Sophie Baud is a Franch nurse. Here are extracts from her diary.
When I arrived last week, I couldn΄t believe the number of people and tents. There are more than 25,000 refugees here, and hundreds of tents.
Sometimes it΄s hard to imagine that I΄m in a war zone. Everyone dresses normally in jeans, T-shirts and trainers. Children and teenagers play football and basketball in the spaces around the tents. They play for hours because they are bored. There isn΄t much to do in a refugee camp. There is no TV to watch or cinema to go to.
My work here is very hard. There are no fixed hours. At the beginning, I was working over fifteen hours a day with almost no break. But I΄d rather work than sit and di nothing.
Today was particularly hard. It was very hot and a lot of old people fainted from the heat. Then a girl of fifteen called Mira was brought in to see me. She has a liver disease and is very ill. If she doesn΄t get to hospital soon, I think she will die.
Fortunately, many of the medical cases are only minor. People often cut their fingers and mouths on the sharp edges of the food tins.
There is a mental health of the team here too because a lot of people have psychological problems. They have seen some terrible things.
I΄ve managed to send Mira to a hospital. This is very good news.
Today was my last day. When I left the camp, my jeep was followed by hundreds of people saying goodbye. I΄d like to come back again soon. It΄s good to know that I΄ve been of some use here.