GREECE: Greece's oldest and largest orphanage and school for mentally disabled children fears for its pupils' future following drastic budget cuts

Record ID: 173965

  • Title: GREECE: Greece's oldest and largest orphanage and school for mentally disabled children fears for its pupils' future following drastic budget cuts
  • Date: 31st January 2013
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF CHILDREN IN NURSERY SCHOOL CLASSROOM
  • Embargoed: 15th February 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Greece
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: Economy,Politics,People
  • Reuters ID: LVACLD0Y3VC56M2OZ4V8HTYKBCFJ
  • Story Text: A prominent state orphanage and school for children with special needs on the outskirts of Athens has had to rely on donations to supplement its slashed budget and stay operational during the crisis, but is now at risk of shutting down if it does not find a sponsor soon.
    Since 2009 when Greece's debt crisis began, state funding at the Pammakaristos Children's Institution has been reduced by 62 percent, leaving the institution just 11 euros to spend on each of the 130 children per day for food, specialist teachers, psychologists and medical staff. Moreover, they are owed nearly half a million euros from Greece' social security fund since October of 2011.
    The reduction to their budget has been so drastic that for the first time since Greek Catholic nuns founded the institution in 1953, Pammakaristos's board of directors is discussing the possibility of its closure, as they say further cuts would put the children at risk.

    "When we are talking about a reduction of 62 percent of state funding, it is difficult to deal with. It endangers the children's safety and their future," said Pammakaristos Managing Director Philipos Kelemenis.
    Spread out over five acres of land donated by the Greek Catholic Church, Pammakaristos is the biggest institution of its kind, caring for 130 mentally disabled children and young adults between the ages of three to 50, and housing an orphanage with 25 residents, a nursery school, a day care centre and various classrooms for adults with special needs.
    If it were to close, most of its students would have to stay at home without the special care needed, as the parents cannot afford private therapists. Or they would be sent to psychiatric asylums.

    "Me, I am great here. Here everyone is very good, and Anna and I are very good here. Out there people may be bad or good and I cannot tell the difference," said Voula Tsika, an orphan with special needs.
    Tsika has lived at Pammakaristos with her twin sister Anna for the last 35 years. Their mother was in a run-down mental asylum when she gave birth to them there from an unknown father, and while children they were taken away and brought to Pammakaristos.
    The mother died, and the two have known no other home but the institution, nor have any knowledge of the outside world. Voula and Anna, due to their age and lack of family would be automatically sent to a mental asylum.
    Pammakaristos President Filipini Karanikola said that the government has asked the institution to be patient but to also make more budget cuts, but it is impossible to cut any more staff or to continue carrying out the work that is necessary without state support. The institution is supposed to have 109 staff to care for the children, but is short 54 people, including doctors, teachers or therapists.

    "We're not asking for charity, we regard it as an obligation of a civilized country to support these institutions," said Karanikola.
    Pammakaristos has had to increasingly rely on donations for assistants, food, toys, and even heating oil.
    The institute resorts to its own vegetable garden to feed the children. Orange trees, potatoes, broccoli, lettuce, mushrooms and other vegetables, herbs and fruits are grown to give the children their vitamins and proteins. The institution hopes someone will donate some goats or cows so they have their own milk.
    Karanikola said that the financial crisis has also deeply affected the parents of the children. Some ask the institution for food to take home with them when they come to pick up the children for weekend visits, or others don't come to pick up the children at all at the weekend.

    "Parents avoid picking up their children on weekends because they do not have a way of taking care of them. When many children leave for the weekend to go home, parents ask us to give them any food that we can spare. Things are really terrible right now," said Karanikola sitting in her office next to the row of awards won by the children in various athletic competitions.
    In order to pay for operational costs, Pammakaristos has had to reduce the salaries of the 55 employees and the employees have also not been paid since September.
    Speech therapist Kika Yiatzoglou said that while life has become very hard, she sets all her personal difficulties aside to be there for the children.

    "If you can imagine that we remain unpaid for four to five months, things are really difficult, and it influences our lives every day and it's very possible for it to influence our personal lives - how are we going to pay our debts? Our loans? Our taxes? But you have to find the strength to come, you have to be here for the children. So you leave all this aside, as difficult as it may be, so that you are here for the kids. It's necessary," said Yiatzoglou.
    The lack of therapists and assistants means that class sizes are larger than they should be. Child psychologist Leonidas Bolovinos is in charge of a group of 10 severely autistic adult men, but has only one volunteer assistant instead of the ideal additional two or three.
    Bolovinos said he is very angry at Greece's lenders and an austerity program that has caused Greek living standards to plummet and state institutions to be at risk, but that he takes too much pride in his work to let it affect him.

    "I wonder if the European Union is proud of this. I wonder if the economic indicators which are beginning to rise can fill this huge humanitarian void. As for the quality of my work, because of my professionalism and dignity it has not been affected and I won't let it, " said Bolovinos, who also has a evening job to makemeet.
    Pammakaristos is hoping for a major Greek charity to step in and save them and keep the institution running, said Karanikola.
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