The first and only kindergarten in Kastellorizo ​​was opened today, which will accommodate 15 children. In Kastellorizo, 14 children have already been born with the support of the NGO HOPEgenesis as part of its program for low birth rates. Only 5 children are expected to be born in the next year, as a result of the program implemented in critical areas of the country.

The new Municipal Kindergarten will support the families of new parents, as stated by the Deputy Minister of Education, Domna Michailidou, who was present at the opening.

In particular, Mrs. Michailidou said: “Today is a great joy for me. A triple vision comes true. To reverse the negative demographic trend and to deal with the low birth rate. To support the border regions. Also, to contribute to the strengthening of preschool care for children. We will help so that the new Municipal Kindergarten is staffed and starts operating immediately.”

Mayor Megistis Georgios Sampsakos thanked those who contributed to the creation of the new Municipal Kindergarten. The island’s kindergarten already accommodates 12 children, while approximately 35 children attend the primary school each year.

The creation of the daycare center was implemented by the urban non-profit company HOPEgenesis, as stated in a statement by its president and founder Stefanos Handakas, stressing that the support of families in critical areas is of particular importance. He added that this “is being done in the Municipality of Megistis with the significant support of the company EUROLIFE FFH, as part of a wider social program of the company, with the aim of creating a total of 10 daycare centers in critical areas in island and mainland Greece”.

Mr. Handakas emphasized, among other things, “To date, 4 municipal kindergartens have already been built, in Patmos, Agrafa Evrytania and Lipsi, and now the municipal kindergarten in Kastellorizo ​​is being delivered. “Halki, Anafi, Kasos, Nisyros, Koufonisia and Tilos will follow”, he concluded.

Kastellorizo ​​kindergarten

The president of the Association of Insurance Companies of Greece, Alexandros Sarrigeorgiou and managing director of EUROLIFE FFH pointed out that “the future is only optimistic when it is full of children’s voices. That’s why our company will continue this effort, especially in critical areas.”

It is worth noting that HOPEgenesis was founded in 2015 and operates in the field of health and social welfare, with the mission of combating low birth rates and supporting the family in Greece.

In recent years, it has stood by more than 650 families in their efforts to make their dream of a child come true, covering all their pregnancy and childbirth expenses. The organization works and focuses on solutions to reverse the climate of subfertility and family support, both at the level of local communities – in order to provide the necessary safety to women who are pregnant or wish to become pregnant – and in the wider social fabric within from the disclosure, awareness and study of the issue.

Today it operates in almost 450 remote areas, 401 local communities and 42 islands of the Aegean and Ionian seas. It cooperates with 24 medical centers in Athens and the province (public and private), and its medical team consists of more than 50 volunteer doctors, midwives and other professionals. The program was implemented in areas where for more than three to five years there had been either minimal to zero births, or a large negative birth-death balance. “In this way, the economic and social fabric of these areas is directly strengthened,” Mr. Handakas pointed out in his speech.