Feed & Empower Over 5000 Refugees in Greece

The threat of COVID-19 has made starker than ever the crucial need for fresh, healthy food. Food provided by the camps more often than not is lacking in the vitamins and minerals that are essential for a good immune system - critical to help fight off any infection. Lockdown restrictions have brought a range of challenges to our partners on the ground, but through innovation and hard work they have continued to provide crucial nutritional support.  

On Samos, with our support, Refugee 4 Refugees gained permission from the local municipality as well as from camp management allowing families with young children to leave the camp and visit their free shop, allowing them to recieve a month's supply of baby food, as well as diapers and hygiene items. The camp provides no age appropriate food for babies and toddler and so this food is essential for healthy growth and development. 

On Lesvos, with our support, Movement on the Ground have opened an additional food distribution line meaning residents do not have to queue for so long surrounded by so many people, therefore reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmissions. Supporting pregnant women on the island, Because We Carry now distribute weekly food baskets of fresh fruit and vegetables to keep the women strong and healthy. Along with this project we are proud to have supported the team in their Ramadan project, which ensured that pregnant women, single women and unaccompanied minors had something fresh with which to break their day's fast with.

On the mainland, we have supported Khora in their incredible food outreach project, supporting vulnerable migrant and homeless populations, the team have prepared 52,000 meals a month, all delivered by their fleet of cyclists. To further support homeless migrant populations, we have also worked with Steps in Athens, and with Wave in Thessaloniki, who are both distributing fresh, healthy meals daily. With our support, FoodKIND continue to provide much-needed food baskets to those living in Oinofyta and Malakasa camp, and the Intervolve team, whilst they cannot open their Irida Women's Centre as normal, are instead supporting their community with essential grocery supplies. 

All these incredible, essential projects are possible because of you. Thank you so much - choosing love makes a world of difference. 

With your continued support with donations via the GlobalGiving foundation, we have been able to continue to fund our wonderful partners, We Are One, on the island of Samos, in Greece.

This week, 208 people arrived on Samos island, an increase from last week’s 105 arrivals and from last year's 111 arrivals during the same period. Women account for 22% of the population, and children for 27%, of whom more than 7 out of 10 are younger than 12 years old.

The Greek government has failed to “meet the basic needs of pregnant women and new mothers”, as Human Rights Watch reported in 2019. Failure to provide appropriate amounts of nutritious food and lack of nutrition during pregnancy could cause health and development problems for babies and women.

In response to this situation Help Refugees teamed up with the We Are One centre (run by Glocal Roots) to provide sufficient service, and together with we have been able to able provide pregnant women with supplementary food. In their safe spaces We Are One offers foods such as eggs, fresh salad, nuts, oranges, drinks for pregnant women and bananas for babies. As well as this there is a specific pregnant women’s programme, which happens every Monday to provide additional nutritious meals and fresh salad, tailored specifically to meet the needs of pregnant women who visit.

Receiving food in the camp requires a long wait in line – often for hours - to pick up a small portion, low in nutrition which does not cover the basic dietary needs of pregnant women. This makes it even more essential for us to keep supporting our partners, and together with We Are One we are grateful to be able to be a part of bringing essential, nutritious meals to those who are struggling in Samos, particularly those pregnant women who have so many other struggles of their own.

Thank you, so much, to all the supporters who enable us and our partners to do this work. By choosing love and working together, we really can make a difference.