Description of the integration initiative implemented
The reason for deciding to migrate was the financial situation. She wanted to offer more to her children, to go to the cinema with their friends, clothes and shoes. She said: “When you see that the child needs something and you cannot offer it, you have to do something about it”. When the factory that she was working at closed, she had to sell her apartment, experiencing many hindrances. Due to the country’s socio-economic conditions, she faced multiple difficulties as prices increased on everything, and there was no income. Then her friend helped her come to Greece and it was a sort of loan. She was forced to make these decisions. Regarding healthcare access and use, she mentioned that she did not have any health issues. However, if she ever had any necessity, she could address her employers, who would help. In one case, an employer was a medical doctor; another was a lawyer, so she had whatever she needed. If she had a health problem, e.g., with her back, the employer would help her conduct examinations, physiotherapy or injections if needed. She mentioned that for a simple cold, she would not go to a doctor. However, if she had to, she would rather go to a private clinic or hospital than a public one. She could not stand the queues. She discovered a 10% price reduction for a health checkup at a private medical centre. She mentioned: “You feel more human when you go, especially in the economic crisis or now with COVID-19. I have seen people in the public hospitals that wait in queues for hours, and nothing happens. “

Personal story
Interviewee 3 (Georgia, 50) grew up in Tbilisi. She divorced in 1978 and took responsibility of her two children. She was alone with her children since they were 4 and 5 years old. She took on both the mother and father roles. She had a degree in Accounting and worked at the Polytechnic University, Georgia. At the same time, she studied in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the same university, taking afternoon courses. She worked five days a week to take care of her children, but she was looking for a second job to support them due to the difficult financial situation. She left the abovementioned job due to a need for higher income. Due to political instability and decreased work, the factory shut down. The government fell and everything changed suddenly, with an emerging class inequality. As a result, she began preparing and baking sweets, cakes and sandwiches at her home for some bakeries. She would receive minor payments for her work. She explained that she felt helpless, heading towards a dead-end as bills and necessities required a higher income. She was desperate due to her unemployment and realised that she could not help her family. It was then that she decided to leave. One of her friends had been in Greece before and had since returned to Georgia. Her friend helped her by paying the cost of her tourist visa and her bus ticket, which was around $ 500 in June 1995. She came to Greece in 1995 with a one-month duration visa. Six months after she arrived in Greece, her eldest son passed away. He fell from a glider while exercising. She returned to Georgia in 1998. Five years later, she also lost her younger son in a car accident. When she arrived in Greece, the bus left her in Thessaloniki and then she came to Athens by train. She was alone and unable to communicate because she did not speak Greek or English. She had no personal contacts in the city. She explained that she took a risk by talking to a woman on the train to Athens, as she heard that she was speaking Georgian. She explained to the woman that she was going to Athens to work. Then the woman helped her by giving her the address of an employment and travel office at Omonoia Square, in the centre of Athens. That was an office that Georgians addressed to find a job. There, she met other compatriots who helped her find a hotel to stay. She started working on the fifth day of her arrival. She was given the address of a residence in the northern suburbs of Athens, where she worked as a live-in domestic helper. Since 2008, she worked as a domestic helper for a retired lawyer. She would also help at his office until 2:00 pm. She would receive parcels from couriers, or pay bills. At his residence, she worked as a live-in domestic helper; she would iron, cook, and clean the furniture. She stayed there for four years until he passed away. Then another friend suggested an elderly judge to her. She was paid EUR 700 with social security contributions and stayed with him for four years. There was a reduction in her salary due to the economic crisis. This family probably offered more because they wanted to help her as her little son had a stroke. They also brought him to Greece and tried to help him. The employer's son was a neurosurgeon and provided him with free hospital care. She mentioned that "he put my son on his feet again. Here, he came with a cane and left dancing". There, she carried out the same duties: preparing food, cleaning, keeping company, going for walks, shopping. He was sleeping during the day, and they would often play games such as cards, biriba, chess or backgammon. She liked chess but required much thinking; she was bored and did not like to lose. Generally, she would take a break for a couple of hours in the afternoon. If she had no specific task for the afternoon, she would only give him his medicines. She would also pay his bills; she would even cash out money from the bank when no one else was available to take him by car. In certain cases, she would visit a bank with him by taxi. He had Parkinson’s disease. He passed away in 2012. Later, she was employed as a domestic helper for an actor, but he also passed away two months later. She was recommended for this job by the previous employer. She was mostly with him at the hospital during the day. During this time, she would stay with a friend. She had ten other friends from Georgia with whom she used to spend her time. They would gather for birthdays or celebrations as they always did. Currently, she is in search of a new employer. During this time that she does not have a permanent job, she often works as a private nurse in a hospital. She mostly works in the evenings or late-night hours. She has worked for 12 or 8 hours and has been paid EUR 40-50.

Analysis of the initiative and individual story
In her youth, she wanted to see Greece and to work. What she mostly remembers about her family before coming to Greece was that she felt loved and that they were more a friends’ than a mother and sons’ relationship. When she left Georgia, she thought she would come for three months to work for a while and gather some savings. It was not her goal to stay for many years. Her children were trying to find jobs, so that she did not have to work abroad for them and so that they got her back. She divorced due to mismatch of characters with her husband. She mentioned that she experienced the economic crisis extensively as fewer and fewer jobs were available and the salaries decreased. For example, as a domestic helper for a judge, he asked her to reduce her salary by EUR 100, from EUR 700 to EUR 600. Another employer, with whom she had agreed to work for another few hours, let her work as part-time live-out work for others. This is how she supplemented the income to reach EUR 700. He was paying EUR 450. When she has a problem here in Greece, she prefers asking her friends for documents or work as she has no brothers or sisters. She also has a lawyer to ask for advice and she used to ask her employers as well. She would first turn to her employer, who, in one case, happened to be a lawyer. In one case, the employer helped a lot in preparing the documents for her. She would ask her friends as a second option. She mentioned that they learn from each other and look after each other. She knew the Georgian Community Association, but she preferred going to All Saints Church on Sundays. If she knows a Georgian priest there for confession, she will go from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. She usually attends the congregation with her friends. In general, she turns for work to her network of friends. She usually spends her time reading, chatting via the computer, or finding news from home via her laptop. She also communicates with friends or relatives at home, with her grandchildren and her son’s friends. During her spare time, she likes solving crossword and puzzles. She repeatedly mentioned whom she considered her own people; those close to her are her employers, as they treated her well. She also considers her compatriots as such. She stated that Greeks face the same difficulties. During the weekends, she would typically stay at employers’ residence until Saturday. On Sunday morning, she usually went out. After she got up, she had breakfast, and around 10:00 am, she would go out. She mentioned that she feels like a “free bird”. In certain cases, she explains that she will continue her tasks after coming back. After the church, she usually goes around the Monastiraki and Acropolis or Lycabettus areas for coffee with her friends. She also likes going to the theatre and cinema, but due to COVID-19, she cannot. She always enjoyed a Sunday at the beach. When she had her day-off, she would stay in another apartment which was rented by her friends. She communicates with her son's friends or grandchildren almost every day. She uses the internet and telephone as well as social media platforms and online video chat applications. She sends about EUR 200 every month back to Georgia, EUR 100 for every grandchild. She plans to send more because her older granddaughter will go to a private school. She will send around EUR 250. She mentioned that she feels that a grandmother has to act like that and care for her family. She would like to have them in Greece, but now she cannot bring them. Currently, she has a long-term residence permit. She is uncertain of her future as she believes she has grown old and probably has to leave gradually. She is unsure how long she would be able to work for. She mentioned that due to the difficult and demanding tasks, age is a crucial factor; when employers learn her age, they feel reluctant to offer her a job. Her plan for the future is to return to Georgia as soon as possible, in order to spend as much time as possible with her grandchildren. “I am tired, distressed. Exhausted Nothing else. It was worth it because I could do a little more, even a small contribution, to help my family. I did as much as I was able to do here” she mentioned. She feels physically and psychologically drained due to her work conditions. She explained that her work was demanding and difficult, but she felt closer to the person she cared for. She felt compassion. The greatest difficulty at work is ironing and cooking, as employers had demands and particularities.

Results and Impact
After many years in Greece, things ended up the way she wanted, but since 2008 things changed financially. However, she was able to find jobs via her friends. Regarding the plans that she had initially for her or her grandchildren, she followed through positively by supporting them financially. She believed that this was worth the trip, the hard work and the difficulties she faced as a domestic helper. She considered herself to be doing something important; she felt useful, for example, on the financial issue. She was satisfied with her choices as all others collect economic resources to buy an apartment, cars or something else. She worked only to provide what was necessary for her grandchildren. She is not interested in having many things if she has her cigarettes and 10 euros to drink coffee with her friends, but she thinks that her grandchildren must not be deprived of anything. Due to the economic crisis, she spends less at the supermarket. She prefers to buy cheaper products. She has a mobile phone with a rechargeable card and another to call her family in Georgia cheaper. She used to send presents to her grandchildren and tries to keep this up. She visited them a year ago.