Hot Updates and Education Portal: Serbia

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More than 90,000 migrants, many of them fleeing conflict in the 
Middle East, have transited through Croatia since mid-September after EU
 member Hungary closed its border with Serbia, forcing them to find a 
new route.The Croatian sun has given way to rain and the temperature has 
dropped, but refugees and migrants continue to stream into the country, 
forcing officials and charities to scramble to prepare for wintry 
conditions.He laughs it off, but next to him others shiver on the muddy road in 
Bapska, an eastern village in Croatia that is the first point of entry 
for travellers seeking better lives in northern Europe, especially 
Germany.“It’s starting to get really cold. For someone of my origin, it’s not
 easy!” said Syrian student Ahmad, 22, dressed in a hooded jacket and 
waterproof cape.<br />

Despite the cold, the wind and the drizzle, few complain as they wait
 to be transferred to a reception centre in Opatovac, about 12 
kilometres away.“For
 the adults, it’s still ok, but for the children it is starting to get 
difficult,” said a 58-year-old man who fled the Syrian city of Raqqa, 
which Islamic State jihadists have designated their capital.In these eastern Croatian plains, the weather has changed quickly.“A few days ago the people were suffering from the heat. Now the cold
 and rain have arrived and at night, the temperature can fall to 5 
degrees,” said Nathalie Salles, coordinator of the Doctors Without 
Borders mission in Croatia, based in the Opatovac camp.“The risks now, especially for children, are hypothermia and respiratory infections.”The Croatian Red Cross has been distributing blankets and raincoats 
at Opatovac, where many have arrived without sufficient clothing, 
according to volunteers.At the camp, which is Croatia’s main reception centre and seen as the
 showcase for its treatment of migrants, the initial chaos seen in 
September has subsided and improvements are under way, little by little.The centre can facilitate 4,000 people, and some prefabricated 
housing has been erected to house children and mothers, along with new 
tents, some of them with heating.<br />

But the majority of migrants are housed in large military tents, on top of which rainwater regularly accumulates.