Helping Greek Orphanages
21st August 2012
A Greek update hot of the plane from Kerkyra Greece
written by Liz from our Latton congregation
Well...
Things in general are really sad there; tourist numbers seemed to be
down so everyone is struggling. All the publicity about the financial
situation seems to have stopped a lot of people going on holiday to
Greece and yet ironically it is really good value for money now with
many businesses dropping prices in competition with each other, in
the hope of getting some customers in the short window of
opportunity during the tourist months.
The Items Latton and other churches collected all arrived safely. The
shipping company ‘Mondial’ based in Enfield also added quite a few
boxes of things, mostly brand new children clothes, but also randomly
some medical aids, blood pressure gauges and other bits. The old guy
who owns ‘Mondial’ said he would ship every month for free if needed.
He also said at 75 he was near to judgment day and as long as what we
were sending was for any one poor and needy he would help as much as
possible. He said it made him feel more comfortable as he would meet
God very soon … (not to soon we hope!) To give us this service for
free was quite amazing as the items filled a whole lorry load and it
all had to be driven 1500 miles with a 7 hour ferry crossing from
Italy, this could have been expensive.
Also the generosity of free van hire from ‘Alley Cat’ van hire in
Harlow, meant we could get it all to ‘Mondial’ in Enfield efficiently
and with ease.
In Kerkyra (Corfu) all the things were unloaded at the port and then
my daughter Emily arranged a number of trucks to take it to a disused
Bar in the north of the Island to be sorted. It wasn’t going straight
to the Orphanage because transportation would be difficult without
decanting first. The Orphanage is perched very high on a mountain and
would need to go on small trucks Also, some of the things were also
going to be given out to vulnerable families in the community. As it
all arrived at the bar, it quickly transformed the place into a make
shift charity shop and a team of volunteers from the village helped
sort the clothes into age piles, and toiletries into boxes, etc.
We then tried to call the Orphanage for the next move but had trouble
getting through as Greece became at a standstill for the many
festivals of the assumption of St Mary (Think that’s the right
wording) . Each village was hosting a panayeari (spelt to read) which
is a long church service followed by music dancing and roasting
lambs, so not a place for vegetarians!) Obviously this was where the
Orphans were being taken along to, hence no telephone replies.
Then conveniently, whilst on the beach, we spotted their big, bright,
very tatty minibus with big writing on the side written in Greek ‘THE
SMILE OF THE CHILD ORPHANS’. Coming from a politically correct
society having a van that advertised the passengers as Orphans could
be quite unsettling, but in a country where there is no state hand
out /grants for such an institution, then perhaps the only way to
raise a profile and social conscience would be to openly market
oneself.
Anyway we found and spoke to the workers who were supervising a large
group of children fishing. As we spoke all the children started to
gather round too. They began to get very excited when they heard that
the things had arrived, as they knew that we were collecting for them
for some weeks before and now we were here “does this mean we will
be getting new clothes one piped up?”
We told them all we would come up to see them all that evening, the
worker said to them “ tonight we are going to have visitors so you
can all wear your best clothes.” This was an accompanied by squeals
of excitement and lots of waving as they piled back on the bus with a
few buckets of fish in tow!!!
That evening we set off, armed with boxes of Greek cakes. That’s a
very much traditional thing to give on a name day (a saints day with
your name), and bearing in mind the chances of some of the children
having a derivative name of Mary a high possibility, we would be on
track with protocol for St .Marys day that week!
We told my granddaughter Lizzi (age 3) we where we were going to meet
some children this evening who where sometimes a bit sad as they did
not have any mummies or daddies , Lizzi thought for a moment and then
said “ Well shall we take them some then !!” Now there’s an idea!
The drive up to the Orphanage was an experience all in itself. On the
beach the staff had told us that getting the children out and about
was a logistical nightmare, as they didn’t all fit in the minibus and
also where the building is placed means that in the winter roads can
flood and landslides occur. Going up a very small mountain road with
no barriers became like a scene from “Raiders of the lost ark “ and
cutting through the smallest gaps between houses in the mountain
communities was a bit like a computer game. By the time we arrived at
the Orphanage our knuckles were white from clutching onto our seats.
I questioned how on earth would they get that big minibus through
each day to get Children down to the schools, answer the Greeks must
certainly be skilled drivers. (I’m not telling my Greek son in law
that though!)
The building was an old monastery and is about 400 years old, and those monks certainly knew where to get some peace. However, as it was a monastery it certainly was not built to be child friendly! I am not sure what order the monks where, but they must have been paying some sort harsh penance having
walking up and down so many blooming steps and also I think they must have had very small feet as steps where ridiculously small too! We were greeted by workers and children together who
appreciatively took the cakes and welcomed us into the dining room and offered a drink. Well actually we were offered lots of drinks, as each time a different child or worker popped in and said hello they also asked if we were thirsty.
The manager of the home, Mr Iothanis, sat with us . He told us 15 years ago he had seen a TV programme in Greece about the organisation “Smile of the Child” at the he time lived in Athens. He was so moved by the story of Andreas the little boy who inspired his father to set it all up, that he gave up his job, and with a little reluctance from his own wife and children, came to live in Kerkyra. He has now managed the home for 10 years. Most of the staff are unpaid or get very little money to work here. As we sat and talked one little girl came and sat with us and held Mr Iothanis arm and he just held her arm carried on talking with us just like a real parent would including her. Although this was a small gesture it felt really warm. Whilst we talked there was a constant stream of children coming in and out of the room to go to the fridge for drinks, just like a real home . Although you could see and feel the building was clearly in need of TLC , in contrast happily the children certainly were having plenty.
The home is only really able to house 20 children but now accommodates 35. This increase has been apparent since the Crisis. Mr Iothanis told us that some children have been dropped off outside in the middle of the night, coming to them very distressed. Staff may hear cars pulling away or a child crying and go outside to find quite young children just left in the courtyard.
Later he told us that the little girl who held his arm came to them this way when she was 2 she is now 10. Her parents took her back a couple of times but couldn’t support her so now she is permanently with them. Mr Iothanis explained that obviously many of the children are very emotionally disturbed by their experiences. A house as be donated neared to the town and the hoped is that this will be refurbished in the future as a counselling and therapy centre. The numbers in home also grow annually as the policy at the “Smile of the Child” is that the children are never asked to leave even when they technically become an adult at 18. As in a real family they are supported into adult hood. Last month one of the grown up children got married at 26 and she was supported into her new life by the home. A lesson perhaps our own Looked After Children’s Services could do with learning. Although the children living at the home are all under 18, the orphanage supports a number of young people living away at college who come back at holidays.
We where then shown around. The dining room is really cramped with only enough eating space for 15 so several sittings have to be organised. The room houses a large brick oven that was left over from the monks, which could do with being removed. The kitchen is large but old and very muddled. The under 5s have a playroom with very little toys. I thought they had enough toys, but Mr Ioanthis told us that people have now stopped donating since the crisis.
The bedrooms were once the Monks ‘cells’ but now have to accommodate a bunk bed and cot in each. They are really very small and cramped and the windows desperately need replacing as Mr Ionathis explained a lot of the children in the winter end up in their bedroom as living space once the weather changes is quite limited. The home tries to discourage this but with numbers growing it is difficult.
The living room is quite large and this is where Mr Ioanthis felt work needed to be done. You have to go down a number of steps to get to it and one end has been made into a study area. This is where the all the children sit, especially in the winter, but the problem is that it gets really damp. The plaster on the wall is coming off and the flooring concrete. ‘This means it is very cold and there is a lot of condensation’,
Mr Iothanis explained, ‘which results in a lot respiratory problems.’
We agreed with him that using some of the money raised would be a useful and long term solution to this problem the floor would be insulated, leveled with tiles and the walls re plastered.
The plan will be for this to happen over the next couple of weeks whilst the weather is warm and the children can use the outside to sit whilst work is being done.
Mr Iothanis is going to work with local traders and plans are now in place.
As for the things collected , Mr Ionthanis told us that the Orphanage runs an out reach programme that tries to support families who are at risk of giving up children. This is run from the Metropolis, a Church centre in Corfu town. Children have also been abandoned there. The plan is to make up clothes/toiletry packs and give to many of the outreach families. Most of these have very small babies. Also local village churches have approached us as they have now heard about the work started and have asked for a few items as well.
What started out as a ‘one off appeal’ has now a longer strategic aim , having seen first hand what is now needed. To the foreigner it is important to remember that Greece is not a constant warm sunny place, with beaches and olive groves to relax upon and in. Winters can be cold and damp and many of the most needy children need appropriate clothing and other important items. With the countries finances still up in the air it is clear many more children will need some support.
The Greeks have certainly given the world so much, if it wasn’t for their forward thinking thousands of years ago would we in London have had the success and celebration of the Olympics?!
We are now planning the next steps as to how to make the most impact and offer the best support out there. We want to continue to raise the profile of “The Smile of the Child” and support the most vulnerable, whilst hopefully those in power take action to get the country back on its very old and ancient feet.
Since receiving the above article we have held our Patronal Festival Musical Evening/Fish and Chip Supper. To our delight, thanks to the enormous generosity of Costa, the owner of Marina Fish Bar in Old Harlow, we were able to send out to Greece 22 pairs of brand new children’s shoes. Costa donated all the fish and chips free of charge and we made a profit of £330 for Greece. Emily sent details back from Greece as to which sizes were required and Liz’ husband Paul has already taken all the shoes out there which Liz kindly filled with sweets and pencils first!
So how can you help further? Well you can see from the article that the children need shoes and toys. Have you, or any friends or family members, got second-hand toys and shoes that the children could have please? Of course we are always happy to receive toiletries, etc, as before, but at that time we didn’t realise there was a toy shortage. Please spread the word. Items can be left on the vicarage doorstep in black bags or inside at the back of church.
THANK YOU ALL FROM GREECE!
St Mary-at-Latton Church, The Gowers, Harlow, Essex CM20 2JP Registered Charity No 1142425
