OUR STORY
CRIBS was founded by Sally Hyman after she volunteered in a refugee camp in Greece in 2016. The idea was born (quite literally) with baby Ahmed, whose mother required an emergency Caesarean section. She was due to return to the bare earth floor of a tent after major surgery, and Sally could not stand by and let that happen. She rented a place for them to stay and sourced the essentials they would need. Since then CRIBS has expanded to housing 15 families in 7 flats, along with opening a Free Shop and Community Space providing support to the wider refugee community in Athens.
WHAT WE DO
Housing
We provide a home for 15 women and their families. With their own bathroom, kitchen and front door, these women can bring their babies into the world in a safe, clean space. They have the chance to recover from childbirth and to begin to recover from the traumatic journeys they have faced. We provide a monthly living allowance to enable the women to access everything they need in a dignified way, promoting autonomy and independence.
CASE MANAGEMENT
As well as housing, our case managers support our mums to navigate the healthcare system, and provide advocacy around birth to ensure women have choice and dignity. They provide perinatal support, and give advice, support and information on breastfeeding. We also assist with the complex asylum system, and with accessing education opportunities and employment.
Free Shop
Our Free Shop serves the wider refugee community in Athens, serving women and children and specialising in providing the essentials for mums and newborn babies. Every month we provide over 250 families with hygiene and nappy packs, and over 100 families visit our free shop for an appointment for clothes and essentials.
Community Space
Our Community Space is used for a range of activities, run by both CRIBS and other organisations. These include our weekly Women’s Group, breastfeeding support sessions, language classes run by our volunteers, and Grow Clinics to monitor baby’s development.
Women’s Group
Our weekly women’s group started at the request of the women we house, and gives them a time to get together, socialise and learn from one another. It takes place in our Community Space, or the group goes out and about to explore their neighbourhood.
Registration & Annual Report
CRIBS is a UK charity registered in England and Wales with the Charity Commission (1173021) and as a non‑profit company with Companies House (10644387).
You can read our latest annual report by clicking this link or the thumbnail image.
About the images
The artwork on this website was created by Cedric Diyavova (DCR), Ayar Jalal (Iraqi Kurdistan), Cym D’Souza (UK) and Georgie Wellbrook-Millar (UK). These original works were made especially for CRIBS and appeared in the 2021 calendar which raised crucial funds to support our families.