Executive Director, Founder, and Board Member
As the director of CHEER International Group, Dr. Merewood oversees and manages CHEERing’s work at all levels. Dr. Merewood also directs CHEER, the Center for Health Equity, Education, and Research, at the Boston University School of Medicine, and the Communities and Hospitals Advancing Maternity Practices (CHAMPS) project, an initiative that promotes best practices in maternity care, increases breastfeeding rates, decreases racial and ethnic disparities.
Dr. Merewood is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Boston University School of Medicine and an Associate Professor of Community Health Sciences at the Boston University School of Public Health. She consults for the World Health Organization and UNICEF and is a former consultant to the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Indian Health Service.
CHEERing Associate Director and Board Member; CHEERing National Director, Greece
Farzana coordinates CHEERing’s programmatic work including the FC Barcelona Foundation-funded Sportnet project; CHEERing’s Grow Clinics at Malakasa and Thiba refugee camps, and liaison to CHEERing Afghanistan. She is also a peer counselor and Farsi interpreter.
Farzana has a mathematics diploma, studied first aid and pharmacology in Iran, and is a Board Member of the Greek Forum of Refugees.
Director, CHEERing Football Club and Board Member; Director, CHEERing Afghanistan
Fereidon Rahimi is from Afghanistan and lived in Iran for 38 years before moving to Greece. He directs the CHEERing Football Club and co-manages the CHEERing Sportnet program. He also co-manages CHEERing Afghanistan.
He studied literature and has been involved with football for over 25 years as a player, referee, and coach.
Field Operations Manager and Director of Volunteer Programs
Adrian is originally from Iran. He manages team operations in the field, and directs the student, volunteer, and intern program. He also serves as our interpreter for Farsi and Turkish to English. In addition to being a software engineer, he also manages a website for Cheering. As a refugee himself, he is deeply passionate about helping other refugees
Grow Clinic Peer Counsellor and Interpreter
Pierrette works with CHEERing as a breastfeeding peer counselor and a French and Lingala interpreter. Pierrette came from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to Greece as a refugee and has settled in Athens with her children and husband. Pierrette works at all of CHEERing’s clinic locations with a focus on community-based breastfeeding support in Athens.
Pierrette studied Nursing for three years in the DRC and had internships at various health institutions, including the Red Cross Hospital, Kinshasa General Hospital, and the Mother & Child Center of Kinshasa.
Consultant
Willow worked for CHEERing for 2 years, managing the volunteer programs and on-site operations in the camps. She is now using these 2 years of experience to consult remotely for the team.
Originally from the UK, Willow has a master’s degree in Human Rights from the University of Padua in Italy and wrote her thesis on rights of refugee women in Greece. She also has a legal background and has a qualifying law degree from the university of Liverpool. She is passionate about defending and advocating for refugee rights.
Field Coordinator – European Solidarity Corps Volunteer
Lou-Anne is a humanitarian worker from France, specializing in protection, gender-based violence prevention and forced displacement.
Alongside her studies in political science, she started working in the field. She began in Bolivia, supporting teenage survivors of intrafamilial abuse in their recovery. She then moved to Greece, where she worked as an advocacy officer in Kos, raising awareness of the challenges faced by displaced people in EU hotspots, before continuing on the mainland.
Wanting a fuller picture of refugee reception at Europe’s borders, she took on a new challenge and joined CHEERing as Field Coordinator. She leads the team and manages the logistics of CHEERing’s field missions in refugee camps around Athens. Day to day, she sees how care and protection go hand in hand.
CHEERing Fellow
Mariah is a public health graduate, who also works for CHEERing’s partner organization, CHEER, in the U.S. as a Project Management Specialist. She came to CHEERing as a fellow during her masters program, and continues to assist CHEERing with social media and data management. Mariah previously supported immigrant and refugee populations in Boston as the Social Media & Communications Specialist and Patient Advisory Council Coordinator at Boston Medical Center’s Immigrant & Refugee Health Center.
CHEERing Afghanistan Program Leader
Samana is a university-trained midwife employed at the Herat Public Hospital. She and Somaye are leading on-the-ground efforts to establish the CHEERing Afghanistan Program in Herat.
As CHEERing Afghanistan Program Leader, Samana will identify high-need mothers to attend our Grow Clinic in Herat. At the clinic, she and other professionals will weigh and measure babies, give vaccinations, check women postpartum, and provide breastfeeding support as well as a safe and supportive women-only environment.
CHEERing Afghanistan Program Leader
Somaye is an Afghan-trained doctor at the Herat Public Hospital. Somaye will manage the CHEERing Afghanistan Program in collaboration with Samana and provide support in the Grow Clinic.
CHEERing Afghanistan Office Manager
Tareq joined the CHEERing Afghanistan team in September 2022 and currently manages the CHEERing office in Herat. He collaborates with CHEERing team members Samana, Somaye, and Basira to address health issues and provide critical maternal-child health support.
From Afghanistan, Tareq previously studied nursing. He is passionate about combatting poverty, maternal mortality, and malnutrition in his home country.
Executive Assistant, Interpreter, and Cultural Mediator
Originally from DRC, Papy studied pedagogy at school and further studies in commercial sciences. He worked on his father’s farm from 2008-15 and was a sales negotiator. He speaks, English, French, and Lingala, and is learning Greek.
Erasmus Intern – Hochschule Fulda
Ye Won Lee is a South Korean master’s student in Human Rights at Hochschule Fulda, Germany. She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Tourism and Social Welfare and has practical experience working with international patients in hospital settings in South Korea.
Her primary interests include healthcare services, human rights, international politics, social welfare, and intercultural studies. Through her internship at CHEERing Greece, she seeks to gain direct field experience in refugee and migrant health, supporting vulnerable communities and displaced people from diverse backgrounds.
Erasmus Intern– NLA University, Bergen
Veronica is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Intercultural Understanding at NLA University College in Bergen. As part of her studies, she is completing a three-month internship, where she is gaining valuable practical experience and the opportunity to work with people from different backgrounds.Alongside her studies, she has also spent the past year volunteering with Save the Children in Bergen. As part of a group, she helps organize activities for children at asylum reception centers, creating a safe and enjoyable environment for them to play and connect with others.She wanted to volunteer with Cheering because she wanted to do something meaningful for people who find themselves in difficult life circumstances, while also contributing to a field she would like to learn more about.
CHEERing Afghanistan Program Coordinator
Basira is a student at Herat University studying to become an anesthesiologist. She currently works as a midwife at the Herat Public Hospital.
Basira will support Samana and Somaye in establishing CHEERing’s program in Afghanistan and support activities at our Grow Clinic in Herat.
Erasmus Intern – Hochschule Fulda
Rebecca is a British law graduate and legal advisor currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Human Rights in Germany. She is particularly interested in procedural justice, the intersection of national security and fundamental rights, and the protection of vulnerable communities.
Her previous volunteer and professional experiences include delivering emotional and practical support to individuals in crisis, providing legal advisory services, and teaching English to displaced and migrant communities across Europe. She is particularly interested in grassroots initiatives that place education, community outreach, and intercultural connection at the center of social and humanitarian work.
JENTOF
Erasmus Intern– NLA University, Bergen
Eva Marie is currently pursuing a bachelors degree in intercultural communication at NLA University, in Bergen and is completing a three month internship as part of her studies. Through her studies she has had the chance to travel and meet people from different cultures and backgrounds. These experiences have given her new perspectives. She enjoys challenging herself by stepping into situations that may feel unfamiliar or difficult, and values being able to contribute and make a difference wherever she can.
Check out CHEERing Alumni here!
