Feature: Stop war, end refugee tragedies, say volunteers from Greece's Lesvos island

The Greek island in the Aegean Sea has drawn the international attention since early 2015 due to the refugee crisis, most notably for the hospitality and solidarity the residents showed to the more than half a million refugees passing through on their journey to northern Europe.

In particular, the efforts of two local volunteers, one grandmother and a fisherman from the village of Skala Sykamnias, were recognized by Greek academics and members of the Hellenic Olympic Committee.

Xinhua spoke to two of the nominees, Aimilia Kamvisi and Stratis Valiamos.

Kamvisi is an 85-year-old grandmother, and a daughter of refugees who came from Turkey to Lesvos in 1922 during the population exchange between Greece and Turkey. She lived her whole life in the village of Skala Sykamnias.

Kamvisi, along with her cousins -- 89-year-old Efstratia Mavrapidou and 85-year-old Maritsa Mavrapidou -- have become symbols of Lesvos volunteering, after photojournalist Lefteris Partsalis took a photo of them holding and feeding a refugee child in the autumn of 2015.

"Every day, during the summer of 2015, we finished the housework and went near the shores to help other volunteers who were rescuing refugees. It was our moral duty," Kamvisi said.

She said the war had to stop. "The tragedy of babies losing their lives in the Aegean Sea must stop. We want peace and quietness. Politicians must look after these babies. I see them as my grandchildren."

Stratis Valiamos is a 40-year-old fisherman at Skala Sykamnias. He had been saving refugees in the Aegean Sea for several years before the numbers increased dramatically and the international community began hearing about people risking their lives to cross to Europe.

"We all understand that refugees who reach Lesvos with their belongings in a plastic bag and their children in their arms, are not coming here for vacations, but to save themselves. Everyone would do the same to escape war. Governments should find solutions to stop the war," he told Xinhua.

Susan Sarandon, the famous Hollywood actress and activist, spent Christmas on the island documenting the struggles of the displaced. Also, she spent a lot of her time with the "Dirty Girls" who saw the littered beaches as an opportunity to recycle and simultaneously provide a service.

Local volunteers gather the dirty clothes from the sand and rocks, place them in bags, label them, and leave them by the side of the road. "Dirty girls" pick them up, wash and dry them, and then distribute the garments to the camps and outposts cropping up along the coast. Even heavy-duty blankets and shoes are sanitized so they can go to good use. "I love doing laundry," Sarandon was quoted as saying by local media, "folding and sorting for me has always been a near meditation."

The actress left the island in December 2015, bringing home refugees' stories which she collected during her contribution to the relief effort. Endit