Sophie Heywood

a day in the life of a cribs caseworker!

Daphne shares one of her busy days with us! She never stops as she juggles appointments for three different women, breaking down the many barriers that they face in accessing vital medical care.

8:45: Call a taxi to pick up 38 weeks pregnant woman for hospital appointment.

Walk to maternity hospital. 

9:15: arrive at hospital, speak to nurses, pay for perinatal test, wait.

10:00: call another taxi for new mum #1 to take her new-born for his hospital appointment. Explain where she needs to go and why I can not join her yet.

10:30: I receive a call from new mum #1 – the hospital reception won’t let her proceed due to her baby’s lack of AMKA. After 2-3 phone calls they let her into her appointment.

11:00: pregnant woman is finally in for her perinatal test. While waiting I am on the phone to another new mum – #2 – whose baby has an appointment for an important ultrasound. I give instructions on what she needs to take with her. Her phone battery runs out halfway through, as she had left her charger the day before in the hospital where her baby was hospitalised for a week. Called her flatmate to try and regain contact.

11:30: perinatal test is over, wait to speak to doctors. Call taxi for the new mum #2 to go to hospital with the baby. 

11:45: I can finally speak to doctors, results are good but baby is over 4kg and breech so according to protocol, a c-section is being planned at 39 weeks. Explain to mum-to-be to get her consent. Instructions given, appointment booked for pre surgery tests on Saturday.

Lots of waiting at hospitals while taking calls!

12:00: Call from an unknown number, it’s the doctor of mum #2 asking why she is not accompanied. Reassure doctor I am on my way.

12:10: mum #1 on the phone, doctor has questions

12:15: call from a partner NGO asking if we can house a 6 month pregnant woman who is suddenly on the streets. We are full but will notify them once a space becomes available, sorry.

Catch a taxi to Aglaia Kyriakou children’s hospital to join mum #2 for ultrasound.

12.30: get prescription stamped, pass by the reception, make payment, then to ultrasound department.

Mum greets me with a beautiful little box with butterflies; a present for me! I give her a hug, almost in tears. Baby just finished ultrasound, no significant changes, I go to speak to the doctors and search for lost charger.

Mum #1 is at Agia Sofia children’s hospital right next door and waiting for me because we need to take her baby’s blood sample to a special lab at the medical university, a ten minute walk. She doesn’t know where it is and the baby is tired and hungry. I ask her to wait a few minutes.

Up at the doctors’ office in Aglaia Kyriakou instructions are given, prescriptions being printed, appointments booked. I interpret and explain everything for mum. System crashes, we are missing one prescription. After small talk with doctors the system comes back on.

Finally with a handful of prescriptions, I run to reception, have prescriptions stamped and go to the hospital next door. 

13:30: Quick chat with mum #2, explain instructions written on paper by doctor.

Both mums and babies exhausted, I put them both in taxi to go home.

I take blood sample to the lab, it starts to rain! 

14:15: I catch the bus back. 

Total cost of medical tests and taxis for the day: 73 euros!

A massive thank you to Daphne for always doing so much for our families!

Sophie Heywood

Sally – home from athens

I am back home from Athens. I look around me and it is so nice to have my own bed, bathroom, kitchen, all my clothes with enough space. To see Fred, the kids, the animals, my friends and of course, wonderful Oscar, my grandbaby. I have yet again come to realise the privilege of my passport, and my money and that I have the freedom to choose what to do today.

Having said that, I miss Athens because I love it and hate it all at once. I love to be there and see what is actually happening. I love to be able to focus on just CRIBS for a short while. I wish I could clone myself and stay longer. I love being with the team, too many biscuits, laughing, coffee and serious discussions. Of course, baby cuddling is really rather wonderful except for the sniffles the wee ones share so generously.

This morning we had an online meeting. I overslept and we started late. Yesterday on the flight, I made a list of ongoing things we need to work on. We have new volunteers Brian and Gary, who will help in the Free Shop and with driving and design – lovely folk both of them. Carol is moving from the Free Shop after years of unpacking boxes and sorting clothes, to do some art and teaching, as well as continuing driving to deliver and collect things from around Athens.

We have plans to get more input from the women we house at CRIBS in terms of how we are doing things and how to make things work better. The group of women in CRIBS are a wonderful bunch and I am excited to see what they will bring.

Anais, after over a year of doing wonderful, exhausting and emotionally draining  work in the Free Shop is getting back on the bike she arrived on (!) to who knows where and Danni from Dublin is taking over, so we talked about the handover and some changes. Thank you, Anais, and welcome to Danni.

And finally, plans to renovate our living spaces! When I was able to actually see things properly for myself, it became pretty clear that some of our older flats are just a wee bit tired and in need of a makeover. Isabel and Costas, will be getting stuck into that and to be honest, it can’t come a day too soon. Isabel is doing wonderful, dedicated work and boy, are we lucky to have her. Now is the time to put some funds into renovation and more comfortable living spaces.

This blog is a bit less energetic than those from Athens but it reflects how I feel…knackered! The people permanently doing this work, day in and day out, you are a bunch of heroes. 

Sophie Heywood

“What difference does your organisation make?” Reflections from Sally.

Here’s a thing. A question. I agreed to do an interview with some students from Toronto University last week. I do try to do these things when I can because it is one way of getting information beyond the very restrictive and often sensationalist boundaries of mainstream media. It’s a small drop in the ocean of information, but for an hour of my time it is worth it.

So the question that sticks with me is “What difference does your organisation make to the wellbeing and integration of the people you are working with”? That’s a good question and is all too easy to answer because the difference between what happens for women when a flexible and dedicated organisation linked with other decent places are involved and when people are left alone without support is massive.

I have been writing this for years, that we make a difference. But on Friday it was brought home to me very starkly. If after reading my blog, you agree that we make a difference, please donate to CRIBS International if you can.

Knowledge is power.

There was much excitement and chat in the front room of our tiny office. Over a period of an hour, 8 women, 10 kids, one doctor, two caseworkers, our flat manager, Isabel and me, assemble for an education session on breast health. I sit there listening to the German doctor explaining in virtually perfect English to Noémie, our Belgian caseworker, who translates to French for the women in the group. We learn about risk factors, self-examination, signs and symptoms. As I sit there, I think, well, everyone probably already knows this, are we being condescending? Then, as the questions come out, I realise that quite a few folk don’t know it and that what I see happening, am a part of, could be lifesaving. That is a big deal. Knowledge is power and it saves lives.

Breast Health workshop delivered by WHOM International, and one mum breastfeeding while listening.

A party.

Then, as it is carnival week – the week before the Greek Orthodox Lent period – we have a party. There are wigs from our case worker Daphne’s daughter’s dressing up box. And someone made food to share. Thank you. Another person turns up the music and dancing begins. I get to hold one of the babies who was born prematurely, while mum has a bit of down time, a dance and some pizza. The baby also had a dance with me. The atmosphere is great: solidarity and a community of women dancing together.

Luckily Daphne had made it back just in time from the asylum office where she had been since 7am with a new mum, not very well and her not very well 3-week-old baby. The baby needed an asylum card in order to get a health card in order to get better. The laughter and cheering I hope was a balm for us all.

Those we can’t help.

Meanwhile, just a few metres away from the party, two women arrive, looking for a place to sleep. One has a three-month-old. She is very thin. The other is 6 months pregnant. I stand there with my privilege of a front door, a valid passport, money and a ticket. And thankfully, beyond the time of periods and pregnancy. I can see they are shattered and in need. I promise to try my best to get them something. A few years ago I would have brought them in, bought food and booked a hotel place. But not this time. Was I wrong? You remember when the teacher said, if we do it for one, we have to do it for all? And you used to seethe with the injustice of it. This is where I found myself. I am parachuting in for 2 weeks from the UK and yes, I had the power to do these things but once I am gone, the fall out for the full-time team would be immense. There are hundreds more women needing our help, outside that door on the streets of Athens. But we are struggling to pay for those we already help. And this is why I didn’t buy them food, give money and pay for a hotel.

So here, here is the ask. There is always an ask from me, isn’t there. I wish I didn’t have to, but this is the reality. While the Greek government and the mega NGOs scoop in the millions even billions of euros and run lovely shiny offices, cars, salaries of £95k and the like, people like us are doing the work and having to ask.

Can you spare a dime?

And to go back to the lovely students from Toronto, how do we make a difference – here you are – this is it.

Sophie Heywood

Katie & Jasmine – Reflections on athens

Last week, two new short-term volunteers, Katie & Jasmine, arrived in Athens to start volunteering with CRIBS. Here are some of their reflections:

Multiculturalism feels real and shared and promising

“The unwelcoming attitude of the Greek government to refugees rarely hits headlines in the UK, but it is something very real here in Athens, and a ubiquitous point of frustration for the organisations seeking to aid refugees. Something far more likely to picked up in UK media is the idea of Athens as a run-down capital, struggling to retain is ancient grace after financial crises and the Covid pandemic. And so, Athens has surprised. It is a vibrant, busy city, which feels amazingly diverse and cosmopolitan. In other capitals, like Paris or London, diversity is clear, but cultural segregation is visible. Yet in Greece, multiculturalism feels real and shared and promising. We noticed this while being sat in a square in Attiki, surrounded by kids and adults speaking multiple languages but all interacting with each other. It was so refreshing to see a public space being used for genuine cross-cultural interaction and the square seemed to capture the essence of the vibrant multiculturalism that exists here.

The plight of refugees, their right to safety and the value they will bring to society feels loud in the urban backstreets …

Across nearly every blank wall in Athens is sprayed some kind of graffiti. Much of it is in Greek, so we haven’t been able to read it. But what has stood out is the number of political slogans in English, many referring to issues of immigration, refugee aid or anti-nationalism. Walking through the streets it feels that there is a vocal activism, and again one with a multiculturalism, utilising a more universal language to gets its point across to as many readers as possible. Yet the use of graffiti perhaps points to how this conversation remains sidelined, and that visibility is only achievable from the bottom up. The plight of refugees, their right to safety and the value they will bring to society feels loud in the urban backstreets, but still ignored by the Greek government, the inheritors of ancient Athenian democracy.

there is a feeling of being let down again and again by the government

It is clear from many interactions we’ve had with immigrants across Athens that there is a feeling of being let down again and again by the government which could offer refuge and safety. There seems to be a common story of vulnerable individuals being forced to go through the asylum process numerous times, and facing the same disappointment and rejections each time. Even NGOs face constant disappointment in trying to deliver the most basic services to refugee camps, as bureaucratic barriers and high security on the refugee camps limit access to them. Successes by NGOs, for example, being allowed to deliver food to the camps, or supplying Pampers to families, is tainted by a sadness, that this is the first delivery in months, or that there won’t be enough Pampers for everyone.

Even in just a week here, there have been such a range of emotions, but Athens has a lot to offer and we are looking forward to getting to know more of its multicultural fabric. We’re excited to be part of CRIBS’ effort to support refugees in Athens and to witness their tangible positive impact.”

Sophie Heywood

moving words from daphne

Daphne is one of our Case Managers, working with families to support them in a whole range of things, from accessing the asylum system to navigating the Greek health care system. Here she reflects on the mums she supports.

This Greek Mother’s Day I celebrated the strongest mothers I’ve known – the refugee mothers, whom I have had the honour of working with and learning from for the past three years.

Mothers who were uprooted to be saved from war, from slavery, from trafficking circuits, from oppressive spouses and abusive societies.

Who have walked for kilometres, curled up in flimsy boats and backs of trucks, experienced prison, torture, rape, pushbacks, the brutality of refugee camps and Greek obstetric violence.

Who became lionesses to have a better fate for their children.

And they continue to fight every day, along with all their personal demons, in a country that often deprives them of basic human rights and against an inhuman European policy.

Dealing with an unimaginable cyclone of asylum procedures, very often without shelter, without healthcare, without identity, while being called on to keep their children fed, warm and safe.

Who embrace every possibility given to them, to create a new life for themselves and for their children.

Who always have a smile and a thank you on their lips for every nugget of humanity they meet.

Who always ask me how my children are, if I rested, and they worry if they don’t see me for two days.

Who often call me mom and put aside some of their little money to get me a present for Mother’s Day.

Sophie Heywood

An update from leonie

I’ve been volunteering with CRIBS for just over a month now, and what a month it’s been! During my time here, CRIBS free shop has had 125 appointments for clothes, and in the first week of April alone has given 65 families nappies, sanitary and hygiene products! The team has been working hard to ensure that CRIBS families are empowered with safety, security and information to start rebuilding their lives.

This week, we distributed our monthly bulk buy to families – full of fruits, vegetables and pantry staples to prepare nutritious meals, delivering 19 packs across Athens (unfortunately this month’s bulk buy coincided with the arrival of summer, so wewere all very hot by the end of this!).

We also had our first event in the community space, a breastfeeding support session for CRIBS mums hosted in collaboration with CHEERing. It was great to see the space beaming and give our mums and babies a chance to get to know one another.

On top of this, we welcomed someone new to the CRIBS case management team – Salomé. Welcome and thank you for your hard work and enthusiasm!

Next week, I will be commencing a 6-week English language programme with CRIBS families, covering useful topics such as seeing the doctor, writing CV’s and sending emails to employers. As a shameless plug, we are hoping to acquire a couple of refurbished laptops to keep in our community space for our families to use during these sessions. Anything you can spare to help us do this would mean the world.

Keep your eyes peeled on our social media for exciting updates- thank you for reading, sharing and supporting the work we do, it really does change lives.

Sophie Heywood

Leonie arrives in athens

Leonie had already impressed us all at CRIBS with her 24 hour danceathon fundraiser. When we discovered that she had not only managed to complete this crazy task, but had also raised over £1,300 (smashing her £450 target) we were over the moon!
Leonie has kindly agreed to write us a blog of her time spent with CRIBS, and we start off here when she arrived at the beginning of March.

Leonie raised over £1,300 in her 24 hour danceathon before heading out to Athens!

My first week

I have been volunteering with CRIBS in Athens for one week now, it has been amazing to get stuck in and see first-hand the impact that CRIBS has on so many lives.

Here are some of the highlights from my first week.

On Thursday, I headed to the free shop to meet Anaïs, the shop’s manager. She had a full day of appointments scheduled, so it was great to see how things work & meet some cute children! The free shop is so important as women are empowered with self-determination, selecting items that they want, that are their preference.

At the end of the day, we had a big delivery of diapers and other items from Christian Refugee Relief. We got these ready for distribution next week!

Just a snapshot of the diaper delivery!

On Friday, the free shop is closed, so I attended a virtual networking event. It’s lovely to be able to connect with like-minded people- isn’t technology amazing?! 

After a weekend of rest and exploring Athens, I headed to the free shop. It was a national holiday (reminder: get Anaïs a Greek calendar!), but it was still busy with appointments & people collecting diapers. I was able to get stuck into sorting the clothes upstairs with Paul, a local volunteer- I was absolutely in my element as I love to sort and organise!

Included in the pack that CRIBS distributes to mothers:
30 diapers
Baby wipes
Sanitary products
Shower gel
Child’s toothbrush and toothpaste

On Tuesday, I began devising a survey to better understand the birth experiences of refugees and inform CRIBS services. I’m an (aspiring) action-oriented researcher, so I’m excited to start the process. 

In honour of International Women’s Day, I went to a march with some new friends who are here on Erasmus. Athens is a very sociable city with lots of young people, and it was wonderful to see so many people celebrating and supporting women.

A snapshot of the performance in Pl. Klafthmonos on International Women’s Day!