« Athénée – Action Humanitaire » embarking on a new development project in Greece
Solidarity with the Pieria region (Greece): Education – Democratic Citizenship – Health – Environment – (EDHE Pieria)
After a long and detailed identification phase, our NGO has decided to lend its support to a disadvantaged region in Greece – the Pieria region in the southern part of central Macedonia.
What are the reasons to embark on this partnership with Greece?
Throughout its 415 years of existence, the Athénée de Luxembourg has taken particular pride in fostering and promoting its humanist values and traditions based on the ideal of human excellence as envisioned by the ancient Athenians. Given this stance, it seemed logical to intensify relationships with Greek partners.
Home to the muses and the throne of the ancient Greek Gods at Mount Olympos, the Pieria region has more recently become known for a less glorious development with high poverty levels, unemployment, lack of access to basic health services, and, sadly, young people having to emigrate to unknown shores.
What is our project all about?
Our new project will actively promote bridge-building activities between school communities from the Kato Milia Pieria High School, our main partner, and the Athénée de Luxembourg. Both school communities will work together to promote a better mutual understanding in a wide range of sectors: education and democratic citizenship, health and environment.
“EDHE Pieria” will also assist high school-aged children from a refugee camp who will attend the nearby Kato Milia High School.
Our project “EDHE Pieria” (Aidez Pieria! – do you get it?) is
- a low-budget project based on developing solidarity and understanding between Greek and Luxembourg school communities. Students from KMP high school and AL will meet, exchange and discuss. AL students will be able to attend workshops and conferences to gain a better understanding of social, economic and political issues. The project budget will be financed through fund-raising activities by our AL school community as well as, hopefully, private sponsors!
- a multi partnership project, based on developing solidarity and understanding between Greek and Luxembourg school communities. Students from KMP high school and AL will meet, exchange and discuss. AL students will be able to attend workshops and conferences to gain a better understanding of social, economic and political issues. The project budget will be financed through fund-raising activities by our AL school community as well as, hopefully, private sponsors!
- a solidarity and action based project, encouraging the AL community to raise funds in order to implement project activities and, above all, raise awareness and understanding about social, economic and political issues.
The project aims at achieving the following objectives:
- Improve education standards at the Kato Milia Pieria high school by providing school material, both technical and didactic.
- Building bridges: Raise awareness of Luxembourg and Greek students in democratic citizenship by organizing information/education/sensitization workshops and cultural exchanges and by participating in voluntary work in Greece and Luxembourg.
- Improve access to basic health services for disadvantaged students in the Pieria region that have limited access to government-sponsored basic health care services by providing prophylactic dental care services and vaccinations to selected beneficiaries.
- Raise awareness and take action to help preserve the fragile environment around the Mount Olympos region by supporting initiatives to avoid forest fires.
Contact: Marc Franck