Today we had the pleasure to welcome Ms. Elke Büdenbender, wife of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who is on an official visit to Greece.
The Dormitory, a pioneering activity of METAdrasi, opened its doors in 2021 for the accommodation of homeless children and by 2022 more than 200 minors found a safe home there. With the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the Dormitory started to provide shelter and protection to Ukrainian and other homeless refugee women with their children.
Ms. Büdenbender, accompanied by the wife of the German Ambassador to Greece, Dr. Ina Weinrautner and members of the Embassy, was given a quick tour of the premises of the Dormitory and talked with METAdrasi’s President, Lora Pappa. Afterwards, she talked with the women of the Dormitory who expressed their gratitude for the shelter and security they have found, as well as with former residents who have now found work and a more permanent place to live, and who gladly agreed to attend in order to tell their stories.
As Ms. Pappa explained, as there were many refugee children in homelessness, the Dormitory was a vision of the Organization that became a reality thanks to the amount of money that accompanied the humanitarian prize of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation with which METAdrasi was honored in 2019. To this day, its operation is based on private donations and the contribution of the Municipality of Athens and company efood, which provide dozens of food rations. In addition to the women who are hosted, there is also a Day Centre where families facing financial difficulties are provided with food items thanks to the significant support of the Food Bank, which has been cooperating with METAdrasi for several years.
We warmly thank Ms. Büdenbender, wife of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and the German Embassy in Athens for the visit to METAdrasi’s Dormitory.
