Dispatch 1 – From Athens to Igoumenitsa, solidarity and welcome

We tell you about the first six greek stops of this long solidarity ride that will take us to Norway. On April 22, Francesco, president of Isla ng Bata hopped on his saddle to begin the long solidarity ride, for the girls welcomed in the Family Home, in the Philippines.

Starting from Athens and arriving to Igoumenitsa, he crossed Greece on two wheels. There, he met many new friends who warmly welcomed him and filled this first part of the journey with exchanges and solidarity.

Like Konstantinow and Maria who welcomed him in Megara and shared stories and experiences with him, or Niko who offered him a meal after a very hard route in the city of Kiato. In Patras, we met Anastasia who generously offered Francesco a place to stay and Angelo who, from Argos, kept in contact with him throughout the journey and found him an accommodation.

We thank all these people who supported Francesco and who welcomed us as if we were really part of the family!

«It started with some worries, Greece had very tough routes and I’m not a professional cyclist. I was afraid of not making it out of fatigue or not having a support in a country where no one knew me or Isla. On the other hand, I was amazed by the enormous generosity of the Greek people, who despite the hard period from which we are trying to move on with enormous difficulty, welcomed me. During the days when Orthodox Easter was celebrated, I was invited to lunch by many families who shared with me, a stranger to them, their lunches and celebrations. I talked with them and exchanged life experiences. I found solidarity and support and a lot of help».

Francesco then adds:

«In my life, I have learned not to take anything for granted anymore, I have often found myself in front of suspicious people who I have struggled to convince of the good faith of an association that has been fighting for years for the protection of children’s rights , in forgotten places of the world, but here I have found a lot of understanding and this gives me a lot of hope for this long journey. Now I am preparing for Italy, where I will meet many supporters and where the volunteers of Isla ng Bata have organized many meetings. I hope to be able to express how important this solidarity initiative is for Isla ng Bata and how much the coverage of the costs of food in the Family home (the objective of this challenging journey) can allow us to do for all the boys and girls we welcome».