My Name is Sarah
When Sarah* (not her real name) decided to leave Turkey for Greece in November 2018, it was because she saw Turkish asylum services continually failing her. “It was difficult to seek asylum in Turkey. The relevant offices are never open. Whenever we had a date and time, we would arrive and be told that the service is not available on that day. I never intended to come to Greece. I have never even heard of the country, Greece, before I came here”
Turkey was a country that bore unspeakable pain which Sarah has chosen not to share. Sarah's story is not uncommon: Many of the women we support are survivors of multiple forms of gender-based violence in their home countries, on their travels through Turkey and some even in Greece.
Sarah, 36, was born in Jinja, Uganda, and grew up with her family in Kampala, Uganda's capital city. Sarah shared a special and close relationship with her mother, who passed away from Tuberculosis while Sarah was working in Egypt. "I felt my entire world had collapsed."
Sarah first arrived in Greece on the island of Kos before being allowed to leave to Athens because of her unborn child.In Athens, she looked for shelter for herself and her unborn son. In the shelter, Sarah found undignified living conditions and no gender-segregated spaces. Sarah found herself unable to work or attend school, which she had hoped to resume after being forced to drop out in Uganda. “I studied for 11 years. I dropped out of school because my father was arrested and we could not afford school fees.” When Sarah asked a social worker from another organisation for assistance,she found out about the Action for Women. Her previous social worker suggested she explore the Greek and computer literacy lessons the organisation offered.
Sarah consistently turned up for classes with us and it was not before long, our social worker identified the crowded and unsafe conditions Sarah was living in. With Sarah’s willingness to integrate into Greece, and consistency in showing up despite her difficult circumstances, there was no doubt in our minds that a safe and dignified shelter - and a place to breathe - was the one of the main barriers in Sarah’s way in order to thrive.
Moving into the Action for Women shelter gave Sarah the community she had been lacking, surrounded by women who understood the struggles she was experiencing. While the other women may not have been from the same background, nor spoke the same language, their common experiences along with the weekly support of the AFW team fostered a supportive and protective community. The shelter often had wonderful smells wafting out of its windows. Its communal kitchen not only bridged the language divide through the language of food, but also through the language of kindness and sharing, where the residents often took turns to cook for the entire household.
“We help each other. If someone was broke, the house was not selfish. When one of the children is sick, everyone helps each other out."
Sarah chose to receive specialised weekly support from AFW’s female clinical psychologist to process past trauma, giving her the tools to navigate her mental health in a new way. “I came to the shelter so stressed and depressed because of my past experiences. I needed someone to talk to, someone who wouldn't judge me. I am really grateful because I felt much better from the sessions.”
As part of the Pomegranate Project’s holistic model to protect and empower women refugee and asylum seekers, Sarah tried out for the Pomegranate Project’s economic empowerment team where with a Greek designer, Porfyria, the women co-create, design and make products right here in the Project on a fair living wage. Although Sarah had no previous sewing experience, she eventually grew her skills enough to make our Laila Rose Bag.
"I was happy and I told everyone that I made a bag. I could not believe that I could do it. The income I got from the project really helped me."
With economic freedom, Sarah uses the money she makes through the project to send money to her two children in Uganda. "My daughter is 17 years old and my son is 13 years old. I send 100 Euros per month to them to eat and buy their school supplies. My daughter wants to be a doctor. I will try my best, I have to."
With the consistent monthly meetings Sarah attended with our social worker during her time with us, navigating the complicated Greek bureaucracy together, filing tax declarations, setting up her bank account, consistent medical appointments, and registering her young son for kindergarten - Sarah, the model citizen, was poised to sign job and housing contracts in her own name.
The time came after ten months with us, where not only Sarah found a small studio a stone’s throw away from the Project, with a small backyard where her little son could play, she also found a full time job with a German family as a nanny and housekeeper. We could not think of a more suitable position with her calm, loving and responsible nature.
It is a bittersweet moment for us whenever a woman leaves the Project: Our hearts always burst with pride at how far each and every woman has come from the first day we met them: with a new purpose in their step, a steely glint in their eyes.
We also reflect on how it takes a village - her social worker, her Greek teachers, her psychologist, our legal partners, and most importantly, supporters like you - to ensure that Sarah had the time and space to heal and grow. Your generosity has directly funded utilities, rent, and the stipends of the volunteer team; all crucial to keep our holistic model running.
"The AFW shelter made me feel like I was family. I was loved and [the shelter] provided me with most of the things that I wanted, so I felt like I was home." “I am so thankful for [the staff] being patient with me, for the support and effort they put in me despite everything I had been through. God bless you all for me.”
*Names have been edited to provide anonymity
