CRIBS was founded by Sally Hyman after she volunteered in a refugee camp in Greece in 2016. The idea was born (quite literally) with baby Ahmed, whose mother required an emergency Caesarean section. She was due to return to the bare earth floor of a tent after major surgery, and Sally could not stand by and let that happen. She rented a place for them to stay and sourced the essentials they would need. Since then CRIBS has expanded to housing 15 families in 7 flats, along with opening a Free Shop and Community Space providing support to the wider refugee community in Athens.
We have a team of 2 case workers, (one is a qualified psychologist), a Free Shop manager and a maintenance manager. We rent 7 apartments for our 15 families. Many women are single mothers. We have a distribution point which we run as a shop so women can select clothing and receive nappies etc. with dignity. Our Community Space hosts classes, clinics and provides a space for community in Athens. We work very closely with other small NGOs in Athens such as antenatal clinics, emergency medical providers, LGBTQIA+ organisations and midwifery volunteers.
