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!

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. 

“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.

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.”

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.

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.

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! 
black and whire image of people standing in front of small tents

Greek government quietly withdraws cashcards to leave 25,000 refugees at risk

On Thursday 15th April, the Secretary General of Migration and Asylum, Mr. Manos Logothetis, put out a low key press release on the department’s website. A few tweaks here and there to refugee funding means anyone not living in state accommodation will lose access to a cashcard on 1 July 2021. This decision by the populist right-wing government is catastrophic and the refugee worker community is extremely anxious.

The UNHCR give a conservative estimate of 25,000 people currently in flats paid for out of their cashcards or funded by small charities like CRIBS International. For families unable to access charitable accommodation and/or the support of cash cards it can mean overcrowding, bedbugs, no hot water, sleeping in corridors or balconies (and paying for it).  This payment may come in the form of systematic rape or slave labour. Food comes from solidarity kitchens and sometimes from market bins. This is really bad but it is about to get so much worse. This is going to fall apart.

Without a cash card, these 25,000 people (at least) will no longer have any money to pay their rent or buy food. Small charities, like CRIBS, are already full to the brim and have extensive waiting lists of desperate families. We can’t help. The solidarity kitchens are stretched to breaking point too.

What is going to happen?

Come the 1st July (the start of the holiday season) refugees will run out of money. Evictions will increase and landlords will rent their properties on AirBnB for a whole lot more. The streets of Athens will be packed with hungry, thirsty, refugees.

25,000 people will be hard to hide in the city but less so in the rural country and mountains – of which there is an abundance of in Greece. The EU has just agreed to give €250m of funding for five new structures on the islands of Lesbos, Samos, Chios, Kos and Leros. A word of caution though, this Greek government has never been too worried about where EU refugee money is spent. The camps will be in the middle of nowhere. Current rules mean that only registered organisations can work in the camps. Registering an NGO in Greece is virtually, and deliberately, impossible. Even the EU has been so bold as to criticise the Greek NGO registration process.

The police will round up homeless people, just as they have done all winter in the capital’s Victoria Square. This is a well-known gathering spot for homeless people and close to many NGO centres. The authorities will bus people to camps where it is illegal to send out photographs of conditions. We have seen these conditions and they amount to food crawling with maggots, no water for washing, snakes, mosquitoes, overheating, suicides, minimal – if any – education. We know this will happen and, like before, calls for action when desperation increases will be ignored. No scrutiny, no problem. Things are going to swiftly go from bloody awful to unimaginable.

As ever, we say what can we do? We will continue to make things a bit better for a small number of people. But the political backdrop has just been painted a far darker colour, and our task has become much harder.

Please help

At present our amazing donors and volunteer team are providing housing and support to 17 families. Nine of these are without cashcards and receive no state support so CRIBS provides a monthly stipend to cover family living expenses. Eight of our families are currently accessing state funds via their cash card and so CRIBS does not need to contribute towards their family living expenses.

  • We are currently paying £1,736 per month in family living expenses.
  • When the eight families lose their cash card income in July, we will need to find an additional £1,215 per month.
  • Yearly this is an increase of 67.5% (from £20,834 to £34,897) at a minimum. In reality with other emergency payments e.g. medications that we currently cover for non-cashcard families it will be more than that.

Another huge impact will be that it will become even more difficult to move families away from CRIBS accommodation and into independent living once their baby reaches 12 months old. At present, our families with cashcards are able to save towards a deposit and rent – our families without a cashcard rely on our Moving On grant (capped at 750 Euros) to cover this. Even with the Moving On grant we recognise that with no income it is impossible to cover rents and we fear that our families may end up living on the streets and in parks. This is not safe for anybody, let alone a small child.

We are already planning the following measures:

  • Advising families with cashcards to save for when the cashcard ceases.
  • Reassuring them that we will all do our very best to support them.
  • Taking steps to source food supplies and community kitchens that our families can access.
  • Decided not to rent any further accommodation and to stop any expansion plans to address the overwhelming demand for housing from pregnant women and those with new-borns who are forced to live in precarious and dangerous situations.

This isn’t enough and we really need your help. Please can you consider a one off or regular donation to CRIBS for our Mayday Appeal? Use the link below to help bridge the cash card gap over the next year. If you are a UK tax payer, please select the giftaid option. Thank you.

Donate now, support CRIBS families

Greek government plays hard politics with asylum seekers

By Carla Deckers

After some months of hectic activity behind the scenes, we are back with a new post on the political situation regarding asylum and migration matters in Greece.

Everyday, dinghies are arriving at the shores of Lesvos, Chios or Samos carrying desperate people, among them many pregnant women and babies. Camps, such as Moria are dramatically overcrowded. This year alone, 62,000 people arrived on the islands. Winter is close and news of people freezing to death will come. 

New policies

Obviously the situation has to change as quickly as possible. However, the direction the Greek government is heading towards is alarming. Here is a brief overview on what the new Greek government plans to do.

Politico and The Guardian report that overcrowded camps on the islands will be shut down and replaced by detention centres. These may be on uninhabited islands or in isolated areas on the mainland.

These centres will be closed facilities. People’s freedom of movement will be severely restricted. They will not be free to go in and out as they wish. They will have to stick to certain schedules

What’s the point of these changes? 

  • By establishing these detention centres, deportations will be easier and faster
  • Only registered NGOs will have access to the camps and these registrations are tightly controlled.
  • These changes will not improve the conditions of asylum seekers.

Impact on lives

“Asylum seekers can be detained in Greece for extended period and with limited means of appeal (the asylum rejection), in clear violation of international standards, under which detention should not be the rule.” 

Amnesty International comment on the government’s plans

The International Organisation of Migration (IOM) warned that camps on the  Greek mainland, especially Athens and Thessaloniki, are already beyond capacity. 

By early 2020 more than 20,000 asylum seekers will be transferred to the mainland. What does this mean for CRIBS International? Work on the ground will become even tougher. Accommodation will become scarcer, hospitals more overcrowded and discriminatory attitudes will increase.

So please everyone, spread the word. Discuss this with  friends, family or neighbours and keep on supporting us. Donations are needed more than ever. 

Sophie’s Diary – part two

So, my aim at blogging every other day lasted as far as day two! 

Hospital visits

The following week was filled with going to the hospital with F to see her newborn son. Each day we thought he would be sent home the next day, and each day he wasn’t. We were told the baby was well, but we must wait for the test results to be sure.

I understand and appreciate the caution taken by the Greek hospitals but also worry about the impact of separating a baby from his mother for 10 days at less than three weeks old, and the impact on future breastfeeding (because I’m an expert at all this now you know! – Thanks Sally!)

image of a baby in hospital
F’s baby in hospital

A week later on the Wednesday we also took F’s three year old daughter to the hospital with a suspected urine infection. This involved a lot of waiting around, but F was able to go and feed baby regularly while I waited with her daughter trying to keep her entertained.

I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to be a single mother with a 3 year old and a baby in a foreign country with no family, and husband still stuck in Syria.

So, I was happy to be able to help at this even more distressing time. 

Good news and difficult decisions

We also had a success story … and then a very difficult decision to make. A CRIBS family had moved out – the dad had got a job and with the support of CRIBS they found their own flat. This was wonderful news, and is exactly what the charity is about – giving people some stability in their hour of need, and enabling them to find their feet in a new country, develop their language skills and find work. 

This meant we were able to look to our waiting list to decide who to move in next. This turned out to be pretty awful – we had 7 families on the waiting list. We talked through their situations, including:

  • A pregnant mum with diabetes and a toddler
  • A woman sleeping on the floor of a church with her newborn
  • A woman sleeping in a park with a sick newborn 

We had to make that decision and we did so as a group.

When you are having to decide what’s worse between situations like this you really realise how bad things are.

When a mother with a newborn baby can’t access housing provided by authorities, you have to ask where the system has gone wrong, where all that EU money has gone. 

Free shop, new knickers

Another day or so was spent helping Qasim and Shazia with the CRIBS Free Shop – which is currently opening on an ad hoc basis to provide the families with the things they need, with dignity and respect.

a man stands next to rails of clothes in the CRIBs Free Shop
Qasim in the Free Shop

They can browse the clothes, household items, kitchen equipment, books and toys and choose what they’d like – just like any other shop, but minus the payment at the end, all thanks to the wonderful people bringing and sending donations. 

We had just had a huge delivery of women’s knickers from a local supplier arranged by the wonderful Mary Dallas and enabled by the huge success of my “Smalls for Sophie” campaign. We raised £110 and received an additional £100 from the Aagean Sol Network. So far this has purchased 132 pairs of knickers and we are looking to buy some toiletries this week with some of the remaining money. Any extra will go to rents etc, as mentioned in the Facebook appeal.

Thanks so much to everyone who donated, we had lots of happy customers, and plenty left for other women who we expect to be serving in the next week or so. 

A handbook

In between all this I finally got to meet Brittany and her gorgeous baby Ariyan. We talked about what was needed to help operations run more smoothly on the ground, and among other things we agreed to write up a CRIBS Handbook – to get all this extensive information from people’s minds into a document that can be used by others to run things day-to-day. 

In addition, my time has been spent creating processes and policies to make life easier for everyone. It may sound boring to some and don’t worry I won’t go into detail, but I love coming up with something that I know will make things much simpler and save so much time! 

This has of course been broken up with more lovely food and chai from Shazia, as well as a much needed visit to the island of Evia to visit Mary Dallas and have a break from the madness of Athens!

One week left – I don’t know where the time has gone, and lots to do in this last week, but feeling very happy to be part of such wonderful and essential work.