Princess of smiles

Looking in the album as you do on New Years Eve and this one of my princess arrived in Athens in Pireus port always moves me .... bless not fully aware of the danger she had just been through always smiling no matter the situation and here she is in the shopping trolley full of giggles.........All is adventure and all is to explore and this is normal life to the kids escaping from war... but not old enough to know what is truly happening...... I so wish to be able to rebuild their lives and keep this family linked up .... Please help me as you can and try to guide me to some funding if you can donate then please use the gofundme link.... I can evidence all I do and you can be part of the story..... through my family I can help others too as my family do this help the others around them. We are all driven by heart to help one another. 

In some ways not wishing to say goodbye to 2016 as I had my small pension windfall to be able to get out and be with the family...... and enjoyed it so much... and the being guardian of the clothes and the neonatal cargo that was donated by a brave mother here in London after losing her baby..... was an amazing year....

But help me have more amazing time helping in this project so I can help rebuild futures for this family - they are my life for the remainder of my life this I know for sure.... they inspire me and the whole project has much potential to help so many along the way. 

Earth Angels help

These two wonderful sister cats of mine Lulu Blanche and Pengu Noire are my Earth Angels they have seen me through some challenging times.... but they are now famous in Greece and Turkey...... as both refugee communities love them.... only last night on Skype Lulu made a little boy laugh that was with Dante in the community there.....Dante had said get Lulu to show him as I have been telling him about the cats you have..... he was so excited to see her.... Pengu was out at the time no doubt with her Tom boyfriend down the road...... 

Princess Leen loves to see them and is on their facebook page....she made me laugh last night too as she has learned to use the clipart on her mums phone so suddenly all these clipart images came flooding into my messenger....... good we are linked thank God with the internet to have some fun time and sharing time......... 

Snow arrived

image from IMPR Humanitarian

Snow in Turkey thanks to the aid centre for helping some of the refugees.... just wish I could get out and assess and help them too....... and would be great to send my family members in the camps and in the community some warm clothes and some goodies to help keep morale up ... but stonewalled with no funds....

Images from Οταν Χαραζει Στο Αιγαιο

Snow in Athens so grateful for the army and police keeping the refugees safe in the camp, but would have been great to have got out there too... the ideal would have been pre Christmas with Boshra in Athens and then over to see the New Year in with Dante and the family...... and of course back to Athens to help with the new baby end of February...... but I lack the funds to have this freedom of movement and link up..... also could send out parcels but no funds to do so .... so upsetting I have to find a way..... this family are my life..... 

Boussa

Lovely to get a couple of film messages today from my Princess with lots of love and lots of boussa boussa .... kisses..... good to see her safe and warm... and laughing.... just so hurts not being able to get out and spend time with her for Christmas.....

Then the perfect situation would have been for me to get across to Turkey to see the new year in with her Uncle Dante and visit her Aunties in the border camps and nephews and nieces.......that would have had an extra sense of excitement too as I could have been there to greet the Peoples Convoy hospital equipment sent from Chelsea & Westminster Hospital to go over the border to Syria.......

So really feeling stonewalled stuck at home........All I need are the funds to support this Link Up project...... and others seeing the potential for business and trade link up too.... 

A shining star

This little girl is a shining star in the world and my life.  I feel very honored and privileged to have been given this project.  The family are amazing people to know as indeed many of our Syrian refugee families.  I feel humbled that I was considered worthy of helping this family from the first approach of Dante in Turkey.   The whole project enriches my life but opens my eyes to the plight of all.  

Each day apart is hurting me as I love sharing time with this little girl... there is so much for this Grandma to share with her and to help her learn.  The other children in the camp I just love being around... I  have no funds at this moment of time to go...... I really would have loved to have got over for Christmas to be in the camp... as I will be alone here in the UK.... better I am with this family.... I would love to have time in Athens a familar place now and take them all for a lovely meal and help stock up the cupboards with goodies for them to share with the other neighbours in the camp.... 

But I am stonewalled..... I continue to look for funding and applying for grants and even looking at this retired lady going back to some paid work to help.

If there is anyone with any offers to help please contact me ...... 

marjoriesyardATgmail.com 

and of course there is still the gofundme donation link as you can..... 

This substitute table in the camp fascinates me and I draw attention that the irony is that put it in some wacky art exhibition it could be worth 10s of thousands of £$  - gee that would be well used but the project to help the family and the families around them their communities...... We could look at rehousing with a massive lump sum...... 

Uncle to Niece

Pretty bags in Turkey one we bought for Princess Leen and another for a sister in the Sulieman Shah camp in Turkey. 

This was the one Dante chose for Princess Leen...

And here is Princess Leen with her new bag a present brought from Uncle in Turkey to her in Eleonas camp Athens by me..... it was nice to feel that hand to hand link up....and the love of Uncle for his little niece... a niece he has seen and held since birth. 

Actually Boshra finds this useful for putting spare clothes and snacks in for trips into Athens or when they go to visit friends in the other camp.

so it has come in useful for sure.  

Good trader link up too.. 

Frustration

Dante admiring a flower in Antalya this summer on my visit to him. He loves the beauty of flowers and draws strength from that beauty to neutralise the dark nightmare images he has seen and are scorched in his mind. 

Yesterday was difficult for Dante in Turkey- we get these hi moods and then low frustrated moods.  He just feels tied and stonewalled as I do too... In this he just wishes his family could be together safe and rebuild their lives.  They are a close family and mother and father important - so there is constant worry about them back in Syria. 

We managed some online chat for me to support him but he went off line to walk and walk and walk..... this is a common pattern in the post trauma and the continued frustration.  There can be hermiting away locked in depression and then bursts of energy from the stress to walk and try to make sense of it all.  It is so difficult for all those scattered and separated. I too am feeling this as I get more absorbed into the family with my support and love for them all. 

They are amazing people with a lot to offer the world yet can feel abandoned by the world.   So so difficult as the world seems in complete turmoil for us all.... and the dark winter months do not help.  I wish I could get out to see him and the community in Turkey - they have plans for a drop in centre with all aspects of care and support to be available with healing and practical advice and directions to rebuild lives. 

I enjoy this project and am learning so much - it is privilege to be a link up for the family; and this family do so much for the surrounding communities so through them I can help so many. 

I really feel together we can link up local traders and businesses and universities and teams.  We really do need to become a Global Family.  I hope that I can find funds to continue this project.  I would love now to be able to jump on a flight go to Athens check on Boshra and her pregnancy and have some time with her and Leen ... make sure they have enough provisions for the winter and have some treat time in Athens.... Then go over to Turkey to have some time with Dante more direct link up of brother and sister and have some time walking and talking and listening to him to guide him through the pain and frustration.  

If you can help with donations I still have the gofundme link for you to donate through.  Or if you have any ideas on grants and sponsors and fundraising then let me know... marjoriesyardATgmail.com  Everything I do with the funds I can evidence so you are part of the story. Remember all I do I report back to the UNHCR and my MP..... I am applying for paid jobs too and actually am frustratingly trying to work through the most incredible online application form for a post with the UNHCR........ So I am trying.   AND of course we have loads of writing material for a books if we can get an agent and publisher..... Not all do I share on this blog there is so much story to still to share...... 

With Greece

Yesterday there were strikes in Greece.  I and my refugee family express our solidarity in the pain of the problems being faced.  We have noticed the pre-existing problems.  For this we wish we could help and one of the main reasons I like to be able to take funds with me to spend in the local shops in Athens.  It is important to respect the host country and help and this is what my family feel too.   

I am still searching for funding for this project to be able to help link up business and trade in order to help all.  For as I travel between the UK, Greece and Turkey I can see we all have some major economic problems.  I just wish I could have time with our Mayor of London to brainstorm on ideas on how to help one another.  Even in the journey towards Brexit we still can help one another surely?

You can read With Greece 2016 report on the pdf link up 
http://www.asylumineurope.org/sites/default/files/resources/with_greece.pdf

You will see that there is enormous strain on the economy but I have witnesses what Greece is doing in Eleonas Camp and Scaramangas camp and they can stand tall in all this as they are trying to keep the refugees safe with dignity.  It is good that all organisations work together.  

Princess Leen on my first visit playing with a ball in Omonia Square in Athens. lool love the bowling stance my father would have loved this as he was a keen Crown Green Bowler.....  

This was a lovely evening as an American couple of tourists had come up to us and were playing with Leen with the ball they had given her.  It was a very touching moment when they found out that she was a refugee. The American father came over to Mohammed and hugged him.  A man to man moment -  a father to father moment of the American hugging the Syrian and saying "I cannot imagine all you have been through man but I would be doing the same getting my family to safety."

For that time we were a Global family... American Syrian Yorkshire lass in Athens Greece...  Surely we can be that in the world all the time a Global family caring for and respecting one another. 

   

Emails today

It has been an amazing past 18 months with Dante approaching me for help and trusting me with his family.  The project of caring and befriending and being able to link up the family has been and continues to be a wonderful enriching time of learning and sharing. I feel very much one of the family and am fond of them all.. I hope that with prayers and inshAllah we can all be together one day safe including his parents.  We need to pray for peace in this season of a message of Peace on Earth and Goodwill to all mankind.  We are indeed if only we can see it beyond squabbles conflicts and power trips a Global family.  Families just wishing to be happy and fulfill dreams.  

I have been fortunate with a small nursing grant and the release of some my NHS pension been able to do what I had longed to do... Get up off my sofa from watching the crisis unfold on the TV news and get out to help and meet up with the family. What an amazing privilege.  I love travelling and meeting people and in the past traveled to many places including lived in India... I have always been part of the community where ever I go..... I enjoy learn and sharing in communities. Even in my relief work in Romania after the revolution I would sit in the homes of locals and listen and find out about their pain and experiences. 

I have however not come to this point in my life a woman of substance to be able to quietly manage this project.  I am very reliant now on funding.  All my attempts now to write to trusts, organisations, MPs, MEPs and even presidents and Speaker of the House.... all have brought email responses to commend this work and respect all I am doing.  But I am in a tricky situation as funding is there for help with refugees but only for organisations not individual carer/befrienders.  

I have had emails today from a couple of UK based trusts and they are unable to help with funding as this work extends out of the UK.   But one at least is happy to promote my project in the hope that donations, fundraising, pathways to grants that could be positively offered and sponsors may be excited to help me.... 

This project is my life.    I shall continue to research on the issues and search for grants and sponsors and long term funding.  This project has great potential and lots of caring, learning and sharing at its core. 
While I am grounded in the UK I can offer 

• To  present a talk on the project with a donation to fund raising......with this also help raise awareness of a cause for your organisation or group, as we blog and promote the event on social media.
• Those wishing to improve conversational English I do hold a TEFL cert and can meet up to help you. I am in London we can have cafe table lessons in great places...So contact me if you need me to help you - fee is donation to the fundraising.  
• Do you need any help with a project of yours for fee of donation to my project.
• Is there any paid work that you think I could help with. 
• Do you have concert gig where I can come along to promote my project and we do a joint social media promotion. 
• As grandmother I can babysit too :-) so contact me fee donation to the Family Link Project. 

Any ideas for fundraising please contact me email        marjoriesyardATgmail.com 

Finger puppet bag a winner..

Princess Leen is totally fascinated with her Finger Puppet Bag that I got from Anna's Nepali crafts stall in Ealing ......and so do the other kids in the camp as they do finger puppet shows......and this kid here in London loves them too see below :-) 

Enjoying my pre visit skype show to Leen.

Love it when I have the funds to link up my friends, other traders and to link up my home here... with the camp .....and all the family.  To think this gift was made in Nepal brought to London by Anna for her stall, then I get the gifts and take to Athens to help give some fun to my Syrian family in the camp there. Fun this project and so so important to help rebuild lives, give love and hope and care and compassion and simply us all be a family..... a Global family helping one another. Love and care neutralises the darkness and pain in the world.  So much more fun caring for one another. 

Open Mike at the Poetry Society

The poetry cafe is closed for refurbishment so the venue for the Poetry society is the famous St Giles-in-the-Fields .... a church where famous poets worshiped.... so fitting.... but the range of poetry was broad... 

There was an open mike evening on the theme of Poems not bombs. 

Last night I performed the  Umbilical Cord to Motherland that we got published in the Writing Local Thinking Global. Dante is getting famous now ... and it gives me a platform to get across the pain of refugees.... and promote my Family Link Up project. The work was well received..... it really is a creative way to get the message across on the global situation..... I need to get some more work together..... as there are more gigs to come.....
http://linkupsyrianfamily.blogspot.co.uk/p/hillingdon-liter…
http://poetrysociety.org.uk/
https://stgilesonline.org/ 

The Church looked so pretty with all the Christmas decorations

Princess Leen would have loved the Creche play area and know that the rocking horse would have been the first thing she ran too - she loves her rocking horse in the camp that someone had given her.... 

Knits from Uxbridge

Some of the knitwear I took to Eleonas Camp from Carols stall in Uxbridge... and we had great fun distributing these with the baby clothes on my trip out what is now over 2 months ago... Thank goodness they have these warm clothes for this cold winter now.  This is just Athens though I still need to get out some knitwear to the community in Turkey where Dante is too.... 

There is so much to do and I feel so stonewalled without funding - I have written around again today for grants and guidance on funding.  In the meantime if you can help with donations to the gofundme I can evidence a direct link up to show you I am a hand to hand link for your donations. Many thanks 

 Princess Leen enjoying helping to give out the clothes...

Everyone had fun that day. 

Thank you for your help.

Knitting with Love

My way of coping with not being able to afford the fare to return to the Eleonas Camp.  I spotted some twinkle wool in the local Uxbridge Pavillions so decided to knit for Princess Leen... I used to enjoy knitting when my children were babies and tots and for my grandchildren too... the grandkids are beyond wearing the granny knits stage now lol So now it is time for my knitting skills to be for Princess Leen.  I hope I can go out to give this and to take some wool and patterns to sit and teach the mothers... My mothers in the camp will be able to knit but it is the reading of patterns that may be a problem.  

There is as nice needlework shop in Athens that I spotted too near the Athens General hospital. 

It is good to be able to knit with love for Leen and I will do more as I can pick up bargain wools. I have finished the back and two fronts of the cardigan and just been knitting the sleeves while listening to the Parliamentary channel on Home Office questions.... John, the Speaker of the House is on good form today... I enjoy listening the speaker controlling the house.... I used to love Betty Boothroyd when she was in the post.  But I have special place now in my heart for John Bercow now he has seen this Family Link Up project and commended my commitment to this family. The commitment is from care for them and their situation and the need to rebuild lives.

I do hope you can help me keep the link up project on the go and help rebuild lives and be part of the story.....You can donate through the gofundme link or if you have any fundraising ideas please contact me on facebook or marjoriesyardATgmail.com 

Lulu Blanche given up chasing the wool and sleeping snugly now!

Girlie Day

Boshra been having a girlie day with Princess Leen ... got these adorable photos through this evening from the camp...... it is all about being families and doing fun things together....trying to live as home in the camp...

You can see why I adore my Princess Leen Remember I have seen her from a baby on Skype. She is growing up so fast.... Just wish I could nip out to see her before Christmas and have enough funds to take the family out for treats in Athens and treat the camp neighbours too..... Please help me to keep this project going to help rebuild lives.... and give hope and comfort that they are not forgotten in the world but part of our Global family.   

Parcel link up

In my last parcel of some clothes to Princess Leen I sent some drawings and crayons and some activity packs...  Good to see the parcel finally arrived after a long wait and wondering where it was.....So from my garden drawing in west London I have a link up again with my lovely girl in the Athens camp....

Boshra can use the activity book to teach Leen some English words and use Arabic too....But wish I was there to have some fun doing this with her and do some more cross share of Language.....