Larnaca Branch
The Larnaca Branch consists one of the Subsidiary Units of the Cyprus Red Cross Society (CRCS). Its Presidents were Lita Mantolidi, Elli Mavridou, Lito Savvidou and Chrystalla Pantelidou.
The primary objectives of the Branch is to offer humanitarian help to disadvantaged families or to those who live alone as well as to respond to every emergency in Cyprus.
Amongst the Branch’s various activities, first and foremost are the regular visits to hospitals, elderly people’s care homes and to schools that have children with special needs. The branch always looks to improve the entertainment offered to these people, offer them presents, clothes and footwear, medicines and above all love. Amongst others things, monthly packets of food including breakfast packets are given to children from a variety of Secondary Schools in the city of Larnaca. In parallel, humanitarian help is offered to vulnerable groups of Cypriots and migrants on a weekly basis, which includes clothes and footwear, toys, second-hand furniture, household equipment etc. The Branch also offers help and support to those in the Asylum Seeker Center, Onisilos in Larnaca.
The appearance of the Branch was essential and fundamental to the relief efforts made to help victims of the Turkish Invasion in 1974 and it offered food, clothes and footwear, medicines, psychosocial support and tried to reconnect refugees and missing people with their families. In cooperation with dignitaries from the United Nations, visits are made and help is given to Turkish-Cypriots who live in the free areas.
The presence of the Branch was essential as it actively took part and provided services at the Crisis of Lebanon in 2006, at the port and airport of Larnaca, to refugees from Egypt who arrived at Larnaca airport in 2011 as well as at the explosion at Mari in 2011.
In exceptional cases, the Branch financially covers the expenses of people who need to go abroad for therapy and healthcare.
The Branch tries to respond to appeals made by the International Red Cross and contributes financially and also provides humanitarian help abroad through the C.R.C.S. Administration offices.
In 2009, with its various connections, the Branch ensured a legacy for the C.R.C.S. Children Therapy Center Stella Soulioti, as it inherited the house of Argirou and Ioannis Pieridi in Larnaca and a substantial amount of money.
Equally as important, was the Branch’s offering of food for three years, from 2010 until 2012, to three students of the Cyprus Orthodox Patriarchal Church school Archbishop Makariou III in Africa, who after the completion of their studies, served them in Kenya, Tanganyika and Zimbabwe.
The Branch sees the donation that it made in 2012 to the Ophthalmology Department at Larnaca Aiport as a huge attainment, which includes an ultrasound machine worth €35,000 and a specialized machine worth €15,000 and has the objective of serving its fellow people who live in the city and province of Larnaca.
Each year, the Branch, with the American Academy College, organize blood donations. With regards to its efforts to try and fundraise, the Branch organizes fundraising events, markets etc.
Furthermore, the Branch also takes part in various seminars and a variety of governmental exercises such as the “ENCELADOS” in cooperation with the Civil Defense, the military exercise “ARGONAVTIS”, and an exercise with the Civil Aviation of HERMES etc.
