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Tuesday 10:30 - 15:30 Wednesday 10:30 - 15:30 Thursday 10:30 - 15:30

AMAMÉ Initiative

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AMAMÉ Initiative

Community-led support for mothers in vulnerable situations
Pregnancy & Postpartum follow-up • Safe Space & Inclusion • Maternal Mental Health Programs
Aπευθείας βοήθεια σε ευάλωτες μητέρες, εγκύους & μωρά.

🤱Giving direct support to vulnerable pregnant women, mothers and babies in Athens
🤰Support groups on pregnancy, breastfeeding & postpartum care
🔴 Gender Based Violence (GBV) awareness
👥Community and Empowerment

🤱Aπευθείας βοήθεια σε ευάλωτες μητέρες, εγκύους & μωρά. (www.amurtel.org).

Our focus in the current refugee population is mothers and babies as well as pregnant and birthing women

. This highly vulnerable group is greatly affected by the lack of stable shelter, culturally familiar food and emotional support. The AMURTEL staff are women trained in the care of mothers and infants. Our Outreach program in the Athens area provides home-care for new mothers with breastfeeding, infant care, postpartum care and assistance during birth if necessary.

We attempt to provide 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. If you would like to volunteer or work in coalition with AMURTEL, please contact us at [email protected]. We are very open to cooperating with other local NGO’s and individuals. It takes many hands and hearts moving together to ensure the care that all human beings deserve.

🤱Παροχή άμεσης υποστήριξης σε ευάλωτες εγκύους, μητέρες και βρέφη στην Αθήνα
🤰Ομάδες υποστήριξης για την εγκυμοσύνη, τον θηλασμό και την επιλόχειο φροντίδα
🔴 Ευαισθητοποίηση για τη βία με βάση το φύλο (GBV)
👥Κοινότητα και Ενδυνάμωση

🤱Απευθύνσεις βοήθειας σε ευάλωτες μητέρες, εγκύους και μωρά. (www.amurtel.org).

Στον τρέχοντα πληθυσμό προσφύγων εστιάζουμε στις μητέρες και τα βρέφη, καθώς και στις έγκυες και τις λεχώνες. Αυτή η εξαιρετικά ευάλωτη ομάδα επηρεάζεται σε μεγάλο βαθμό από την έλλειψη σταθερής στέγης, πολιτισμικά οικείου φαγητού και συναισθηματικής υποστήριξης. Το προσωπικό της AMURTEL αποτελείται από γυναίκες εκπαιδευμένες στη φροντίδα μητέρων και βρεφών. Μπορείτε να βοηθήσετε!

09/06/2026

🤝 Working Together for Mothers and Babies

Over the past few months, we have been meeting regularly with a network of incredible organizations coordinated by the amazing team of Christian Refugee Relief - CRR Together, we are exploring practical ways to strengthen collaboration and improve support for vulnerable mothers and their babies across Athens.

One of our current joint initiatives is the development of a coordinated diaper distribution system. The goal is simple but powerful: to reach more mothers, distribute resources more efficiently, increase the availability of diapers, and reduce the burden on women who often have to visit multiple organizations just to receive a few essential items.

Our most recent meeting was hosted at our space, and it was inspiring to sit together with so many dedicated women and organizations working tirelessly to find solutions for the everyday needs of mothers and babies.

A huge thank you to all the organizations involved in this effort:
🚼 Christian Refugee Relief
🚼 Victoria Community Center
🚼
🚼 The Congolese Church Community
🚼 CRIBS International
🚼 Love & Serve Without Boundaries
🚼

And a very special thank you to Anna from LSWB, who has generously volunteered her time and expertise to create an amazing tracking app for this initiative!

Watch this space!💜

02/05/2026

🪟This may not sound like a shocking story but for us, it is a daily shock.

This pregnant woman travelled from Oinofita Camp to the hospital, at least 1 hour away, for a simple blood test.

She paid for transport, something already not easily affordable. She arrived and was sent back.

Not because the test was complicated or because she refused care, but because there was no way to communicate.

🛑 This is not an isolated case.

Every week, we see women turned away from care because they cannot speak the language.
We have even seen English-speaking women refused for the same reason.

Some hospitals try to provide interpreters, but they are far too few.
In many cases, women are expected to bring their own.
Sometimes, we are called on the phone to translate, if a doctor or nurse is willing to take the time.
Many times, that does not happen.

So she goes back. A tired, pregnant woman, returning to the camp. To try again another day, to pay again, to find someone to care for her children again. All for a basic medical test.

This is what lack of access to care looks like.
It's exhausting, to say the least.❤️‍🩹

Athens

29/04/2026

Last week and this week, we had the joy of welcoming Mary Wenker to our center at AMURTEL Greece for a beautiful and inspiring storytelling workshop. ✨

Mary is an activist, director of CHOOSEHUMANITY , and children’s writer. She shared her book “Juma Listens with the Eyes”, a touching story about a deaf child who expresses himself through dance. Through her reading, she opened a space for connection, imagination, and inclusion.

But this activity went far beyond storytelling. Together, the mothers reflected on their own roots, traditions, and memories, sharing pieces of their cultures and personal histories that they wish to pass on to their children. 💜

These stories will now come together in a special illustrated booklet, created by Mary, that children will be able to colour and bring to life. A meaningful way for each mother to preserve and share her story with her child.

It was truly a pleasure to have Mary with us, all her generosity, honesty, and warmth created a safe and creative space for everyone involved.

We were also very happy to welcome mothers from the amazing team at CRIBS International, who joined us in this beautiful activity.

💬 “In the story I will tell you, Mirana talks to her child about her roots. And you: what would you like to say to your children?”

23/04/2026

Yesterday was a very busy day at our center and a truly special one! 💛

We are so grateful to receive two incredible donation. Christian Refugee Relief - CRR delivered their monthly support of diapers, wipes, and essential supplies for our mothers. On top of that, they coordinated the transport of a huge pallet all the way from Samos Island, filled with clothes, blankets, socks, shoes, and so much more for our free shop, donated by Samos Volunteers!

Thanks to great teamwork, we managed to unload and bring everything up to the first floor quickly and efficiently. Of course, we couldn’t avoid a few impatient (and unfortunately racist) comments from passing drivers, but sadly, that’s part of the reality we face.

A huge thank you to Christian Refugee Relief for making this possible, and to Samos Volunteering for your generosity and open hearts! 🙏

16/04/2026

A. is in the third trimester of her first pregnancy. She is very young.
This should be a time of preparation and care. Instead, she is carrying stress, fear, and uncertainty almost as heavily as her pregnancy itself.

Her body hurts constantly. Back pain. Exhaustion. She is told this is "normal pregnancy discomfort". But nothing feels normal when you are facing it alone.

At the same time, she must prepare for her asylum interview, one of the most stressful and decisive moments in an asylum seeker's journey, while pregnant, physically unwell, and without stable legal support.

She arrived at AMURTEL already quite advanced in her pregnancy.
Lost. Overwhelmed. Exhausted.

We helped her book her hospital appointments with the gynecologist and started searching for appropriate legal support. But fear and exhaustion can take away a person's capacity to organise even the simplest things.

You can see it on her face. Not every case moves forward smoothly, no matter how much encouragement we try to provide. Sometimes survival itself takes all the energy someone has.
Recently, with enormous effort, she managed to attend her gynecological appointment.

When needed, she calls us to help interpret between her and the doctors. Not every hospital has the time or capacity to provide interpretation support.

When she returned to show us the tests she needed to complete, we discovered something important had been missed: She had not been prescribed a Doppler ultrasound, a critical examination in the third trimester.

Without support, she cannot properly follow her pregnancy.
She cannot communicate easily with doctors.
She cannot fully understand what tests are needed or what is happening with her body and her baby.
And sometimes, she simply does not have the mental space to manage all of this alone.

To add to this overwhelming situation, last week she was kicked out of where she was staying, she slept in the streets 8 month pregnant for a week. Finally, together with another organization we found her a room where she can breath for at least some months, a room where to welcome with dignity her newborn baby.

We try to accompany her as much as possible, while respecting her pace and her willingness to share her story. Trust takes time. Stability takes time.

So we move step by step.
Every week we check in.
Every week we help her organise what needs to be done next.
We hope that little by little, the weight she is carrying so quietly will become lighter.

And if it doesn't, we will still be there, to support her, to hold space for her fears, and to connect her with the specialised support she and her baby may need.

Because no mother should have to carry this much, this quietly, on her own.

03/04/2026

🪟L. lives in Malakasa camp with her two children.
Recently, she gave birth.

Because she had no one to care for her older children during delivery, social services had to temporarily take responsibility for them.
Her newborn was immediately placed in an incubator due to health complications.

Two weeks later, she still does not fully understand what her baby is suffering from.

Not because she doesn't ask.
Not because she doesn't care.
But because of language barriers and lack of clear communication.

While recovering from childbirth, she now has to travel from Malakasa to the hospital to visit her newborn, navigating transport, exhaustion, uncertainty, and fear.

Imagine becoming a mother and not understanding what is happening to your baby.

This is what structural vulnerability looks like.
Not just poverty.
But isolation inside systems that were not built for you.

At AMURTEL Greece, we try to make sure she does not face this moment alone.

We provided a warm baby kit with clothes and essential newborn items she could safely keep in the camp. We supported her with hospital appointments for her delivery and continue trying to help her understand her baby’s medical situation with the limited information available.

Step by step, we are trying to piece together the full picture, helping her ask questions, understand procedures, and find clarity in a moment filled with uncertainty.

Because sometimes support means providing material aid.
And sometimes it simply means standing next to a mother while she searches for answers about her child.

30/03/2026

Last week, we had the pleasure of welcoming Dr. Marjette Koot, General Practitioner and Research Associate, and Dr. Lose Loning, Anthropologist and Research Associate from the University of Amsterdam, to our Safe Space in Athens.

Their research on refugee health and intergenerational stress focuses on a powerful yet often overlooked concept: the impact of “invisible support” in care systems.

As part of their current study on the effects of invisible support in refugee care for international health, they explore how everyday acts of care, often unrecorded and undervalued, can profoundly shape the long-term health and wellbeing of refugee mothers and their children.

They call this “soft care.”

Through their second visit to our Safe Space, where we welcome refugee and migrant mothers from across the world, they spent time observing our work and speaking directly with some of the women we support. What quickly became clear is how complex it is to measure this kind of care. It doesn’t easily translate into numbers or metrics, yet its impact is deeply felt.

“During this project we came to the realisation that ‘soft care’ isn’t the right term; it is in fact essential, and fierce, honest care that this organisation provides — and we are still searching for a better name”, shares with us Marjette.

This care is often pushed aside, misunderstood, or overlooked in favor of more tangible forms of support. And yet, while practical assistance is essential, care, connection, and a sense of belonging are often what enable women to truly move forward.

This research resonates deeply with us. Every day, we strive to communicate why this work matters, why creating a safe, supportive environment for pregnant women and mothers is not optional, but essential for the wellbeing of entire communities.

Care work (and motherhood itself!) remains largely under-recognized. It is assumed, underestimated, and too often invisible. But we strongly believe that when care is prioritized, when mothers, children, communities, and even nature are truly supported, everyone has space to thrive.

We are excited to follow the outcomes of this research and hope it will help make the invisible visi

26/03/2026

🪟 M. is expecting her fifth child.

For the past three years she has been cleaning hotels in Athens, working night shifts. Her husband works morning shifts, she cares for their 3-year-old daughter who still cannot access school, and taking the older children to school each day.

Long hours. Physically exhausting. Honest work to support their family.

She did everything right.
She worked. She paid her contributions. She followed the rules.

Her maternity leave started on February 6.
Two months later, she has still received no maternity benefits.
No salary. No support. No income.

Every day she goes to the taxoffice. Every day she hears the same answer: "There is nothing we can do. You just have to wait."

But pregnancy does not wait.
She is now in the final weeks before giving birth:
exhausted, unable to work, and struggling to provide food for her children or prepare the basic things her newborn will need.

At our safe space, we try to make sure she is not facing this alone.

We provide food, diapers, wipes, clothes, and essential items so she can at least welcome her baby with dignity. But support is never only material.

We meet every week.
We help with appointments.
We speak with public services.
We help her navigate paperwork.
We check medical results together.
Sometimes we just sit and talk.

We play with her little girl while she shares her fears and frustrations. We listen. We reassure. We stand next to her while she carries more than anyone should have to carry.

She is an incredible mother. We have known her since her previous pregnancy. We have seen her strength, her dedication, and her love for her children.

But prolonged hardship can slowly take away a person's joy, their energy, their sense of stability.

So we do what we always do.

We stay.

And little by little, together, we support her reclaiming that strength again.

24/03/2026

📢As part of and today’s conversation on birth equity and disparities in birth outcomes, we want to speak about a reality we witness in our daily work with marginalised mothers in Athens.

⭕ Birth inequity appears when a mother is not taken seriously because of where she comes from.
When pain is minimised.
When communication is reduced to gestures because interpretation is not considered essential. Or she is dismissed from the hospital because of not been able to communicate.
Or when medical information is given without ensuring understanding.

⭕ It appears when mothers from marginalised communities feel they must accept everything because they fear speaking up could affect their care.

Discrimination in perinatal care does not only affect the birth experience.
It affects trust.
It affects mental health.
It affects how safe a mother feels bringing life into the world.
And it can affect outcomes for both mother and child.

⭕While many healthcare workers provide extraordinary care under difficult conditions, there is still an urgent need to address the gaps that leave some mothers less heard, less informed, and less supported.

Supporting marginalised mothers during pregnancy means recognising these realities and responding with inclusive, respectful care.

At AMURTEL Greece, our approach is simple:

We listen to mothers.
We respect their cultures and religions.
We respect what they want for their pregnancy and birth and also what they do not want, though of course the final decision is taken in the public hospital.
We help them understand how the system works, while making sure they feel seen as individuals, not cases or numbers.

This is why we created a Safe Space. A place where marginalised mothers can breathe.
Share.
Ask questions without fear.
Support each other.
And rebuild confidence in themselves as mothers.

Birth equity starts with something very simple: Recognising the full humanity of every mother.💜

AMURTELGreece

23/03/2026

🪟Through Our Window

Every day at AMURTEL Greece we meet mothers carrying more than what anyone should have to carry.

We often share our programs, our activities, and our Safe Space. But we feel like we don't always succeed in showing you the real situation of what many of the mothers we support are facing every single day.

So starting this week, we want to open a different kind of space. Through Our Window is a weekly series where we share real moments from the lives of the mothers we support.

Not biographies. Just reality.
Small windows into struggles that too often remain invisible.

To protect their dignity, intimacy, and safety, all names and identifying details are changed or omitted. These stories are shared with deep respect for the privacy of the women who trust us with their journeys.

Supporting vulnerable mothers is not charity.

It is dignity.
It is protection.
It is prevention. 💜

Address

Platia Viktorias 10-12
Athens
10434

Opening Hours

Tuesday	10:30 - 15:30
Wednesday	10:30 - 15:30
Thursday	10:30 - 15:30

Telephone

+302111848436

Website

http://www.greece.amurtel.org/, https://amameinitiative.org/

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