{"id":26090925,"date":"2022-01-20T09:49:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-20T07:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metadrasi.org\/volunteer-evi-offering-solace-and-a-balm-to-the-soul-of-precious-people\/"},"modified":"2025-09-17T14:55:22","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T11:55:22","slug":"volunteer-evi-offering-solace-and-a-balm-to-the-soul-of-precious-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metadrasi.org\/en\/volunteer-evi-offering-solace-and-a-balm-to-the-soul-of-precious-people\/","title":{"rendered":"Volunteer Evi: offering solace and a balm to the soul of precious people"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
\"Metadrasi<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

METAdrasi volunteer, Evi Manola, talks about her experience.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

What made you decide to volunteer?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I felt a great need to help people who had found themselves in Greece due to the refugee crisis. That was possible through volunteering. But I wanted to do it in a proper and professional manner. I researched a number of organisations which were involved with refugees. All I read about METAdrasi impressed me from the start. I saw it was a serious organisation with principles and realistic aims. So, in parallel with my work I use part of my free time to help METAdrasi.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

What are the activities included in your volunteering?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I am involved in two activities. The protection network for homeless unaccompanied minors, and the educational programme Step2School.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

What do you believe you have gained from volunteering?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Glances, smiles, behaviours. I\u2019m always full of images. Images of noteworthy people who overcome large obstacles with huge reserves of strength. My world has been widened and includes people from faraway countries. I am informed and follow very important seminars which enrich my knowledge. Another benefit I have reaped is personal pleasure, since what I do satisfies me deeply, while benefitting my fellow humans and the society in which I live.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Would you like to share with us some thoughts or emotions related to your volunteering?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

As the years go by I understand that nothing goes to waste and that every kind action is important, however small. I love human beings. It would be lovely if everyone could enjoy a beautiful life with justice and equal opportunities. I\u2019m filled with joy when I am near children who stand with dignity and courtesy to claim the rights they deserve. I\u2019d like to see myself on our planet as a presence who offers solace and a balm to the soul of precious people.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Is there a particular experience which you will never forget?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I will never forget the eyes of the children\u2026 In an escorting mission of an unaccompanied minor I bought a cactus from a street seller and named it after him. When I told him the next time I met him he called another child and showed him the photo of the cactus, said, \u2018This is me\u2026Soufian!\u2019 It was funny but also very moving\u2026<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I was also moved by a little boy who remembered that, before lockdown, when he was having lessons at the school in Petralona, I helped with his maths and he did well in his test!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

All the meetings with children are unforgettable!<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

METAdrasi volunteer, Evi Manola, talks about her experience…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":390934,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[124],"tags":[541],"dipi_cpt_category":[],"class_list":["post-26090925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-announcements","tag-volunteers"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/metadrasi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26090925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/metadrasi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/metadrasi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metadrasi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metadrasi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26090925"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/metadrasi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26090925\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26113713,"href":"https:\/\/metadrasi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26090925\/revisions\/26113713"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metadrasi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/390934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/metadrasi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26090925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metadrasi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26090925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metadrasi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26090925"},{"taxonomy":"dipi_cpt_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metadrasi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/dipi_cpt_category?post=26090925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}