Refugee

Carol Guzy

Washington Post

Aferdita Mirena, 24 year-old patient from Pristina, has been at the mental institution at Stimlje, Kosovo for 10 years. She endlessly rolls her head back and forth in her bed. As NATO peacekeepers entered the province, the Serbs staff members fled in fear of Albanian reprisals, leaving the patients abandoned. What assaults the senses first is the wretched stench of urine and soiled mattresses. Then the site of people in rags aimlessly wandering the grounds of the Dickensian facility. Five nurses returned, but were overwhelmed with the care of 350 patients. They hope that with the world's attention shining on the province, there may be hope for improved care.

Carol Guzy, "Refugee," in POYi Archive, Item #29456, http://archive.poy.org/items/show/29456 (accessed November 23, 2024).