Behind the Scenes with Attika Human Support, Athens
With Louise Bowe, Community & Fundraising Coordinator at Attika Human Support
Attika has been around since 2015, we started in Lesvos and also expanded to Athens where we run our largest warehouse. Our strengths are logistics and aid supply management; a large number of grassroots groups and small NGOs all across Greece rely on our goods to reach them at the right time. So far this winter, people living in Greece as refugees have had warm clothes and winter jackets, baby food, blankets, sleeping bags and thousands of other emergency essentials because of Attika’s supplies. We sometimes have a surplus of certain items, or too little (men’s winter jackets being an obvious one!) and we have to figure out where the need is the highest. We are constantly adapting to the changing needs all over Greece. We know that each item we unpack, sort and lovingly repack is an act of solidarity.
“Thanks to the incredible support of Attika we were able to distribute over 100 items of warm winter jackets and boots to the wonderful women at our centre this winter.”
Towards the end of 2023 we realised we had a big gap in our funding to cover our overheads. Not just the rent, but since the war in Ukraine, utilities have become incredibly expensive, especially for our enormous operational warehouse. We applied for several grants and were absolutely delighted to receive a grant from forRefugees, and they were able to transfer us the much needed money very quickly. This meant we could pay rent and the bills for the next couple of months. For us this really meant the difference between foreclosure and staying open to provide Greece with warmth and essential aid this winter.
“We were absolutely delighted to quickly receive a grant from forRefugees. They really understand the urgency because they know the situation on the ground so well.”
Not just us, but everybody on the ground in Greece has noticed a big drop in funds and aid the past couple of years. We can no longer take for granted that money will come in to help vulnerable people. We think the change has come since Brexit, which made it more difficult for containers and trucks to cross the border with physical aid items, with added costs and complicated paperwork. A large percentage of our goods used to come from the UK, but this has virtually become impossible. Also global events like the war in the Ukraine, and more recently the situation in Gaza and Isreal, has shifted the focus for aid and donations away from Greece. Understandable, of course, but the needs here are still just as great – a large increase of people arriving to the islands, and a quick transfer of residents from the islands to the mainland. The mainland needs can be harder to fulfil because people are more spread out, and more hidden. We work very closely together with our partners on the ground to react to these sudden shifts and get them what is needed.
Until now we have always managed to keep our head above water. But now, because monetary and goods donations are no longer guaranteed, we have to find a constant balance between sourcing supplies, and thinking about whether we will actually still be here in a few months time to receive them. Do we keep asking for more stuff? The uncertainty is difficult, but within the Attika team we help each other, and we also have so many supportive and kind partners who help us with moral support and guidance. Some days I do wake up feeling that our work is just a drop in the ocean but, when I speak with the other volunteers and when I see the situation on the ground, then I know that we have to keep going for as long as we can. It's so important that the communities we serve know that there are people out there who care about them.
We have an amazing community of support, and we’re not giving up!