A great celebration of civil society ends tonight in Sarafeio of the Municipality of Athens with the participation of more than 200 volunteer organizations and providers.

The 1st Athens Civil Society Festival it constitutes a call for sensitivity and, at the same time, a meeting point for all those who work together in the city with the aim of solidarity.

“With this festival, we honor the continuous contribution of the volunteers who quietly weave the social fabric of the city with their actions, with their consistent and continuous presence,” the mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis, told APE-MPE, adding that “The people who are here, at the first festival of civil society, they prove in practice that together we are stronger.”

Mr. Bakoyannis attended all three days of the festival, while participating in actions of various organizations which were given absolute freedom in terms of the way each one chose to present their work and the object of their interest. In fact, since the Municipality of Athens has consistently supported the solidarity kitchen from the very beginning “The ‘Other’ Man”, Konstantinos Polychronopoulos held out the spoon with which he mixes the food to Kostas Bakoyannis, telling him “It’s the oar of hope, take it.” “It’s practically worrying without many words. It is proof that one person can make a difference. That’s the goal. Let’s see, listen, learn from each other and become better” commented the Mayor of Athens.

At the festival seven thematic units are reflected which also reflect the categories of initiatives and actions of the platform of the Municipality of Athens for cooperation with civil society, “SynAthina”. Human rights, teenagers and children, health and well-being, culture, environment and animal welfare, solidarity in the public space make up the image of the contribution of the Athenians. “The idea started from the tangram puzzle” explains to APE-MPE the deputy mayor of Social Solidarity Katerina Gagaki, as “it is a puzzle with seven pieces which form thousands of images together but none of them stand alone. Thus, the seven themes of the civil society organizations, all together for us create the breath of Athens”. As Mrs. Gagaki pointed out, “the aim of the event is to say a big thank you to all these organizations, agencies and groups, which were born out of the needs that exist in the city, in every city and in Athens, and the which not only responded to the requirements but also highlighted situations, strengthened and were able to make us all sharers in their message”. “Voluntary organizations carry a lot of work and soul and it’s good to stop for a minute, look for something that interests us and find out exactly how we can help. It changes everyone’s life, both the one who takes action and the whole” concluded Mrs. Gagaki.

“We are here all three days of the festival with great joy. The presence of Doctors Without Borders includes, apart from our stand, a photo exhibition and two screenings, but also an update to all those who want to come to the organization, work, go on missions with us abroad” the volunteers of the organization told APE-MPE, noting that “the call it does not only concern medical and nursing staff, but the specialties that are needed are many and anyone who is willing to contribute should contact us so that we can find a way to include them in our forces”. The animal welfare association stray.gr was also among the 200 organizations that met with the men and women of Athens, emphasizing once again the importance of adoption instead of buying animals and the need for sterilization to avoid the renewal of the stray population. Also present is KETHEA with informational materials on addictions, the organization “Pistrifvo” for psychogenic eating disorders, the organization Strong Me for raising awareness about femicides, the guide dog school for the blind Lara, a number of environmental organizations such as divers who plow the bottoms and fish for garbage, GIVMED for offering medicines that would otherwise end up forgotten in a household cupboard and many, many others.

The festival will close with a big concert in the Sarafeios area on Sunday evening, having hosted 140 information booths and bazaars of voluntary organizations, 43 children and youth activities and psycho-pedagogical games, 40 screenings and theatrical performances for young and old, 20 sports activities among which football and basketball tournaments, 25 art workshops and exhibitions, 30 workshops and 18 thematic discussions, and will renew the appointment with the citizens for the next year.