Winter is coming. The skies are grey and the temperature in Greece is rapidly dropping. Thousands of Syrian refugees are still living in tents dreading the coming months. Knitting will not solve the problems here but it can help to improve the mental and physical well being of some of the families we work with.

Last week we created a women's only space where women of all ages could come together to knit, crochet and talk. The result has been overwhelming. Already we have seen some beautiful pieces being produced. It has been amazing to see small groups of smiling women interacting together through knitting all around the camp. Not only does the activity of knitting enable women to have a purpose and an escape from the monotony of camp life but it is also embedded in their Syrian cultural identity. During the autumn months women would usually spend time preparing for the cold by knitting warm clothes for their families. The women have told us how comforting and happy knitting makes them feel. This project aims to bring back some semblance of normalcy but also empowers women by giving them a way to create their own solutions rather than having to rely on hand-outs which can be incredibly demoralising.

We are hoping to run a 10 week programme for around 100 women. To buy 1 ball of wool costs roughly €2. We also want to provide crochet needles and the women have requested different sized knitting needles. We estimate that it will cost around €20-25 per woman. If you feel that you are able to fund one woman or a few balls of wool any donation would be incredibly useful and greatly appreciated.

Any extra funds will be used to fund materials for future projects - the women have mentioned that they would like to do embroidery next!

To find out more about our work in Greece please visit our website: www.refugeetrauma.org