with her own body. When I dressed the baby it was hard to resist the wish to keep it in my arms and rock it. We met many teenagers who had started the journey on their own. Entire families had saved up money to allow at least one of the family members to escape. There were these underaged siblings taking care of their blind brother. The parents were not there any more, they said yes they’re ok, they just needed shoes and a jacket for their brother. This was a moment that hit me hard personally so that I needed a time out and withdrew behind the tent. Each of us came to their personal limit at some point but we knew that we could not allow ourselves to be taken over by emotions while being surrounded by people who had escaped war into a new future. And so we continued changing kids, handing out hot tea and soup, checked the lines for injured people, babies and freezing children to support them so they could take standing in line a bit longer.

26920011 95190004 95190006 95190012 95230002 Kopie 95230012

While handing out tea, clothes and blankets we were thanked thousands of times. For sharing what little we had, and for listening to their stories. Like that of the young Syrian business students who had been abandoned by their guide on an overcrowded boat on sea. Without ever having steered a boat they managed to reach the Greek coast. Several times we were confronted with emergencies that we could not have been prepared for. A woman who had just collapsed and needed to be taken to a doctor. She had lost her 6 year old son 4 days earlier on sea. The panic that broke out in the crowd when a man collapsed and we had to pull out not only him but also several small children in the stampede. The woman who had suffered injuries in a car accident during the escape but whose husband wouldn’t allow her to see a doctor.During breaks we had time to talk with people and listen to their stories, some of which we will never forget. A 7-year old boy stood by himself in front of a bus waiting for his dad who was buying supplies, looking lost. When we asked him where his parents were he said: “My mother finish, she not sleeping, she finish.”A 56-year old Iraqi man told us the story of his escape, that he had been travelling for 4 months on an odysse through many countries. The boat that was meant to take him from Turkey to Lesbos in Greece had sunk. He swam for 6 hours in salt water, his eyes swollen shut, no vision because of high waves. And still he managed to reach the coast holding on to a tire.We accompanied a family with 3 children to the train but they had no money and didn’t know what to do. At the tent of the Zurich help organization Borderfree Association the son received a winter jacket. He was in a wheelchair and tenderly taken care of by his parents.At the train station a mother stepped up to us and asked for money for the train. She was on the treck with her 13-year old son. She was delighted when we helped her out. The boy had been hit by a bomb in Syria and had an prosthetic leg. But despite their suffering and the pressing fear of the future they smiled at us. There were also good moments, moving us and opening our hearts. We saw kids catching soap bubbles, siblings hugging and kissing, people helping each other, kids hugging their donated stuffed toys, old and young partaking the same journey independent of their origins, who shared in all that desparation what little they had. And above all this incredible gratefulness towards the volunteer helpers.

26880006 26880009 26880010 26880012 26890002 26890010

After 3 days and three nights of non-stop duty we had to leave Presevo. We felt empty but at the same time also fullfilled. we knew that coming back was a must.Holding our passports we travelled to the airport in Skopje for check-in and suddenly realized how precious this document actually is.  Today is December 1st, our children open the first door of their Advent calendars and look forward to tomorrow. The kids fleeing war should also feel home, feel the excitement of opening Advent calendars and feel safe. They shouldn’t have to walk kilometers in mud without shoes to stand in line in the rain without knowing why or what their destination will be.We, the ‘Basel hilft mit’ Team, are here in Basel and Landkreis Lörrach to help the refugees. They have had a hard journey behind them and face a future that could lead to all or nothing. We try to be there for them on their way out of war, misery and uncertainty. [Official Website]

95240007

We will engage with Remar in Presevo to buy shoes locally. For this, we could really use your financial support!  Basel hilft mit, Remar SOS Presevo, Serbia

95290003

95240012

95290004 95300003 95300004 95300006 95340005 2 95240005

95240003

95240001

2presevopotrat 268c70012 953de0000s8 95240c009 26840001 26840005 26840006 26840007 26840012 26870002 26870003 26870004 26870005 26870007 26880002

More Stories

Thierry Dulau : The Blue Hour

Thierry Dulau : The Blue Hour

I am Thierry Dulau, a french Graphic designer and Photographer in Aquitaine (France). I love capturing beautiful sites of France (castles, medieval towns, cities ...) This country has a very rich heritage and you only have to wait towards the end of day
Muse for Youth by Victoria Art

Muse for Youth by Victoria Art

The conceptual laboratory UBERlab took part in the project "Muse for Youth". This is a project whose aim is to draw the viewer's attention to the question of the life path that we choose.
Kamila Karpinska ; Lifestyle photography

Kamila Karpinska ; Lifestyle photography

A photographer born and living in Poland. She specializes in lifestyle photography. and takes pictures of people in situations where they feel fine.
https://www.dodho.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/bannerpr.jpg

We invite you to participate in the first edition of the Portrait Photography Awards. Our call is open to any artistic interpretation of portrait photography.

https://www.dodho.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/BAnImage.jpg

ImageRights provides intelligent image search and copyright enforcement services to photo agencies and professional photographers worldwide.

https://www.dodho.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/mono2022.jpg

The best 100 images along with the winning images published in the yearly book “Monochromatic – Best Photographers of 2022”

Call For Entries #24 | After 23 editions and more than 100 published photographers, our print edition has proven to be a simply effective promotional channel.

New Orleans to Nashville by Benjamin Angel

New Orleans to Nashville by Benjamin Angel

A large part of modern music is born in the cities located between New Orleans and Nashville. New Orleans (Louisiana) is the birth place of jazz music. It is still packed with jazz clubs around the Faubourg Marigny and on the (in)famous Bourbon street.
Dumpling syndrome, or Baba Nyonya food culture by Olga Fontanellaz

Dumpling syndrome, or Baba Nyonya food culture by Olga Fontanellaz

Vivid blue or brown, pyramid-shaped and wrapped in bamboo leaves, these traditional dumplings, Nyonya Chang and Bak Chang, are the cornerstone of Baba Nyonya food culture in Melaka.
Anže Godec; Austro-Hungarian army complex abandoned by Yugoslav forces finds a new artistic life

Anže Godec; Austro-Hungarian army complex abandoned by Yugoslav forces finds a new artistic life

Army complex from the time of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It lies by Metelkova Street in the center of Ljubljana, Slovenia. It was abandoned in the early 1990s, when Yugoslavia collapsed.
Interview with Max Caffel, owner of 31 Studio

Interview with Max Caffel, owner of 31 Studio

The 31 Studio / The Platinum Printroom is the foremost specialist for Platinum and Platinum-Palladium printing in the United Kingdom.
Even When it is Grey We See Further Now by Liv Mann-Tremblay

Even When it is Grey We See Further Now by Liv Mann-Tremblay

When Covid-19 first pushed us in to lock down in March 2020 people shared their experience of isolation and it resonated deeply with so much of what I had experienced in moving here. I knew the bubble world they were now living and all the emotional highs and lows so well. 
Whispers by Emmanuelle Bousquet

Whispers by Emmanuelle Bousquet

In the series Whispers, Emmanuelle Bousquet has chosen, this time, for her role to be personified by different characters, emissaries sent to explore a critical period in her life: adolescence.
The beauty of tribal dances by France Leclerc

The beauty of tribal dances by France Leclerc

The beauty of tribal dances project was selected and published in our print edition 20. As the sun is setting in the tribal areas of East Africa, one can often hear the sound of beating drums and joyful voices coming from the villages.
Gajon – The folk ritual of Bengal by Ritesh Ghosh

Gajon – The folk ritual of Bengal by Ritesh Ghosh

Bengal is a culturally diverse State which is known to celebrate various rituals throughout the year. ‘Gajon’ being one such ritual is absolutely worth documenting for its many unique practises, some of which can easily be deemed as primitive in modern times.
Marrakech, the challenge Ignacio Santana

Marrakech, the challenge Ignacio Santana

Marrakech, the challenge Marrakech, the magical red city of Morocco, is undoubtedly the most complicated place to take portraits I have ever known. But, instead of giving up, I decided to take it as an exciting photographic challenge.
Belonging to Nowhere by Jan Møller Hansen

Belonging to Nowhere by Jan Møller Hansen

Nepal is home to refugees from Tibet and Bhutan. But what is less known is that the country also houses hundreds of urban refugees from Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Iraq, Congo, Somalia, Afghanistan and other countries.
Portraits & Photography by Michal Karcz

Portraits & Photography by Michal Karcz

This machine is working like my heart beating. Without breaks. This is my way of life and self-realization. In the beginning it was hard as everything.
Children of Pakistan; My First School by Andrea Francolini

Children of Pakistan; My First School by Andrea Francolini

“My First School” is dedicated to the children of Pakistan and their common desire for proper schooling
Varanasi, through my eyes by Kaushik Dolui

Varanasi, through my eyes by Kaushik Dolui

Varanasi, most photographed city in India in the northern Indian state of Utter Pradesh, the spiritual capital lies on the left bank of the River Ganga . Since ancient times; the city has been an important centre of Hindu devotion, pilgrimage.
The apple never falls far from the tree by Natasha Lozinskaya

The apple never falls far from the tree by Natasha Lozinskaya

One day I found a box in the closet, forgotten by everyone, with my father's photo film archive in it – and from that moment my dialogue with the one who is no longer there began.
The presence of an absence by Francesco Pace Rizzi

The presence of an absence by Francesco Pace Rizzi

The ephemeral geometries of the shadows, sometimes complex, sometimes simple, exert a great fascination on me such as to push me to deepen this topic and create a project (started in 2019) where the shadows are in a sort of dialogue with the scene, able to free the imagination and create surreal and intangible images.
Landscapes photography by Wilfred Wessel Berthelsen

Landscapes photography by Wilfred Wessel Berthelsen

My main photographic inspiration is Michael Kenna, Ansel Adams and Sebastiao Salgado. Back home here in Norway, Morten Krogvold is my mentor and inspirator. He is one of the best photographers in Norway, no question.

Featured Stories

Wake Me Up by Suvobroto Ray Chaudhuri

Wake Me Up by Suvobroto Ray Chaudhuri

Some people wake up in the morning full of energy and some find themselves fumbling for the snooze button. How you begin a day goes a long way towards how your day would end. So it is important to find ways to get off to a good start.
MiRelLA by Fausto Podavini

MiRelLA by Fausto Podavini

MiRelLa is the story of a woman, a mother, a wife, a grandmother. Mirella is 71 years old, she spent 43 years of her life with the only person loved. 43 years of sharing, difficulties, laughs and beautiful moments
Haenyeo; Grandma divers by Alain Schroeder

Haenyeo; Grandma divers by Alain Schroeder

South Korea, Jeju island, known for its characteristic basalt volcanic rock, sits off South Korea. It is the home of the renowned Haenyeo or women of the sea who free dive off the black shores of Jeju harvesting delicacies from the sea.
My Albania by Claudio Rasano

My Albania by Claudio Rasano

My series shows the fragility side of life in Albania . My portraits are frontal taken at eye level,looking directly and ahead, the face cast in shadow showing a strong and determined expression.
Ethiopia – Change in the Valley by Matilda Temperley

Ethiopia – Change in the Valley by Matilda Temperley

The fate of the Omo Valley was sealed in 2006 when, upstream of the valley’s arterial Omo river, the Ethiopian government began constructing the ‘Pride of Ethiopia’
Jorge Fernandez ; Travel Photography

Jorge Fernandez ; Travel Photography

Jorge Fernandez was born and raised in the small Spanish town of Monzon. After finishing high school he moved to Madrid to get a technical engineering degree. In the late 90's he started to study film photography during a few years and after that he decided to do the jump to digital
Crash landed by Ken Hermann

Crash landed by Ken Hermann

“Crash Landed” is a series of 10 photographs imagining an astronaut who suddenly returns to Earth and finds himself needing to readjust. The project is shoot in collaboration the British Art Director Gemma Fletcher.
Not in Kansas by Vicky Martin

Not in Kansas by Vicky Martin

Not In Kansas is a staged series of photographs inspired by the tenacious, self- reliant character Dorothy from the story The Wizard of Oz.
Reflection by Lilyan Aloma

Reflection by Lilyan Aloma

I have spent the greater part of my life living in Manhattan, a city with a constantly changing visual plan that continues to inspire me to explore its physical complexity.
Lomisoba – A feast of many meanings by Fallckolm Cuenca

Lomisoba – A feast of many meanings by Fallckolm Cuenca

North, on the military road, about 100 km from Tbilisi, one finds the epicentre of a yearly manifestation of human faith. It takes place on the slopes the Caucus and is an ode to an arduous journey of shared history and religious devotion.
The Last Nomadic Hunter-Gatherers of the Himalayas by Jan Møller Hansen

The Last Nomadic Hunter-Gatherers of the Himalayas by Jan Møller Hansen

The nomadic Rautes are the last hunter-gatherers of the Himalayas. The Rautes, who call themselves Kings of Forests, subsist on langur and macaque monkeys, wild yams, rice and a few kinds of vegetables traded from local farmers.
People of the Earth: San tribe by Aga Szydlik

People of the Earth: San tribe by Aga Szydlik

People of the Earth / Deeply rooted in their nomadic culture and in symbiotic relationship with the animals and plants, San are the original inhabitants of South Africa, aboriginal to sub-Saharan Africa.
A Story of Faith by Siddhartha Banerjee

A Story of Faith by Siddhartha Banerjee

Faith makes a man move mountains. It is seldom reasons and mostly faith that makes a man cross barriers , struggle hard, sacrifice his well-being. The world has had a lot of stories of faith , stories where men did what reason would never allow them to do.
Mongolia; Kazakh Childhood by France Leclerc

Mongolia; Kazakh Childhood by France Leclerc

Kazakh Childhood; France Leclerc’s project was selected and published in our print edition 16. Though the daily activities may vary quite dramatically from one part of the world to the next, children can thrive if provided with a nurturing caregiver and a safe place to play and explore. 
Bill Gekas ; Fine art portrait photographer

Bill Gekas ; Fine art portrait photographer

Bill Gekas is a multi awarded and published photographer that was born and resides in Melbourne Australia.
Streets of New York; Nod of recognition by Barbara Jane Levine

Streets of New York; Nod of recognition by Barbara Jane Levine

Nod of Recognition is a series of portraits and street scenes of strangers captured on the streets of New York.  I walk, observe, and photograph people, following the path of light as it moves around the city. 

Trending Stories

Interview with Frank Machalowski

Interview with Frank Machalowski

The main focus of all my series is on analogue photography no matter if 35 mm or medium-format, because I love the analoge technology.
Imre Krenn ; Landscape photographer

Imre Krenn ; Landscape photographer

Imre Krenn is a City and landscape photographer, based in Budapest / Hungary. He is making photos from the well known buildings and scenes in Budapest, but not in ordinary style and perspective.
Twilight Time by Zedd

Twilight Time by Zedd

In The Old Testament it has been told that the woman was created from one piece of Adam’s rib. How does woman come into existance? What is the difference of woman from man?
Ladakh; Culture and Landscape by Aga Szydlik

Ladakh; Culture and Landscape by Aga Szydlik

Ladakh, heaven on earth, known by many names reflecting both the natural beauty and close relationship with Tibet, Ladakh is called the "Land of High Passes," in the Tibetan and Ladakhi language, the "Great Tibet" in Medieval Islamic literature, or as "Little Tibet" in trans-Himalayan states in Kashmir. 
Space and tranquillity; Long exposure by Jeff Vyse

Space and tranquillity; Long exposure by Jeff Vyse

I'm based on the north east coast of England and I spend a lot of my spare time outdoors as that's what I enjoy. I'm lucky enough to live in an area with remote sandy beaches and big sand dunes where you can find space and tranquillity.
Fine art photography; Visions of Diana Debord

Fine art photography; Visions of Diana Debord

As a child I was more interested in insects, astronomy and ghosts than dolls, I've always felt attracted to obscurity: I use photography to show this hidden side of me, without fears.
Snow Journey by Mitsuharu Maeda

Snow Journey by Mitsuharu Maeda

Mitsuharu Maeda creates works based on the concept of journey. It's a more evocative landscape, with snow as a motif. This is because I believe that the severe yet beautiful snowy scenery, which has lost its color to the extreme due to monochrome,
India; Kalava – The sacred thread by Sirsendu Gayen

India; Kalava – The sacred thread by Sirsendu Gayen

Allahabad is one of the oldest cities in India. It is delineated in old sacred texts as ‘Prayag’, ‘Teertharaj’ or ‘Prayagraj’ and is considered to be the holiest of pilgrimage centres of India.
Athens fish & meat market by Milos Bicanski

Athens fish & meat market by Milos Bicanski

At the Athens Central Market, the air rings with the cries of traders hawking their wares. “Red mullet, fresh red mullet,” they call out to passersby. “Hello, my friend! Fresh meat, good price!” The current building housing the city’s main fish and meat market
Interview with Dimitri Weber; published in our print edition #15

Interview with Dimitri Weber; published in our print edition #15

I like the colours on my pictures to pop a bit. To be as natural as possible, while catching the eyes of the people looking at my pictures. So, I enhance some of those colours during my editing process, mostly to give them a homogeneous look that suits my style.
Ship building; The Shipyard Workers of Dhaka by Nick Ng

Ship building; The Shipyard Workers of Dhaka by Nick Ng

Bangladesh has more than 100 ship building yards, with most of them serving the domestic market. Dhaka Shipyard by the river Buriganga, on the outskirt of Dhaka, is one of the leading shipyards in Bangladesh.
Living with God by Abhijit Chakraborty

Living with God by Abhijit Chakraborty

India is synonymous with rich tradition and heritage of religious practices of all religions since time immemorial. Hinduism is one such practice that has grabbed the attention of the rest of the Universe because of various reasons.

Other Stories

stay in touch
Join our mailing list and we'll keep you up to date with all the latest stories, opportunities, calls and more.
We use Sendinblue as our marketing platform. By Clicking below to submit this form, you acknowledge that the information you provided will be transferred to Sendinblue for processing in accordance with their terms of use
We’d love to
Thank you for subscribing!
Submission
Dodho Magazine accepts submissions from emerging and professional photographers from around the world.
Their projects can be published among the best photographers and be viewed by the best professionals in the industry and thousands of photography enthusiasts. Dodho magazine reserves the right to accept or reject any submitted project. Due to the large number of presentations received daily and the need to treat them with the greatest respect and the time necessary for a correct interpretation our average response time is around 5/10 business days in the case of being accepted.
- Between 10/30 images of your best images, in case your project contains a greater number of images which are part of the same indivisible body of work will also be accepted. You must send the images in jpg format to 1200px and 72dpi and quality 9. (No borders or watermarks)
- A short biography along with your photograph. (It must be written in the third person)
- Title and full text of the project with a minimum length of 300 words. (Texts with lesser number of words will not be accepted)
This is the information you need to start preparing your project for its presentation
To send it, you must compress the folder in .ZIP format and use our Wetransfer channel specially dedicated to the reception of works. Links or projects in PDF format will not be accepted. All presentations are carefully reviewed based on their content and final quality of the project or portfolio. If your work is selected for publication in the online version, it will be communicated to you via email and subsequently it will be published.
Contact
How can we help? Got an idea or something you'd like share? Please use the adjacent form, or contact contact@dodho.com
Thank You. We will contact you as soon as possible.
Submission
Dodho Magazine accepts submissions from emerging and professional photographers from around the world.
Their projects can be published among the best photographers and be viewed by the best professionals in the industry and thousands of photography enthusiasts. Dodho magazine reserves the right to accept or reject any submitted project. Due to the large number of presentations received daily and the need to treat them with the greatest respect and the time necessary for a correct interpretation our average response time is around 5/10 business days in the case of being accepted. This is the information you need to start preparing your project for its presentation.
To send it, you must compress the folder in .ZIP format and use our Wetransfer channel specially dedicated to the reception of works. Links or projects in PDF format will not be accepted. All presentations are carefully reviewed based on their content and final quality of the project or portfolio. If your work is selected for publication in the online version, it will be communicated to you via email and subsequently it will be published.
Get in Touch
How can we help? Got an idea or something you'd like share? Please use the adjacent form, or contact contact@dodho.com
Thank You. We will contact you as soon as possible.