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.
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!
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!
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.
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