Navarino was delighted to catch-up with international maritime welfare charity Sailors’ Society, recently. Sailors’ Society, which reaches out to 1,000 seafarers in more than 90 ports each day, is looking to deepen its presence in Greece – not least with the appointment of a new Piraeus-based port chaplain later this year.
Navarino has been supporting the charity for a couple of years now, including by co-founder Panos Tsikopoulos and managing director Ray Brough taking on the Loch Ness Challenge, a 60-mile canoe along Scottish waters, to raise more funds for the Society. Fundraising such as this enables the charity to continue its vital work.
Sailors’ Society chaplains and volunteers visit crews on board ships offering everything from a friendly ear and Wi-Fi to make that all-important call home, to transport to local facilities. The charity also runs development projects in seafaring communities and offers family outreach, welfare grants and scholarships.
Sailors’ Society’s work in Greece includes provision of maritime scholarships and part-funding the new Tsakos Enhanced Education Nautical School (TEENS) on Chios, encouraging new talent to enter the industry. It also provides support through its Crisis Response Network (CRN), offering counselling, signposting and welfare support to survivors of incidents at sea such as accident or ambush.
In one case, a ship was arrested in Greek waters. The ship was forced to head to a port near Crete where it was moored for almost a year. The Society was able to help the crew, providing companionship, clothes, fuel, basic food items and toiletries as well as supporting their mental health during the stressful experience. As the largest ship-owning nation in the world and a thriving centre for maritime excellence, Sailors’ Society is inviting individuals from the Greek maritime community to become an Ambassador for the charity.
If you are interested in becoming an Ambassador for Sailors’ Society or in partnering on one of its projects or events, please contact Sailors’ Society’s Greece partnerships manager Rebecca Bridgen on partnerships@sailors-society.org