“That’s what we should all do as humans, be kind and look out for one another”.
Huda, Interpreter at The HOME Project
A bright person both inside and out, Huda is a voice of safety and familiarity for the young residents of our shelter for unaccompanied girls and teenage mothers with their babies. Originally from Iraq, she arrived in Greece in 2016 with her two children and her ex-husband, after being forced to flee. On the island of Lesvos, she spent nine months between the Kara Tepe and Moria camps before being transferred to Athens.
Reflecting on her early days in Greece, she describes the uncertainty and physical hardship she endured in the hope of a better future. Her plan back then was to join her brother in Belgium, but legal barriers made leaving Greece much harder than she had anticipated. Meanwhile, her health was deteriorating. “Staying in the camps was not good for me. I was constantly fainting, and at some point, my heart stopped. They had to conduct CPR on me”, she recalls.
Her first few years in Athens were especially tough. Trapped in an abusive relationship, she was too afraid to even leave her house. Not being able to attend school meant that she couldn’t learn Greek, making integration into society feel out of reach. Everything changed in 2021 when her ex-husband moved to Germany. Huda was finally free to start over, but freedom brought its own set of challenges: she had nowhere to live and urgently needed a job. Thanks to a friend, she found an apartment and enrolled in school.
After completing her studies, she joined The HOME Project team as a night-shift caregiver. Determined to make the most of that opportunity, she found a way to balance work and parenting. She installed a night camera in her apartment to reassure her children, who were nervous about staying home alone, and began working at the shelter. Over the next two years, she adjusted to her new role while steadily improving her Greek. “My colleagues practically taught me Greek. To this day, I ask them to correct me when I make mistakes. They help me say things the right way, understand the grammar, and expand my vocabulary”, she emphasizes.
With time, Huda felt confident enough to step into the role of interpreter. “It was quite hard initially, but gradually I got more familiar with the various processes. Things have become much easier”, she admits. Interpretation at the shelter goes far beyond language translation. Huda often mediates in tense situations where things are misunderstood, and plays a crucial part in helping document the stories of young girls who have faced immense adversity. Her role requires emotional resilience and a deep understanding of trauma. “When you are listening to these stories, they might remind you of something you too have experienced. They can be triggering. That’s when your brain shuts down. Slowly, I have been trying to block any thoughts during interpretations. I’ve accepted that it’s okay to try to forget — it’s a necessary coping mechanism. I keep telling myself that I have moved on, that I am fine now and that I need to leave all the bad things behind”.
Beyond the emotional toll, her job also involves reading psychological cues and helping children open up about painful memories. When asked what advice she would give to future interpreters, she said: “Be patient. Without patience, it is impossible to work. When you are speaking with a child, they might act like they don’t understand, but that’s rarely the case. Usually they know what you’re saying, but they struggle to follow because the topics are difficult and painful. They involve experiences they don’t want to remember. So you must help them feel safe, show that you are on their side, and approach the conversation in a lot of different ways until they are ready to open up”.
Although Huda now speaks fluent Greek, she hasn’t forgotten what it felt like to arrive in a foreign land and be unable to communicate. “I still remember how hard it was, and I can’t help but empathize when I see others struggling. If I go to the hospital or even a store and see someone having a hard time, I tell them that I can help them, and step in to translate things for them. I’ve done this many times. It is beautiful to be able to help someone in need. Even if it wasn’t my job, I would still do it”.
Helping others is a core part of who Huda is, and it’s something she hopes to grow even further. “I truly enjoy helping others. If I had the resources, I would start an organization of my own to help those who have nothing. I try to help as much as I can, both in the shelter and outside of it. That’s what we should all do as humans, be kind and look out for one another”.