AMAMÉ Initiative

We believe that when we put mothers at the centre, we build a more just and caring society.

EVERY MOTHER deserves care, support and the opportunity to care for her family with dignity.

Today is the last day of our fundraiser!
If you believe in this too, join our community and support our work💜

👉 Donate, share, or simply help us spread the word! https://donorbox.org/annual-fundraiser-amurtel-greece-amame-initiative

Πιστεύουμε ότι όταν βάζουμε τις μητέρες στο επίκεντρο, χτίζουμε μια πιο δίκαιη και φροντιστική κοινωνία.

ΚΑΘΕ ΜΗΤΕΡΑ αξίζει φροντίδα, υποστήριξη και την ευκαιρία να φροντίζει την οικογένειά της με αξιοπρέπεια.

Σήμερα είναι η τελευταία μέρα της καμπάνιας μας για τη συγκέντρωση χρημάτων!

Αν το πιστεύετε κι εσείς, γίνετε μέλος της κοινότητάς μας και στηρίξτε το έργο μας 💜

👉 Κάντε μια δωρεά, μοιραστείτε την καμπάνια μας ή απλώς βοηθήστε μας να διαδώσουμε το μήνυμα!

This is our impact since January 2026 and we are so proud of it!

Since the beginning of the year, we have continued providing essential care and support with a small team of dedicated women.

It’s because of the incredible mothers themselves and because of all of you who support us, donate, share our work and encourage us that we are building a community that grows stronger every day!

We need your support to keep going. We are just €3,000 and 3 days away from reaching our fundraising goal!

👉 Support our work, share our fundraiser or donate today. Every contribution makes a difference.

EVERY MOTHER DESERVES DIGNIFIED CARE. 💜

For 11 years, AMURTEL Greece has supported mothers through pregnancy and motherhood, providing care, practical support and community.

Today, AMAMÉ Initiative is building on this work, guided by a simple belief: mothers are not just the people we support, they are the people who shape our community.

One of our first steps responds to what mothers have asked for again and again: support during hospital appointments. Together with our caseworker and interpreter, we accompany mothers to emergency appointments, helping them understand their care, communicate their needs and make informed decisions about their pregnancies.

We continue providing culturally sensitive maternal care, maternal mental health support, essential supplies for mothers and children, and a safe space where mothers can connect, support one another and move forward according to their own needs and choices.

Our work makes a meaningful difference in the lives of mothers navigating difficult circumstances. We need your support to keep this essential care going.

📢 Join our annual fundraiser, 20–28 September.

🎯 Our goal: €10,000

Every donation helps us keep our doors open and continue supporting mothers and their babies in Greece.

👉 Donate today: https://donorbox.org/annual-fundraiser-amurtel-greece-amame-initiative

🌺Welcome to the AMAMÉ Community.

We are AMAMÉ Initiative, a new, community-led space for mothers, rooted in more than 10 years of experience supporting mothers and families from refugee, migrant and vulnerable backgrounds in Greece.

AMAMÉ was founded by two long-standing members of AMURTEL Greece, with the belief that the knowledge, relationships and community built over these years can become something more: a space shaped with mothers, not simply for mothers.

Our vision is simple: Mothers at the centre.

At AMAMÉ, mothers are not only participants in our programmes. We want them to have a voice in decision-making, contribute to the development of our work, share their knowledge and skills, and, over time, become part of the team itself.

We are building a space where mothers can access:

🤰Pregnancy and perinatal support, including guidance to navigate the Greek healthcare system and accompaniment to hospital appointments
👩‍⚕️Maternal mental health support, through individual consultations, groups and referral pathways
🤱Social inclusion and empowerment opportunities that support mothers in caring for themselves and their families with dignity
🏠A welcoming community space to breathe, connect, share and build together

This is only the beginning!

Over the next few posts, we will introduce you to the story behind AMAMÉ, our partnership with AMURTEL Greece, what we do, and the community we are building.

If you believe that every mother deserves safety, support, dignity and a voice, join us.

SAFE MOTHERHOOD FOR ALL💜

💜 It takes a community to care for mothers. As a small grassroots organization, every helping hand makes a difference.

Last month, we were incredibly lucky to welcome three amazing volunteers who became part of our safe space and our community!

Emma and Chiara brought warmth and energy into every corner of our center. Whether interpreting for our multilingual support groups, helping mothers feel understood, organizing our Freeshop, supporting activities, or simply playing with babies while a mother could take a breath, they were always ready to help wherever they were needed. More than anything, they came with open hearts, learning not only about our work but also from the incredible mothers themselves!

We were also honoured to welcome Cameron, Maternal & Infant Nutrition Educator - Lactation Support Senior Food, Nutrition and Health Student from Canada. Throughout her time with us, she shared invaluable knowledge on breastfeeding, infant nutrition, and early child care through group workshops, one-on-one consultations, and practical guidance tailored to each family's needs.

What touched us most was her approach: listening first, respecting every mother's choices, culture, and personal journey, and empowering women with evidence-based information rather than judgment. Her dedication doesn't end here, we're excited to continue collaborating through online consultations until we have the pleasure of welcoming her back to Greece.

To Emma, Chiara, and Cameron: thank you for your kindness, professionalism and generosity. Thank you for choosing to spend your time with us and with the mothers and babies!

We hope that you also take with you the strength and stories of the incredible women you met along the way. 💜

On Tuesday, 9 June, we had the privilege of participating in a roundtable discussion with researchers from the University of Amsterdam and Amsterdam UMC, exploring a topic that is often overlooked but deeply transformative and of course, our passion: the power of care during pregnancy and early motherhood.

During their previous visit to our center, Dr. Marjette Koot and Dr. Loes Loning met with mothers supported by AMURTEL Greece & AMAMÉ Initiative to better understand how our services have impacted their experiences of pregnancy, childbirth, and early motherhood. Through interviews and conversations, mothers shared how emotional support, practical guidance, safe spaces, community connections, and trusted relationships helped them navigate one of the most vulnerable periods of their lives.

The emerging findings of the research project The Effects of Invisible Support in Refugee Care for Intergenerational Health highlight something we witness every day: care is not a luxury, it is essential. Find the initial Impact Report in our bio!

Research shows that support which reduces stress, creates a sense of safety, strengthens belonging, and helps women access services contributes to healthier pregnancies, safer births, improved maternal wellbeing, and better developmental outcomes for children. In other words, investing in mothers today is an investment in the health and resilience of future generations.

As one researcher shared during the roundtable, "The future of humanity is shaped by the environment we create for them today."

In our center, we remain committed to providing holistic, mother-centered support that recognizes not only immediate needs, but also the long-term impact of every act of care.

A small gesture of support for today's mothers can have a profound impact on tomorrow's children.

Thank you to all the participants to count with us in this important research!
Dr. Marjette Koot, Dr. Loes Loning, , and all the mothers who generously shared their experiences and voices in this project. 💜

🤝 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!💜

🪟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

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?”