The role of NGOs in society has been questioned since recent revelations about the opaque funding of numerous Greek NGOs and their imaginary social work and charity programs.
Despite some bad examples, numerous NGOs in Greece, relying solely on donations from their members and supporters rather than state funding, have been recognized for their contribution to society. One of them is the NGO Diogenes.
Diogenes was founded in 2010 to support homeless and socially excluded persons and help them reintegrate into Greek society. They currently have three active programs: the organization of the National Homeless Football Team, the publication of the street paper Shedia and the campaign A Coffee is Waiting for You.
Diogenes’ first initiative was the campaign Kick out Poverty. In 2006, inspired by its Australian counterpart, the head of the organization, Christos Alefantis, created the National Homeless Football Team in Athens, and became the team coach. In 2007 the team participated for the first time in the Homeless World Cup. Since then, the project has expanded to various cities in Greece and every year the teams participate in the Homeless World Cup.
The second initiative is Shedia, a monthly street paper. The magazine is being sold exclusively by people belonging to vulnerable groups and those living below the poverty line, most of them homeless. Each seller gets ten copies for free as an initial capital and earns a 50 percent profit on each magazine sold, ensuring a minimum income for their daily expenses. About 16,000 copies have been sold and more than 140 people in Athens and Thessaloniki have found a steady income since the first publication of the magazine in February 2013. Alefantis, who is also the magazine’s director, says the program will also be expanding to Patras and Volos.
The NGO’s third initiative is A Coffee is Waiting for You. It gives needy people the opportunity to enjoy a free cup of coffee, paid for in advance by another customer. Various cafeterias in Greece and Cyprus are currently participating in the network, giving excluded persons the chance to cheer up, communicate with other customers and gradually reintegrate into society.
According to Alefantis, Diogenes hasn’t been funded at all by the Greek state and doesn’t plan to be. “We try to be financially independent. Our organization hasn’t asked the Greek state for a single cent. We launched Shedia using an 80,000 euro grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation after presenting a full business plan along with our funding request,” he explains.
Giannis Kotsos is one of the people whose life has been changed by Diogenes. “My life is now completely different. I started playing football on the Homeless Team and now I’m training to become its coach. I also have a daily income because of Shedia and I can support myself,” he said.
Giannis is a living example of the important contribution of some NGOs to society. Many more people like him have benefited from Diogenes and other lawfully operating NGOs. It’s a shame to question and undermine their work and contribution because of some bad examples.
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