CHEER CHAMPION OF THE WEEK: LEILA MAHBUBI!
Congratulations to CHEER CHAMPion of the Week, Leila Mahbubi, BA, Breastfeeding Counselor and Interpreter for CHEERing, our Greece-based sister organization. Leila was nominated for her passion and commitment to serving families in Elna’s shelter and other camps. She is a native of Iran where she studied pharmacy and architecture, and worked as a pharmacist for 9 years before migrating to Greece.
In her role as breastfeeding counselor and interpreter, Leila has applied her knowledge of medicine in helping the families that CHEERING serves. She measures height and weight of babies to ensure they are growing well, serves as a translator in Farsi and Turkish, and oversees the patient language board that help patients find their way through the health center facilities. Leila enjoys translating and being a bridge between the refugee populations and the services they need. When asked about her motivation to work with CHEERing, she said “I am motivated to help refugees because as a refugee myself, I know how difficult the life is. So, it makes me happy if I can help them.”
Like many other people, the ongoing pandemic has affected Leila’s work. However, she remains committed in her determination to provide services to moms and babies as much as possible. “A lot of organizations and camps are closed now due to COVID, so we cannot go in there to measure babies and do the work. I have been working less hours and doing what I can”. Leila is a breastfeeding mom who loves reading, spending time with her kids, and following scientific posts on Instagram.
Congratulations Leila, thank you for channeling your life’s experiences into providing necessary health and translation services to refugee moms and babies!
