On our first day in Athens we met with Georgia and Rana from Amurtel - a mother and baby support group in Athens.

We had a really warm welcome from our new partners, who we recently supplied with a £1000 grant for perinatal support services. They showed us around the Centre, which instantly felt like a calm and safe haven for the 400 women that come for support each month. They work with a curriculum of workshops, lessons and support groups. There is a lactation consultant, they prep the women for giving birth in Greek hospitals, integration workshops, creative courses like macrame and painting, legal advice, and they run an absolutely vital service providing nappies and clothes in their newly opened dignified free shop.

Pretty much all of the women they receive are in vulnerable and difficult situations: without secure shelter, they have very little to no finances, and some of them face domestic abuse with no way out. They have also received many women who have suffered from FGM.

Although Amurtel offers community, counselling, advise and support to these women, vital services like safe housing and financial support have been cut back all across Greece, leaving them in trapped situations with no long term solutions.

As for all of us in the sector at the moment, funding is becoming increasingly difficult when in fact they see a huge need to expand their operations to the ever increasing demand. E.g. They have plans to open Greek classes for mothers with small children, as this is an enormous issue: mums can’t learn the language, integrate, and find work when there is nobody to look after their really small children if they can’t be brought to class.

We are really proud to have this amazing team of inspiring and empowering women as part of the forRefugees family. They keep going with their services to a really high standard and with absolute heaps and heaps of love!