A 24-HOUR fundraiser for people affected by the crisis will be held on December 7 by the Pancyprian Volunteerism Coordinative Council (PSSE).
“The fundraiser will follow the model of those that were arranged to help those hit by the tsunami in south-east Asia in 2005 and by the fires in Greece in 2007,” president of PSSE, Stavros Olympios said.
Volunteers will man busy road junctions to collect donations of €2 and €5 from drivers. There will also be a charity phone line so people can call up and pledge money as well as bank accounts where people can deposit their contributions.
The fundraiser will take place was part of Volunteer Week, which takes place every year between December 1 and 8.
“In Cyprus in 2012 hundreds of people are living the nightmare of poverty,” Olympios said launching the event yesterday. “Children and families and people from different vulnerable groups need our help,”
Money generated by the fundraiser will go towards the creation of centres for immediate social aid in each city of Cyprus. These will provide people who are struggling economically to get immediate help without having to go through enormous amounts of red tape. Events will also be organised to promote these centres and let people know where they can find them.
“Money isn’t always enough,” Olympios said, therefore professionals such as doctors, lawyers, psychologists and social workers will be recruited to offer their services free of charge to the public.
“I’m sure that if we act together, with a spirit of solidarity and cooperation, we can help our society recover,” the council’s honourary president and first lady, Elsi Christofias said.