CTF Team 48 is myself and Sara who was the Trip Coordinater for CTF Team 8- in April of 2015. CTF now has storage space in Athens so we dropped 2 of our 4 bags of aid to be distributed by future teams. We will bring the other 2 bags to the island Chios we go to tonight.

We found the warehouse easily, directions on

how to get into the space had been forwarded to us by a previous team.

For all the aid CTF delivers- there are so many steps and volunteers that make these distributions possible. Each step of the way we are mindful of how these baby carriers, beds, diapers and baby necessities make a real difference to the families that receive them.

Today we waited for a one of our partners NGO in Athens to open. We waited with about 40 mostly mothers and their young children. In so many ways it was a normal gathering of moms, babies were held, children played with what they found in the empty lot next door, we all kept an eye on the crazy Athens traffic feet away, making sure no children entered the street. A wall of safety and love….

We also saw the worry in the mothers eyes, the desperation of needing but not being able to feed, clothe and diaper their children. One mother spoke of her life as a middle school teacher in Syria. As we passed her 6 month old daughter between us she showed us pictures on her phone of their home in Syria, the beautiful garden and the 5 month old son that died because of the bombing.

We were able to purchase 3 grocery carts of diapers, pads, and baby shampoo from

donations we’d received. Sara was wondering where our dream organizer Amanda from CTF Team 8 was when we needed her!

Our plane for the island Chios left at 8pm. It was an easy 30 minute flight from the main land. We will spend the next week working and helping where needed.