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Support to students and their families facing hunger and food insecurity is provided by the Athens International Airport (AIA) through the Program on Food Aid and Promotion of Healthy Nutrition, DIATROFI implemented by Prolepsis Institute.

Prolepsis Institute, the implementing agency of the DIATROFI Program, and the Athens International Airport have held a joint press conference, where the sponsorship offered by AIA was presented. Thanks to this donation, and with the matching funds of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, founding donor of the Program, the DIATROFI Program will reach four more schools in which over 65% of families are facing food insecurity.

This year, the Program DIATROFI is being implemented in 148 schools in Attica, Thessaloniki, Imathia, Thrace, and mainland Greece with 11,617 students in total. However, it is significant for the seriousness of the situation that another 2,080 applications have been submitted by schools asking to be included in the Program for the school year 2015-2016. This number corresponds to 16% of public schools in Greece and to approximately 260,000 students.

In the press conference, data demonstrating the multisided consequences of the economic crisis to students were presented by Prolepsis Institute for all the schools that participate in the Program, and also data were presented regarding schools in the area of Eastern Attica. Additionally, the results of the Program for the school year 2014-2015 were presented, demonstrating the effectiveness of the Program and the need to expand it to as many more schools as possible.

Since the school year 2012-2013, the Program DIATROFI is implemented by Prolepsis Institute in schools located in socio-economic vulnerable areas of Greece. The Program is funded by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, founding donor, and a number of private institutions and organizations as well as individuals. The DIATROFI Program is under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs and it is implemented for the fifth consecutive year, having delivered since 2012 a total of more than 11.5 million meals in approximately 480 schools and 80,000 students in Greece.

On behalf of Athens International Airport, Mrs. Ioanna Papadopoulou, Communications and Marketing Director, stated: “At Athens International Airport, our need to incessantly stand by and support the neighbouring communities through substantial actions and programmes, goes beyond the sense of duty. Since its opening, the airport is actively supporting its neighbours in the local communities with a wide range of initiatives that extend across the areas of education, health, environment, culture, sports, transportation and infrastructure. In the current difficult environment for the local society, we feel committed to contribute with more actions than ever before, and, specifically, to assist in the alleviation of a problem that sadly affects our children and their health. In this context, we consider our cooperation with an organisation such as the Prolepsis Institute, of high value and importance.”

Mrs. Athina Linou, Professor and Chair of Dept. of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics of the Athens Medical School and President of the Prolepsis Institute added: “This school year when the need to provide meals to public schools has exceeded in number every other previous year, the sponsorship of the International Airport of Athens will support in a substantial way children that have been affected by the consequences of the prolonged socio-economic crisis. Partnerships among institutions, companies and humanitarian organizations together with the support –even only moral- of the State constitute right now the safest way to combat the impoverishment of a large part of the population and to ensure the mental and physical health of our children who will be the future of Greece”.

Additionally, the campaign of the Program DIATROFI “Adopt a school” was presented, inviting citizens, institutions and companies to enhance the food aid offered to students in schools located in underprivileged areas of Greece. Each donation is doubled by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation aiming to provide meals to an even larger number of students.

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For more information on the DIATROFI Program and the campaign “Adopt a school” you can visit the website: http://diatrofi.prolepsis.gr/en/.

 

AIA Press Office
Tel: +30 210 3537227
Fax: +30 210 3537838
Email: press_info@aia.gr

 

 

 

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