Behind the cafe where we dine on Saturdays. In line at the pharmacy. At a meeting of parents and guardians. At a nearby bakery. In a nearby apartment building… Poverty in Athens is so close to us that we don’t notice it. It was the biggest shock I’ve ever experienced Amalia Zovoili, Harris Ghazi and Anestis Bozoglanian when they created an organization from scratch two years ago to offer help to families in need. “But we waited and found more,” says Amalia in “K”. “We knew that we were going to find people living below the poverty line, but we found that the problem was people who live near us, people who do not understand how much they need, but who are struggling to even make it. during the day.”

They know what they are talking about. All three met while working at Doctors Without Borders. Watching the activities of the organization abroad, at some point they thought about how they could help the citizens of our country. “As the crisis deepened, solidarity movements developed, but when it comes to voluntary organizations, action often fizzles out. We wanted to create something permanent, more long-term, something that would provide comprehensive care.”

Universal Action

It is for this reason that they decided to focus on families with small children. That children are the future may be a slogan, but there is a great truth behind it. “By offering appropriate goods to children, the vicious cycle of poverty can be broken,” says Ms. Zovoili, who also “served” in Exercise.

The help offered by First Child is multifaceted. First, a specialist nutritionist identifies vitamin and mineral deficiencies in children and draws up a nutrition plan for a month. “Unfortunately, we notice that many children fall behind on growth curves precisely because they are not properly fed. Due to poverty, many never ate beef, and the only fish they ate were fish croquettes. Now, in fact, things are even worse. Many do not even have basic things. The mother told us that she did not eat herself to feed her children, or that sometimes they went to bed hungry because they only ate once a day … Usually a family cannot be below the poverty line because the baby eats something , but what about when it’s something canned? How will this child do in school? Everything is interconnected”. Based on the meal plan, the organization takes an order at the supermarket every two weeks. When their children’s nutrition is fully provided, parents can more comfortably take care of other needs.

The organization also covers the cost of extra-curricular activities of the children’s choice, English, conservatory, football, dance… “We help them by covering not only tuition but also exam fees when the time comes. Children are relieved when they can participate equally. If they don’t go to class like their classmates, they feel at a disadvantage.”

The third intervention concerns medical care. Children are under the constant supervision of a pediatrician, who draws up a medical prevention and treatment program adapted to the individual needs of each. The organization also covers emergency medical care, vaccinations, and dental and other expenses, unless provided free of charge by the National Health System. “Many of the families we work with are single parents, single mothers who cannot work because they have to take care of the children and therefore do not have insurance. Many children have missed vaccinations.”

Psychological support

According to the co-founders of the organization, although single-parent households (94% of which are single mothers) along with families with many children are at the highest risk of poverty (24% and 27% respectively), they are mainly supported by benefits and parts. As the pandemic further impoverished women, the needs have increased even more.

The last intervention is the psychological support of families by the psychologist of the team, Anesti Bozoglanyan. The goal is for parents to play an active role in empowering their children and making better use of the services offered. “We want them to be willing to take advantage of the help. We sometimes hear “what will he do with English?” Once built, it will work. We tell them, give the child a little more, and then we’ll see. It’s a shame that his horizons are not expanding,” explains Ms. Zovoili. “The little girl from the first family we took in watched the songs on YouTube and really wanted to understand the lyrics. She is very glad that now she is starting and understands what she is singing about.

The first family joined the program in July 2020. Today, Child First, supported by private foundations, takes care of eight families with a total of 14 children, all benefiting from the social services of the Municipality of Egaleo. In the future, the action will be extended to other areas of Athens. “The changes are already evident. And only the presence of a person next to them to bear part of the burden brings relief to parents. They feel they have support, that they are not alone.”

13.9% do not have basic necessities

The proportion of the population at risk of poverty or social exclusion is 28.3% (2,971,200 people). According to the Greek Statistical Office’s latest 2021 Household Income and Living Conditions Survey published on July 27, the index shows an increase of 0.9 percentage points compared to 2020. This is the second highest percentage in the EU. for countries for which data are available, Bulgaria ranks first (31.7%). In the same study, the percentage of the population lacking at least seven of the 13 basic goods and services (an indicator that calculates the percentage of the population with severe material and social deprivation) rises to 13.9%.

It is significant that the proportion of the population living in housing with limited space is 28.5% for the total population, and for poor households it rises to 42.7%. In addition, 48.6% of households have difficulty paying for a week’s vacation, 46.3% have difficulty with unexpected expenses, and 17.5% have financial difficulty for adequate heating in the winter. Finally, 33.8% of poor households say they lack a diet that includes chicken, meat, fish or vegetables of equal nutritional value every other day, and 49.5% of poor households say they find it difficult to pay fixed bills on time.