The sky was dark The Aegean Sea splashed against the rubber boat Men and women huddled together in the cool November air Most wore life vests Many held babies and small children
A widow and her five children were among the families on the boat that night in 2015 They had fled their home in Mosul Iraq Islamist State extremists were fighting Iraqi soldiers for control of the city Tanks and soldiers with guns roamed the streets Bombs exploded and gunfire rang out all around A three year old Turkish Van cat named Kunkush crouched in a basket on the widow's lap The widow and her family had walked for much of the way to Turkey They couldn't bring their things from home but they refused to leave Kunkush behind
Turkey Lesvos Aegean Sea The fighting in Iraq had forced hundreds of thousands to flee Many went to refugee camps in Turkey If they could get to Greece volunteers would help them find new homes in Europe But to get across the water they had to pay smugglers to take them secretly during the night Kunkush's family had paid an extra 1 000 Euros to bring their cat in a basket Crossing the ocean in a rubber raft was dangerous Often the smugglers let too many people ride at once Many had drowned when the boats capsized
Those who made it safely to Greece had more trouble ahead Camps were overcrowded Volunteers were running out of supplies It was becoming harder to find new homes for the refugees The people on the raft knew about these dangers They took the risk in hopes of finding better lives
