It’s 8:30 am and a few of us are in the CHEERing center preparing for today’s Grow Clinic and distribution at Corinthos refugee camp on the Peloponnese. Corinth days are one of my favorites because CHEERing’s regular presence there started after holding a focus group discussion with refugee mothers from the camp to understand their direct needs. We learned of the dire situation – total isolation from health and social services and an ongoing nutrition crisis – so CHEERing’s work is filling a critical gap. 

We’re putting together the last of the Mother’s Packs (specially prepared packs for pregnant and breastfeeding women with nutritious, calorie-dense foods) and then we’re ready to go. The van is teeming with clothing, shoes, diapers, food, strollers, and hygiene supplies for distribution – not a nook of space is left open as Feraydon (the car-packing tetris-master) finally slams the door closed. I never expect everything to fit. It always does. 

The van ride to the camp zooms past, punctuated with Farsi music, chatter, and laughter. We park in a big lot that is a short distance from the camp and start setting up. We set up the tent and tables next to the van because, alongside distribution, we are delivering the Vitamin Angels program at Corinth and will give high-dose vitamin A and deworming medication to eligible children under five. The grant from US-based non-profit Vitamin Angels was the first I worked on when I joined CHEERing. It has been exciting seeing it reach the implementation stage! 

Things are quiet when we first arrive, but this doesn’t last for long. A queue of both new and familiar faces from the camp starts to form.  We are greeted warmly in French, Farsi, and Arabic by those we know. Some curious newcomers engage us to find out what’s going on. Little ones point with excitement at the rainbow of backpacks that are sprawled in front of the van, a donation from one of our partners, each one filled with toys and school supplies for various ages. Today, I shuttle between registering new French-speaking families, screening eligible children for the Vitamin Angels program, and delivering the Vitamin Angels program alongside Martina. One of our first visitors at the Vitamin Angels table is a young Congolese family with 2-year-old twin boys. They serve as role models for the other kids in line, happily gulping down the cup of juice after taking the deworming powder. A few hours go by in this way, some kids squirm more than others, but most are quickly appeased with the promise of a dinosaur sticker of their choice. Supplies in the van start to dwindle alongside the queue. We get to the last of the families for Vitamin Angels – Martina is beaming because we saw a record number of children. At 13:00, we start to pack-up. A few Farsi-speaking young men without children stop by and ask for soap – we offer them anything that we still have left in the van. The drive back to Athens is filled with quiet contentment. 

Back in Athens, later that afternoon, Peer Counselor Pierette and I have a call to follow up about one of the pregnant mothers we visit weekly at a local shelter as part of CHEERing’s Community Mothers program. The mother had been admitted to the hospital for 2-weeks due to complications with her pregnancy. Pierette tells me that the mother gave birth to a baby boy the day before! We agreed to meet at the hospital – such hospital visits are typically beyond the scope of CHEERing’s work, but a request for our additional support was made by the shelter as this was a special case. Before leaving, I stop by the office to get one of the many breast pumps CHEERing has in stock to give to the new mother. At Greek public hospitals, mothers are not given any sort of breastfeeding support, but are immediately given formula – as confirmed by the small branded plastic bottle that sat next to the hospital bed. The mother said the baby wouldn’t drink it and she was worried. It was a joy to watch Pierette’s expertise in action as she counseled the young mother on breastfeeding. My day ended the day in the best way – meeting a 1-day old healthy baby.

I was lucky enough to have a year filled with such varied and enriching days with CHEERing – I will treasure the experiences!