Solidarity and the Pandemic! (Ουγγαρία 10/11/2021)

 

Dear friends!

As I mentioned in my first presentation, the local authorities in Cyprus do not have the resources or the means to provide practical forms of solidarity other than moral support and in exceptional cases of small-scale financial support and food to our dispersed fellow citizens.

During the pandemic, all support programs for young people and citizens in general came directly from the state itself.

Some forms of support were as follows:

Various plans such as the following were implemented during the Covid-19 Pandemic:

·        Unemployment support plan.

·        Self-employed support plan.

·        Business support plan.

ReCOVer20

This program is handled by the Youth Board of Cyprus and is aimed exclusively for young people.

The main goal of "ReCOVer20" is to mobilize young people themselves to plan and implement actions that will highlight the sense of solidarity and practical support to individuals, groups of individuals and communities affected by the pandemic crisis.

These actions should address the prevention, information and treatment of psychosocial and other problems arising from the pandemic, in the fields of health and education, culture and social welfare.

Of course, without the existence of the next two programs, it would have been impossible for any form of solidarity to be so effective.

 Social Security System

In 1980, the Social Security System was reformed, which, in addition to old-age pensions, offers benefits such as the following:

·        Maternity, sickness and unemployment benefits.

·        Marriage, childbirth and funeral aid.

·        Widowhood, disability pensions, orphan benefits.

·        Work accident benefits, bodily injury benefits and disability and death benefits.

 A great achievement was the implementation of the General Health System in 2019.

Considering that the Plan came into full implementation in September 2019 and a few months later carried the entire burden of the Covid-19 Pandemic, we will then be able to realize its great means of Solidarity. Without GHS it is certain that people would die helpless and others would be financially ruined in effort to secure medical care from the private sector.

We have been lucky in our misfortune

Thank you very much.

Victor Karayiannis