A project Link Up
UPDATE: 11th July 2017
I am a British retired nurse & midwife that is helping to link up a Syrian extended family that is scattered between Turkey, now Belgium from Athens Greece and Germany. I was first approached by Dante in Turkey, he calls himself Dante as he feels he has been through Dante's hell and after counselling him I can say he has! He felt he could trust me with the care and overseeing of his family. With this help rebuild their lives.
I have know Dante & about his family since May 2015 and I have been able to work with them online and visit them on a small pension fund I had. But in 2016 there was a need for me to reach out for more funding as my pension was running out. I also had been given some neonatal cargo here in London to get out to Athens where Dante's sister and family was. So I set up this gofundme appeal for followers and supporters to help me. I have been trying to get grants and written to the EU for funding but individual carers/befrienders cannot receive funds from the billions of Euros available to refugees only NGOs even though all I have written back to me to commend my work & my passion to help this family and their communities.
All I do I report to the UNHCR here in London as an independent carer with a copy to my MP.
I care alot about the family as I have shared much with them over our time of knowing one another. I cannot imagine life now without this project and the family. I particularly enjoyed spending time in the Athens camp with Boshra and her cute daughter, my Princess Leen. you can see and read about our adventures on my updates and blog Family Link UP. http://linkupsyrianfamily.blogspot.co.uk/
The funds that were raised on the gofundme over the time period end of February 2017 begining of March 2017 enabled me to travel to Athens for the birth of Boshra's second daughter Celine in March 2017.
Boshra and her girls have now been moved to Belgium and I would like to check on their living facilities.
I have all the other family members to check on too!
Through this project I have been learning a lot and even attended committee meetings in Parliament on Syria and the refugee problems. I hope you can help me. One major observation I have made is that it helps to have some funds to spend with local traders in the area of the camps. This softens the edges as it were between the camp and wider community and turns burden into benefit. It is good for the local traders to feel valued and it is therapeutic for the refugees to have a normal family day shopping in the area.
We have achieved much together from trauma counselling to goods purchased from food to fridges in the camp to lap top for writing reports, to clothes, toys, and educational tools, writing CVs and applying for jobs, creative writing with publications and reports translated to helping a Syrian baby with her much needed operation to remove a tumour.
I am concerned again for the comming winter months and feel we need to prepare not only my family but the other refugees in their communities.
Money will be used to fund shopping needs of family.. Travel expenses for me to spend time and help in the camps with this formulate reports and assessment of needs.
Many thanks for your visits to this appeal and please help as you can the minimum donation on the site is £5 every amount helps. You will read in the updates I still need to pay for the neonatal cargo delivery too so I am very much in need of your help..... Be part of the story!
Marjorie BSc RN RM Cert counselling.
I have know Dante & about his family since May 2015 and I have been able to work with them online and visit them on a small pension fund I had. But in 2016 there was a need for me to reach out for more funding as my pension was running out. I also had been given some neonatal cargo here in London to get out to Athens where Dante's sister and family was. So I set up this gofundme appeal for followers and supporters to help me. I have been trying to get grants and written to the EU for funding but individual carers/befrienders cannot receive funds from the billions of Euros available to refugees only NGOs even though all I have written back to me to commend my work & my passion to help this family and their communities.
All I do I report to the UNHCR here in London as an independent carer with a copy to my MP.
I care alot about the family as I have shared much with them over our time of knowing one another. I cannot imagine life now without this project and the family. I particularly enjoyed spending time in the Athens camp with Boshra and her cute daughter, my Princess Leen. you can see and read about our adventures on my updates and blog Family Link UP. http://linkupsyrianfamily.blogspot.co.uk/
The funds that were raised on the gofundme over the time period end of February 2017 begining of March 2017 enabled me to travel to Athens for the birth of Boshra's second daughter Celine in March 2017.
Boshra and her girls have now been moved to Belgium and I would like to check on their living facilities.
I have all the other family members to check on too!
Through this project I have been learning a lot and even attended committee meetings in Parliament on Syria and the refugee problems. I hope you can help me. One major observation I have made is that it helps to have some funds to spend with local traders in the area of the camps. This softens the edges as it were between the camp and wider community and turns burden into benefit. It is good for the local traders to feel valued and it is therapeutic for the refugees to have a normal family day shopping in the area.
We have achieved much together from trauma counselling to goods purchased from food to fridges in the camp to lap top for writing reports, to clothes, toys, and educational tools, writing CVs and applying for jobs, creative writing with publications and reports translated to helping a Syrian baby with her much needed operation to remove a tumour.
I am concerned again for the comming winter months and feel we need to prepare not only my family but the other refugees in their communities.
Money will be used to fund shopping needs of family.. Travel expenses for me to spend time and help in the camps with this formulate reports and assessment of needs.
Many thanks for your visits to this appeal and please help as you can the minimum donation on the site is £5 every amount helps. You will read in the updates I still need to pay for the neonatal cargo delivery too so I am very much in need of your help..... Be part of the story!
Marjorie BSc RN RM Cert counselling.
ORIGINAL INFORMATION WHEN THIS BLOG WAS STARTED.
I am a British retired nurse & midwife that is helping to link up a Syrian extended family that is now scattered between Turkey, Athens in Greece and Germany. All I do I report to the UNHCR here in London as an independent carer. I am self funding with a small pension and applying for grants to keep this project going. I care alot about the family as I have shared much with them for over a year now. I cannot imagine life now without this project and the family. I particularly enjoy spending time in the Athens camp where we have Boshra and her cute daughter, my Princess Leen. Through this project I have been learning a lot and even attended committee meetings in Parliament on Syria and the refugee problems. I hope you can help me. One major observation I have made is that it helps to have some funds to spend with local traders in the area of the camps. This softens the edges as it were between the camp and wider community and turns burden into benefit. It is good for the local traders to feel valued and it is therapeutic for the refugees to have a normal family day shopping in the area. I am now concerned again for the winter months and feel we need to prepare not only my family but the other refugees in their communities.
Money will be used to fund shopping needs of family.. Travel expenses for me to spend time and help in the camps. The next trip booked for 24th September I will be staying in the camp to maximise my time of help and care. I shall be helping with the Athens UNHCR teams too. For this I have informed the RCN and NMC on my volunteer activity. I do hope you can help me with this project - Many thanks Marjorie BSc RN RM Cert counselling
https://www.gofundme.com/2k34fes
UPDATE: 25th October 2016
Please note that this trip has now been completed but the funds are still very much needed to continue the link up. You can read in the posts about the trip and my stay in the Eleonas Camp in Athens. I very much would like to return as soon as possible as Boshra is expecting another baby and will need my help. We need Islamic maternity clothes and all that is needed for the new birth.
I managed to get donated neonatal cargo to Athens but still need to settle the DHL cargo bill.... They did a marvelous job for me with the team in Athens Airport being wonderful with the delivery to a refugee co-ordinator's apartment. We then managed to get the cargo to the camp to then get direction from the camp to try the General Hospital in Athens. The dietetics paeds team well pleased with the donated equipment.
There is a need to revisit Turkey as the refugee community would like me to help oversee the start up of a drop in centre for advice, healing and education. So there is a lot of work to be done..... I enjoy this project and having opportunity to get out in the field..... I feel so tied down with no more personal funds to feed into the project. So at the mercy of help from donations, grant applications, sponsors and business link up. I hope you can help me and be part of the story. Many thanks Marjorie
