The President of Greece, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, paid a visit to Shedia Home on Monday to witness the incredible work they do to support vulnerable people in the community.
Shedia Home was founded in 2019 by Greek Australian journalist and former The Greek Herald reporter, Chris Alefantis, as a way to energise, empower, train and create job opportunities for the poorest people in Greece.
Shedia is Greece’s only street magazine, which is sold by and in aid of homeless and jobless people.
READ MORE: Greek Australian, Christos Alefantis, recognised for his work supporting the vulnerable.
During her visit to Shedia Home, Sakellaropoulou talked with five vendors of the street magazine from Athens and Thessaloniki, as well as Mr Alefantis and Eleni Gabriel, a worker in the Shedia Home kitchen.
The discussions were around homelessness and its challenges, as well as the additional obstacles posed by the current coronavirus pandemic.
Mr Alefantis also shared with the Greek President the extensive research that has been conducted on the social impact of Shedia, stressing how nine out of ten readers said the magazine changed their lives and made them more socially active.
“Essentially, we hope that ‘Shedia’ does not need to exist one day. That is, there should be no vulnerable social groups,” Mr Alefantis said.
For her part, Sakellaropoulou listened attentively and was visibly excited to hear the stories of how Shedia has supported people.
The President left with the promise of return, after receiving a small gift from the people of Shedia for her office.
Source: Shedia.
