Project Report
| Mar 23, 2023
An Update on the first 3 months of 2023!
By Lydia Siapardani | Head of Fundraising & Comms
![Masquerade Party for mothers and children!]()
Masquerade Party for mothers and children!
Dear Supporter of Irida,
On behalf of the Irida team, we hope you and your loved ones are safe and sound.
2023 has launched for good, finding us busy and with some developments that we would like to share with you.
- Our services have been expanded and opened to local women living in Thessaloniki who face social and economic vulnerabilities. After reaching the social services of the city's municipalities and assessing the available provisions, we concluded that a high number of local women are at risk of poverty and social exclusion, and our services are much needed. We are happy that we were able to expand our scope of work in this direction and come a step closer to our vision for a world in which no woman is left behind.
- Our team is growing!
In February, we welcomed on board Ioanna, a skillful Psychologist; Ioanna is facilitating one-to-one sessions providing women with psychological support, helping them manage any symptoms of post-traumatic experiences, immense anxiety, and toxic stress, and initiating their healing process. Within her first month, Ioanna has already facilitated at least one session with 10 unique women.
- In the first 3 months of the year, we observe an increased need for requests for the purchase of medication. Hundreds of families appear to be unable to secure medicines and medication for emergencies or family members suffering from longer-term health conditions. The current increase in such requests often exceeds our capacity, forcing us to overstretch aiming to support them. At the moment, we are the sole actor in the city providing support with medication to every woman in need regardless of her legal status.
- Within April, Irida is planning to host 4 special community meals; every Friday afternoon, in April, we will be inviting 10 different women and their children to dinners with traditional recipes. The goal is to bring women closer, giving them the opportunity to socialize and develop bonds through joint joyful memories.
Summing up, we would like to thank you for your continuous support of our work. Embracing our mission makes us inspired.
Thank you so much.
Stay tuned until our next report.
With love,
Lydia
![Arts & Crafts Activity]()
Arts & Crafts Activity
![IWD 2023]()
IWD 2023
![Happy Women's Day!]()
Happy Women's Day!
![Psychosocial Support - Creating the Tree of Love]()
Psychosocial Support - Creating the Tree of Love
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Nov 25, 2022
Your solidarity CAN MAKE the DIFFERENCE!
By Lydia Siapardani | Project Leader
![Mother and Daughter]()
Mother and Daughter
Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
1 in 3 women in Europe has experienced physical and sexual violence.
Violence impoverishes women, their families, communities, and nations. Costs of violence against women in the EU are estimated to be almost 256€ billion.
Today and every day, we work in-depth with more than 650 women at risk to ensure they will not be left behind. Through protection, legal, and psychosocial support, skill-building, and employability services, we help them reshape their lives in safety and build a sustainable future for themselves and their children.
November 29th, 2022 is
#GivingTuesday, kicking off the holiday season, where you can be part of positive change!
Τhis
#GivingTuesday and for the next 30 days, we need your help to raise 10.000$, allowing us to maintain the sole community center for more than 650 women and 800 children in Northern Greece, open.
Thank you for embracing our vision for a world in which no woman is left behind by donating to our cause, sharing it with loved ones, and helping us raise awareness.
Your solidarity CAN MAKE the DIFFERENCE!
With love,
![Ukrainian Community]()
Ukrainian Community
![Mother and Daughter]()
Mother and Daughter
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Sep 16, 2022
Find Out What Amazing Things Happened In Summer
By Lydia Siapardani | Head of Media and Fundraising
![Writing our wishes to a bottle]()
Writing our wishes to a bottle
Dear Friend and Supporter of the Irida community,On behalf of the Irida family, we wish you had a nice, resting, and joyful summertime with your loved ones.As you might have heard, things can be hectic in Greece during the summer months. However, the Irida Women's Center remained on top of it, working hard to protect, empower, and support our community.Within the summer period:
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We witnessed our community growing and flourishing - rising above 2021, we had 490 women registered to the center. In mid-2022, this number increased; we are currently supporting more than 660 women and their children with access to critical focused, and rigorous solutions.
- In addition, we welcomed 80 Ukrainian refugee women to the center who escaped their country to seek safety in Greece.
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55 refugee and asylum-seeking women received 76 different legal services.
“You are the only one that helped me these 2 years in Thessaloniki. Thanks to you now my 2 years old son has an asylum seeker card and is able to have public health care aid and receive cash assistance”
A 31-year-old woman from Somalia.
- 210 women accessed our protection services including access to medication, healthcare, food and non-food items, connections with actors in the city, and provision of information. 126 were single mothers, 7 were pregnant women, 5 were women with mental health issues, and 3 women were victims of GBV.
- 25 women received psychosocial support through artistic and recreational activities to alleviate the trauma they have suffered. Among our psychosocial support sessions were two visits to the seaside:
“I came to the seaside to overcome my fear. I had faith that I could overcome my fear thanks to God. I had the willingness to rise above my fear. Everybody’s presence and support encouraged me to try to get into the water. I felt great joy, hope, and courage”
An Arabic-speaking community member with a traumatic experience related to water that was caused during her journey.
She was empowered to battle against her fear in the PSS sessions “Together we build the ship of hope”
She felt so good about herself that at the end of the trip she would not get out of the water.
Summing up, we would like to thank you for your continuous support to our work. Embracing our mission makes us inspired.
Thank you so much.
Stay tuned until our next report.
With love,
Lydia
![Women visiting the seaside during a PSS session]()
Women visiting the seaside during a PSS session
![Celebrating Khatereh's Birthday]()
Celebrating Khatereh's Birthday
![Greek lessons for the Ukrainian women]()
Greek lessons for the Ukrainian women
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