The New York-based Greek America Foundation has donated $10,000 to two non-profit organizations working to improve the lives of thousands of children in Greece.
HOPEgenesis and METAdrasi each received $5,000 grants — raised through the foundation’s #ChildrenOfGreece campaign, which aims to raise funds and awareness among North Americans about the challenges plaguing children in Greece.
Funds came from St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Chicago, whose parishioners have made weekly donations via goodwill offerings during church services.
Additional donations have come from Facebook birthday fundraisers organized by the foundation’s supporters from around the United States.
HOPEgenesis and METAdrasi are among the six Greek charities that the Greek America Foundation is supporting as part of its #ChildrenOfGreece campaign.
HOPEgenesis provides comprehensive medical care for pregnant women who live in remote areas or isolated islands throughout Greece. The organization’s mission is to facilitate the revival, development and gradual increase of the country’s population by restoring women’s faith in pregnancy and empowering them to believe they can be mothers again.
The organization’s medical staff includes gynecologists, nurses, midwives and administrators that serve nearly 40 Greek islands and more than 300 villages which have recorded zero or very few births since 2015. Since its founding, HOPEgenesis has served dozens of women and facilitated the birth of almost 100 children.
The Greek America Foundation’s $5,000 donation will help HOPEgenesis cover the costs of blood tests, ultrasounds, labor incidentals, transportation and housing at one of its medical centers.
METAdrasi primarily aims to cover long-lasting gaps in the reception and integration of refugees and migrants in Greece.
The organization’s activities focus on the following areas: interpretation and intercultural mediation, protection of unaccompanied children (escorting missions, guardianship, foster care, transit accommodation facilities and supported independent living), protection of vulnerable groups (legal aid, identification and certification of victims of torture, humanitarian aid missions), education and integration.
The Greek America Foundation’s $5,000 donation will support METAdrasi’s “Step2School” educational program. Τhe program helps refugee children between ages 6-18 that live in camps and temporary hosting facilities, but also welcomes Greek children that live in the neighborhood.
The program is being implemented in cooperation with the “Open Schools” project of the Municipality of Athens. Since 2017, “Step2School” has provided remedial education to more than 1,400 refugee children in Athens.
“Step2School” offers support classes emphasizing Greek language, mathematics and computer science. The initiative establishes a support framework for the integration of migrant children in formal education.
Following its principle to offer classes outside of refugee camps, METAdrasi has also created non-formal education centers on the islands of Lesvos and Chios. Since 2010, the organization has offered free Greek language classes to more than 5,000 adult students.
About #ChildrenOfGreece
The #ChildenOfGreece campaign falls under the Greek America Foundation’s Project Hope for Greece. Launched in 2013, the project aims to inspire philanthropy among North Americans and encourage grassroots fundraising for charitable organizations in Greece. Project Hope for Greece has raised almost $1 million for Greek non-profits doing important work to alleviate crises in the country.
The Greek America Foundation continues to accept donations in support of its latest campaign. The organization has also created a step-by-step guide for supporters on how to organize a birthday fundraiser.
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