The President of the Republic announced projects for sports with the core of the Human being that exceed 10 million euros – Among other things, a rehab program and a sports center in Kyperounda
Projects that have the Human Being at their core, aligned with the goals and objectives of the Governance Program and whose cost exceeds 10 million euros, which are being implemented with the support of OPAP, announced the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, speaking at the event for the 55th anniversary of OPAP Cyprus.
The projects:
• The conversion of the Red Cross “Stella Souliotis” Children's Therapeutic Center into a Children's Rehabilitation Center, with OPAP contributing 3 million euros to this project.
• The development and implementation of a Daily Intensive Detoxification Program, which is expected to cover up to 30 people per day. The project, which will be carried out in the free areas of Famagusta, under the supervision of the Addictions Authority and the Ministry of Health, will cost half a million euros per year.
• The creation of a sports center in Kyperounda at a cost of 1.7 million euros and the upgrading of sports centers in free Famagusta, Sotira and Frenaros, at a budgeted cost of 1.3 million euros.
The President's speech itself:
It is with great pleasure that I am here to celebrate the presence of OPAP in Cyprus in the context of this event of accountability for the significant Corporate Social Responsibility actions of OPAP Cyprus. An event that also coincides with OPAP's 55 years of presence in our country. 55 years during which OPAP Cyprus very successfully tried to identify itself creatively with the place and its people. And I really consider the choice of Pangyprio Gymnasium for tonight's event as a particularly successful, tangible proof of what I just mentioned, since Pangyprio as the oldest active secondary school in our country, expresses not only the history of our education but also the history of our country itself.
The consistency, responsibility, trust and above all the honesty of OPAP Cyprus' overall and long-term behavior have contributed decisively to the creation of a solid relationship with citizens, Cypriot society in general and, of course, to the benefit of the State itself.
And I am particularly pleased that our goals and aspirations are identical with the goals and actions of OPAP's corporate social responsibility.
More specifically, in our own view, in the priorities of our own governance, we have placed the human being at the center of our policies, seeking, through a combination of government actions, interventions and support for private initiatives, the upgrading of those sectors that concern our society, that concern the everyday life of every Cypriot citizen. And I refer specifically to the need:
– To ensure unhindered access for all citizens, without exception, whether in the city or in the countryside, to quality health services.
– To give our schools the opportunity to respond to today's challenges, to the multicultural dimension of the modern world, to promote innovative programs that cultivate critically thinking, active citizens.
– To promote our culture as everyone's concern through a creative, highly targeted strategy.
– To utilize the principles and values ​​of Sports and Olympism for the healthy participation of all citizens in exercise and to offer our athletes, who are role models of society, everything they need and deserve to claim international distinctions.
In these plans of the State, OPAP Cyprus participates as the most consistent and, without any exaggeration, the strongest ally of the State. OPAP's anthropocentric philosophy, as it has been consistently expressed for 55 years now, is fully aligned with our own approach and vision in relation to people, with the responsibilities of the State, of all of us, towards society. Our cooperation is a favorable meeting for the place through which we together plan and implement actions related to Health, Education, Culture and Sports.
Allow me to particularly highlight OPAP Cyprus's dedication to the most sensitive sector, that of Health, as we saw with the very wise decision to honor Cyprus. The modern equipment and cutting-edge technologies with which the services provided by our public hospitals are significantly upgraded are also due to the very substantial support of OPAP Cyprus. Within this framework, the Population Breast Cancer Detection Program, which currently operates through five Mammography Centers that cover the needs throughout free Cyprus.
It is, among other things, this collaboration that demonstrates the company's respect, not only for Cypriot Society but also for the institutions of the State, but also the trust with which the State treats the company. Trust that is expressed by and institutionalized by the Agreement we signed in June, as well as through the initiation of new discussions about new services that you may be able to offer to Cypriot society.
Within the framework of this Agreement and our broader cooperation with OPAP, I am in a particularly pleasant position tonight to announce some projects that have the Human at their core, projects that are fully aligned with the goals and objectives of our Governance Program and whose cost exceeds 10 million euros and which are being implemented with the support of OPAP.
More specifically, these projects concern, among others that I will mention by the end of the year:
• The conversion of the “Stella Souliotis” Children's Therapeutic Center of the Red Cross into a Children's Rehabilitation Center, with OPAP contributing 3 million euros to this project.
• The development and implementation of a Daily Intensive Detoxification Program, which is expected to cover up to 30 people per day. The project, which will be carried out in the free areas of Famagusta, under the supervision of the Addictions Authority and the Ministry of Health, will cost half a million euros per year.
• The creation of a sports center in Kyperounda at a cost of 1.7 million euros and the upgrading of sports centers in free Famagusta, Sotira and Frenaros, with a budgeted cost of 1.3 million euros.
In addition, a series of other important projects related to energy autonomy will be implemented, within the framework of the announcement we will make in early December about the first green community in Cyprus, which we hope will act as an incentive for other communities, as well as the support of charitable institutions, especially in remote and mountainous areas, which is also a priority of our own government.
In conclusion, I cannot help but point out that through OPAP's cooperation with the Republic of Cyprus, which, I repeat, is based on mutual respect and common aspirations, significant financial resources will be made available for the benefit of Cypriot society, the Cypriot people, to improve the everyday life of our citizens.
I would therefore like to warmly congratulate the Management and executives of both the OPAP Group and OPAP Cyprus and to share with you our great joy and satisfaction for your 55 years of creative activity in our homeland. Fifty-five beneficial years for Cyprus and its people.
Finally, I would like to express my certainty that OPAP Cyprus will continue to be a reliable partner of the State, contributing substantially to its progress and prosperity, to the improvement of the everyday life of the citizen, which for us is a top priority. It is also our desire that this relationship be strengthened even further, contributing decisively to the achievement of the common goal of creating a society that we need more than ever today, a society of solidarity and progress.
