CHEERing’s newest project in Afghanistan honours Venus, a 39-year-old Afghan mother of three, who was drowned in 2021 when crossing the border from Bosnia to Croatia. Her death changed the way authorities handled border crossings with Croatia border patrols no longer pushing back families. Venus was the close friend of CHEERing’s Associate Director, Farzana Hakimi….

After 5 years in Athens, today we opened the CHEERing Centre where we’ll be able to help families directly, have fun with ‘our’ kids, and welcome mothers and babies to our very own Grow Clinics. All the right people came to celebrate! From fellow NGOs, but of course, most importantly from the community we serve….

Less than two years ago. a group of 12 girls from Malakasa camp asked us for a girls’ football team. We practised in the village square and a car park. Now, CHEERing Football Club has almost 200 players, and is supported by the Barca Foundation. This week Barca came to see our work not just…

It’s cold and bleak right now in Afghanistan, especially for women and girls, but CHEERing’s Grow Clinic provides ongoing hope and warmth – literally – for many families in Herat. Stichting Salaam came to the rescue after seeing our photos of children and families freezing in our Clinic and classroom, and contributed 300E to buy…

CHEERing Director Anne Merewood presented with colleague Camie Goldhammer in December 2022, on decreasing racial disparities in breastfeeding, for the New York State Department of Health in Albany New York. The presentation is an annual event together with the University at Albany School of Public Health, and attracts a live audience of over 1000.

CHEERing’s football players are scoring goals with happier feet – thanks to Rahma Hulsman and her team from Stichting Salaam in the Netherlands. Rahma and her colleagues returned to Athens in a characteristic whirl of energy last week, and promptly bought 37 pairs of new football shoes for our older players here. They even sent…

Thanks to Eirinie and her crew from Acupuncturists without Borders, CHEERing’s football team enjoyed foot massage and reflexology at the Renti training ground in Athens this week. As part of CHEERing’s Barca Foundation-funded Futbolnet program, Football Fit provides preventive health screening, dental referrals, nutrition support and other basic public health interventions to help our players…

Former CHEERing volunteers Mariam and Charlie presented two sessions at the American Public Health Association conference this week in Boston, while CHEER, our parent center in Boston, USA, presented on our work in Mississippi, breastfeeding, and health equity. Dr Mariam Jaffer hosted a round table about COVID vaccination uptake in a population of refugees in…

Imagine being a parent and seeing your child has worms, with no way to get rid of them. The medical advice is, wash underwear in hot water, clip nails short, and don’t play in the dirt. Which doesn’t work too well when you have no underwear, 1 washing machine per 300 people, no nail clippers…