Greece

Greece: Mother & Baby Care for Refugees

greece-kiddos

For the past 10 months, Amurtel volunteers in Greece have been working with refugee families, providing support for pregnant and nursing moms and newborn babies. This wave of migration is unprecedented since WWII and is changing the face of Europe and the Middle East. It’s also changing the way relief organizations operate. Amurtel, as the only NGO focused solely on the needs of women and babies from pregnancy through infancy, works together with many of other groups, to create spaces and services for these most vulnerable of refugees.

Excerpts of reports from the field:

“It was a swelteringly hot day in Victoria Square, downtown Athens. Inside one of the many refugee tents sat a very pregnant woman with two small children at her side. Even from the pavement we could see sweat on her brow as she fanned herself continuously. Seeing how swollen her feet and legs were, we asked how pregnant she was. She falteringly answered, “Nine.”  Nine months pregnant? This was still the time when refugees walked from the border of one country to the next, sometimes for days on end. I could easily imagine the horrifying thought of her going into labor in the middle of nowhere.
The desperation and urgency in the minds of those transiting through Greece on their way to northern Europe is staggering. Statistics tell us that amongst refugee populations, pregnancy and childbirth complications are the leading cause of death among women. Our team of midwives, doulas, and breastfeeding specialists, are present in the camps in Athens and periodically on the island of Lesvos to meet these women and babies and offer support.
We’ve seen many mothers ready to give birth any day and newborns sometimes days old. A brief maternal or infant check can go far in reassuring the family.. For these mothers, fear for their children’s safety constantly grips their minds. While moving from camp to camp, from boat to bus to train to going on foot, it’s a constant worry. Being shown how to use baby carriers has offered great relief for mothers and fathers alike. Knowing the child is on them and with them at all times creates a sense of safety and helps shelter the child from some of the traumatic effects of the journey. As one mother said,  after being given an infant wrap that let her wear her two month old close on her chest, “I  feel more at ease. My hands are free for my older children while my heart takes care of my baby.”

greece didi moms

With the closing of the borders at the end of February, camps are gradually being moved from the port into the countryside and people will be staying for longer times.  In May, Amurtel outfitted a small camper as a mobile clinic, allowing our team to meet with women in multiple camps.

A more recent field report:

“It’s a hot day at the port. The sea breeze coming over the water helps cool down the mothers and babies waiting outside our small camper.  We’re parked outside the port’s stone warehouse, a large windowless building converted into a temporary refugee shelter. Located midway between the few other ferry terminals that have also become shelters, we’ve been able to serve some of the thousands left stranded at the port when borders closed at the end of February. Since then, our midwives, breastfeeding specialists and other women volunteers have shown up daily to keep the small but amazingly functional space going.
The inner sanctum of the camper has turned into a safe space for examining pregnant and postpartum women and for breastfeeding counseling. The more open spot towards the entrance is the baby bathing area. Taking turns using the one tub, mothers move their littlest ones in and out, feeling relieved for this bit of cleanliness in the often grimy environment. These services, plus the nuts, seeds, and dried fruit we give daily to the pregnant and lactating mothers to supplement their meager meals, create a steady flow of regularly returning mothers and babies along with new ones arriving every day.”

In response to the changing conditions, Amurtel is moving into a new phase of care, addressing the longer term needs of these families, with our focus on working with mothers and babies in the perinatal period staying unchanged. ◆

Spring Update on Greece

Smiling baby after bath
Smiling baby after bath

 

It’s a hot day at the port, more like June than April. The sea breeze coming in over the water helps cools down the mothers and babies waiting outside our small camper cum Mother-Baby Area. We’re parked outside the port’s stone warehouse, a large windowless building converted into a temporary refugee shelter. Located midway between the few other ferry terminals that have also become shelters, we’ve been able to serve some of the thousands left stranded at the port when the northern European borders closed towards the end of February. Since then, our midwives, breastfeeding specialists and other women volunteers have shown up daily to keep the small but amazingly functional space going. The inner sanctum of the camper has turned into a safe space for examining pregnant and postpartum women and for breastfeeding counseling as well as just talking when a mother’s emotions or pain are running high. The more open spot towards the entrance is the baby bathing area. Taking turns using the one tub that fits snugly into this tiny corner, mothers shuffle their littlest ones in and out, feeling relieved for this bit of sanitation in an otherwise less-than-hygienic environment. These services, plus the nuts, seeds, and dried fruit we give daily to the pregnant and lactating mothers to supplement their meager meals, create a steady flow of regularly returning mothers and babies along with new ones arriving every day.

During these nearly two and a half months, camps have been erected at different areas throughout Greece and the refugees are being gradually moved from the port. By Easter, May 1st this year, the remainder of them are scheduled to be gone. This signals for us a movement into another phase, from the more immediate emergency response into longer term care. The where and how of that care is still evolving but our focus of mothers and babies in the perinatal period remains unchanged.

Inside the stone warehouse
Inside the stone warehouse
Bathing baby in the camper
Bathing baby in the camper
Mother and children in the camper
Mother and children in the camper
Greece.Eva at camper

Amurtel Greece for Refugee Mothers and Babies

As thousands of refugees rea

Greece.bookend babies

ch Greece’s shores daily, Amurtel focuses on the crucial needs of pregnant women, birthing women and mothers with small infants. These women and babies are greatly affected by the lack of stable shelter and routine, nutritious and culturally familiar food and emotional support. They often look exhausted and desperate to stop and yet they go on. The AMURTEL team of midwives, doulas, lactation consultants, concerned mothers and women with skills in the area of childbirth and infancy go regularly to the refugee camps in Athens and the island of Lesvos to offer support for breastfeeding, infant care, postpartum care of new mothers and assistance during birth if necessary.

We also supply emergency birth kits to the camp medical tents if they don’t already have one. We attempt to provide a warm woman-to-woman touch and offer infant and mother care supplies that are as close as possible to what mothers are used to in their own countries. We also continually search for ways of being emotional supportive in an appropriate cultural context.

Donations are greatly appreciated! Be sure to mark the donation as being for ‘Refugees Greece!’