PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE

They say" if you teach a man to fish you feed him for the rest of his life" - This is about doing just that..... People helping other people

In February 2017 I returned from a holiday in Ethiopia where I got to know many local people. I was taken aback by their kindness and warm hearts.

These people who have very little, are generous and will do anything for others without any expectations.

After a few days of being back home in Athens, Greece, I started to think about how their lives are compared to ours and a desire emerged within me to want to help in some basic way the massive amount of people whose sleep on the streets.

Inspired by the group that I support and admire here in Athens, called "O Allos Anthropos" (the other human), and the work they have constantly been doing with Constantinos Polychronopoulos at the helm, these last six years, I set my ideals on what they aspire to.

Over the past months I have organised various events and with the help of so many beautiful people in Athens, I collected donations and I was able to set up a "shelter" in East Ethiopia, in an ancient city called Haraar, located 13 hours by bus from the capitol Addis Abeba.

My aim is that local people can, as volunteers, cook for those in the local community who are sleeping on the street. Of which very many are under aged children.

On my first trip over there with a mission to set as much of this program up as I could, I purchased some cooking utensil's and equipment and I established a "shelter" address. Due to the kindheartedness of these people I found volunteers easily, including a local religious Sheikh who is enthusiastic and willing to help in the domain of acquiring food donations.

Although, I wasn't able to get the project fully running before I left because of the limited time frame I had due pressures of my own work back home as well as still requiring more funding. On my next trip I decided to spend much more time there with the full intention of completing this project and returning having succeeded in establishing a "shelter" that was totally functionable.

However, with the demands from domestic refugees arriving in that area, due to severe droughts causing many thousands to die and foreign aid unable to provide food supplies as they had done in all previous years, I found these refugee's my first responsibility. Therefore, with the funds I still had from my first campaign, with a little more funding from my second campaign and a hefty donation from me personally, I decided to postpone the "People helping People" project and deal with feeding, by purchasing food and cooking for refugees each day who had walked hundreds of kilometers hungry and thirsty.

I now need your help as I intend to return in late November or early December, this time to complete the original project! But the "kitty" is empty Also a new lease on the "shelter' premises will be due.

I very faithfully want to thank all those many people who have supported my efforts and desire to manifest this project to date, who have given me encouragement and very importantly trust. I sincerely thank those of you who will continue to support and those who are joining at this stage.

I am still taking clothing donations up to the amount that I can carry with me in my 25 kilos of baggage. All excess will be given (as before) to the group "O Allos Anthropos".
Once again thank you - Sandie