Support for the Victims of Thessaly - Chain of Solidarity from Humanity Greece
SOCIETY
CIVIL SOCIETY: 276 PRACTICES
TOPIC:
Initiative
SUBMITTED FROM:
HUMANITY GREECE
Objective Action
Basic pillars of Humanity Greece are the immediate and effective response to humanitarian, social and environmental crises. Since its inception, Humanity Greece has been on the first line for the immediate relief of those affected throughout the country.
Humanity Greece, in the context of preparedness and response to emergency situations, through the initiative, aims to provide essential support and relief to those affected by the effects of climate change, with a response time within the first hours of the appearance of each phenomenon.
After first days passed, the Humanity Greece supervision team, which consists of social workers, psychologists and people specialized in the management of mass disasters, proceeded to an extensive recording of the needs of each local community, in order to ensure coordinated and methodical support actions from both the providing targeted humanitarian assistance to each person/family, ensuring psychosocial support up to the restoration of school units and structures for the elderly.
The main objective of the initiative is to relieve and support those affected by the effects of the storm Daniel & Elias, by providing all the necessary living items as well as covering serious needs in school units.
More specifically, the needs are increasing while now the specialized group of volunteers has registered families and needs for all the villages and structures that have been seriously affected.
Target Audience
The "Support for the Victims of Thessaly" initiative includes the following pillars:
- Monthly Support for Families with a personalized package of basic necessities
- Monthly Child Support with provision of technological equipment
- Renovation of Interior spaces in School Units
- Provision of Equipment to School Units
- Support of Elderly Structures
Therefore, the direct beneficiaries to whom the action is addressed, as it is perceived, are the residents of the Thessaly regions, who were decisively affected by the catastrophic floods, as a direct consequence of the Daniel & Elias storm.
As indirect beneficiaries are the people (volunteers), who participate in these actions, but also raise awareness through the initiative of the critical situation of floods and corresponding weather phenomena, the way to deal with them, as well as being informed and seeing in practice the effects of climate deregulation and ways to relieve the affected.
Duration
The action-initiative "Supporting the victims of Thessaly" began with quick reflexes by the volunteers of Humanity Greece on September 9, 2023, and continues to this day.
Description
A basic condition for the implementation of the initiative is the active participation of the project team of specialized volunteers who frame Humanity Greece, who, based on their expertise, have assumed distinct roles, as special treatment is needed both in the staffing of the call center, in the management of Logistics at the Voluntary Coordination Center but also in offering help in the fields.
On a daily basis, volunteers from all over Greece come to support and strengthen the chain that has been created in the Volunteer Coordination Center, helping with the procedures necessary for coordination, and participating in activities such as recording incoming donations of goods from the people who want to support, their appropriate classification and grouping, but also the most basic pillar, which is the creation of the so-called support packages, which are sent on a monthly basis to the affected villages of Thessaly and Magnesia.
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Impact on Society
With the passage of the bad weather Daniel, the collection of all humanitarian aid was activated at the Volunteer Coordination Center of Humanity Greece - Myllerou 76, Metaxourgeio 104 36 - and was coordinated by its volunteers on a daily basis with continuous missions to the affected areas, which reached the villages in direct communication with the local community.
More specifically, the team of specialized volunteers of Humanity Greece, with the development of an appropriate strategic plan and partnerships, managed to:
intervened in 27 villages in the face of flooding: Vlochos Karditsa, Metamorfosi Karditsa, Palamas Karditsa, Ag. Theodori of Karditsa, Koskinas of Karditsa, Marathea of Karditsa, Korda, Kalogriana, Pedinos, Megala Kalivia, Keramidi of Thessaly, Armenio of Larissa, Sotirios of Larissa, Nikaia of Larissa, Farkadona of Trikala, Agria Magnesia, Piniada of Magnesia, Xinoneri, Agia Triada, Karditsomagoula of Karditsa, Purinisia of Magnesia, Rizovouni Karditsa, Chorefto, Mouresi, Makrirrahi, Zurichti, Kutsochero Trikala
ensure the supply of more than:
- 142 tons of goods
- 842 pallets of goods
- 3,265 flood relief packages within the first 24 hours of the storm Daniel & Elias
- monthly support packages to 420 families from the affected areas, who have joined the Humanity Greece registry from October 2023 until today
- 243+ routes were operated to the affected areas
The families and citizens affected by Karditsa, Trikala, Larissa and Volos joined the "Beneficiary Register" from October 2023 and continue to be supported to this day, through the provision of personalized support packages, which are prepared and are sent by the volunteers and include long-lasting food, personal hygiene items, baby and cleaning items, always shaped and personalized according to the needs of each family.
Until today, through the live presence of volunteers in the affected areas and the records they carried out, 420 families from the affected areas of Thessaly joined the Support Program of Humanity Greece, from the following villages:
Armeno of Larissa, Sotirio of Larissa, Koutsochero of Trikala, Koskinas of Karditsa, Vlohos of Karditsa, Metamorfosi of Karditsa, Puri of Magnesia, Farkadona of Trikala, Ag. Theodoros Karditsas, Koskinas Karditsas
In addition, with the support of individuals and companies and the securing of donations for this purpose, 22 school units (Kindergartens, Primary Schools, Middle Schools, High Schools) of Thessaly that have suffered serious damage were delivered to 22 school units, including resistance bands, grip trainers, mattresses exercise equipment, basketball/soccer/volleyball/gym balls, children's books and interactive toys, stationery.
The annual operating costs for maintaining the Standard Coordination Center and the monetary value of the program for securing essential items, fuel and vehicle supply amounts to 105,650.00 euros and its efficiency was in the form of provided essential items and relief to those affected in more than 27 villages of Thessaly, as well as the holistic approach of supporting the local community. At the same time, volunteers offered more than 36,600 hours of their time to support and implement the initiative.
The program contributed to the strengthening of social cohesion by providing necessary assistance to all affected families, strengthening solidarity and unity.
Finally, Humanity Greece actively contributed to supporting the renovation of the Armeniou Kindergarten in Larissa, which serves children from all three villages in the area, hosting 8 kindergarten children and 15 children from the first and second grade of Primary School. The floods caused extensive damage to the infrastructure of the kindergarten, including indoor and outdoor spaces, classrooms, equipment, toys, library materials as well as the playground.
The children, after the holistic intervention of the Humanity Greece team, now have a creative front yard, colorful, fully accessible with all the supplies, books and interactive games to do their lesson, As Public Education is the highest good of a civilized society, Humanity Greece demonstrates the sense of responsibility that we should all have, ensuring a high standard environment without restrictions, for the children of the local community, especially after the serious wounds that count as residents of the affected areas of Thessaly until today.
Please find attached the below link, for indicative photo and video material:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1quPj3B5fgP4SYFhlV4gnzo-GXC2xp5tN?usp=sharing
Initiative Location
At the Voluntary Coordination Center, which is located at Millerou 76, Metaxourgeio, 104 36, a long chain of solidarity was created from the first moment the Daniel phenomenon broke out, as the space is available for collecting, sorting, and sending goods where necessary.
Until today, through continuous missions with Humanity Greece volunteers, the following areas are supported:
Armeno of Larissa, Sotirio of Larissa, Koutsochero of Trikala, Koskinas of Karditsa, Vlohos of Karditsa, Metamorfosi of Karditsa, Puri of Magnesia, Farkadona of Trikala, Ag. Theodorou Karditsa, Koskina Karditsa, Marathea Karditsa, Agria Magnesia.
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Working with Organization
Workers Participation
A basic condition for the implementation of the initiative is the active participation of the project team of specialized volunteers who frame Humanity Greece, who, based on their expertise, have assumed distinct roles, as special treatment is needed both in the staffing of the call center, in the management of Logistics at the Voluntary Coordination Center but also in offering help in the fields.
On a daily basis, volunteers from all over Greece come to support and strengthen the chain that has been created in the Volunteer Coordination Center, helping with the procedures necessary for coordination, and participating in activities such as recording incoming donations of goods from the people who want to support, their appropriate classification and grouping, but also the most basic pillar, which is the creation of the so-called support packages, which are sent on a monthly basis to the affected villages of Thessaly and Magnesia.
More...…
Benefits for Οrganization
Connection with Global Goals
