Gender Equality Greece Project #48306

Irida: Safe space for 650 women at risk in Greece

by Irida Women's Center

Project Report | Oct 8, 2021
Discover What Amazing Things We Achieved In September

By Lydia Siapardani | Head of Media & Advocacy

Having Lunch with the Turkish Community Members

Dear Friend of the Irida Community,

Since the last time we caught up, we have a lot to share with you.

First of all, we are all about and around - we achieved the transfer from a hybrid model to having activities exclusively on our physical space, following all the national precautionary measures against the pandemic. Our community members are thrilled to be back in the space, join language classes and other activities, and meet in person with their teachers, friends, and fellow students.

Within a month, 69 face-to-face language lessons took place at Irida, marking high participation. At the same time, 36 community members participated in other activities, including arts & crafts, life skill sessions, and cultural outings around the city.

Furthermore, we supported 217 women and children at risk. Specifically:

we provided 167 women -including 85 single mothers - and their children with protection services: support with living costs, medical appointments to private doctors, and provision of medication and vaccines
we supported 55 women with legal aid.

Last but not least, on a gloomy Wednesday of September, we had the sweetest surprise ever; a group of very kind women from our Turkish community prepared delicious traditional recipes and came to the space to have lunch with the Irida team.

Cooking and sharing food is the ultimate act of caring and nurturing. It creates all this beautiful stuff, laughs and conversation, warmness and appreciation. We are grateful to those fantastic women for sharing with us all this tasteful food. Their kindness and generosity blow us away, and they are sources of inspiration for us to continue providing women with a safe space and a community built on trust and mutual respect.

We know that this year has been challenging for all of us - but if you are able to give, your compassion will support more women to heal their traumas and rebuild their lives. Every action of love can go a long way and have a positive impact.

Thank you for your solidarity! Stay strong and safe until our next report.

With Love,

Lydia Siapardani

Painting class led by Nesma, the Art Teacher

13 community members join a Job Fair

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Sep 8, 2021
We Never Stop Fighting for Women & Girls' Rights

By Lydia Siapardani | Head of Media & Advocacy

Community members join an story-telling workshop

Dear Supporter,

We hope you had a nice and resting August.

Although summer in Greece is usually slow and low in activity, August was a busy month for Irida. We are looking forward to sharing our news with you all.

First, in August, we helped 35 community members to book their vaccination appointment against Covid-19, while since May, we have supported 79 women to get their vaccine.

Refugee populations are at extreme risk due to lacking access to fundamental social services such as safe housing, hygiene facilities, decent health care, and medication.

At Irida Women's Center, we believe that all human beings should have equal access to healthcare systems. Ensuring that even the most vulnerable and marginalized group can access decent healthcare is the only way to protect human lives and put an end to this unprecedented health crisis.

Furthermore, at the same time:

We did 116 interventions, providing refugee, asylum-seeking, and migrant women with children with monthly supermarket vouchers, aiming to cover essential living costs.
We provided 17 cases with essential medication for chronic illnesses and emergencies, which otherwise, the women could not have accessed.
We did 49 legal appointments, offering crucial legal aid to our members.

Last but not least, the GlobalGiving Girl Fund Cohort 2021 had its first meeting!

We were super excited to meet all our fellow organizations, get to know more about the significant work they do, discuss in-depth regarding Girl Fund Cohort’s future outcomes, and set our shared goals to increase our impact on supporting women and girls across the world. We are looking forward to our next meeting in October!

We know that this year has been challenging for all of us—but if you are able to give, your compassion will support more women to heal their traumas and rebuild their lives. Εvery action of love can go a long way and have a positive impact.

Thank you for your solidarity! Stay strong and safe until our next report.

With love,

Lydia Siapardani

Community members during their Class

Single mother with her daughter receiving support

First 2021 Girl Fund Cohort Meeting

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Jul 19, 2021
We Are Among the Five 2021 Girl Fund Leaders!

By Lydia Siapardani | Head of Media & Advocacy

English Lessons in our Physical Space

Dear Supporter,

We are thrilled to announce that we have been selected as one of the five gender equality champions in GlobalGiving's Girl Fund.

The Girl Fund is dedicated to supporting community-led organizations, helping women and girls around the world. Out of more than 100 applicants, we have chosen for our work, protecting, empowering, and supporting more than 550 refugee, asylum-seeking, migrant, and local women from 37 different countries who live in North Greece.

Furthermore, we would like to share with you the progress of our project and its impact on women's life.

Within the first semester of 2021:

We did 461 interventions, providing refugee, asylum-seeking, and migrant women with children with monthly supermarket vouchers, aiming to cover essential living costs.
We provided 99 cases with essential medication for chronic illnesses and emergencies, which otherwise, the women could not have accessed.
We did 297 legal appointments, offering crucial legal aid to our members.

Last but not least, in early July, we were able to kick off our new language cycle, offering a hybrid form of classes. In particular, we offer English & Greek lessons twice a week: one time, it takes place in our physical space and another via online platforms. During the physical classes, all preventative measures against the pandemic are strictly followed by our staff members and our community. The safety of our members is a top priority for us.

Thank you for your solidarity! Stay strong and safe until our next report.

With love,

Lydia Siapardani

Our Head of Legal meeting with a beneficiary woman

Visiting Landmarks in Thessaloniki With The Women

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