Social Care Awards 2021

GHP / Social Care Awards 2021 13 , HOPEgenesis is a charitable research and funding organisation that is dedicated to giving Greekmothers hope for the future – ‘one child at a time’. A Greek non-profit business that was founded in 2015, HOPEgenesis operates in the health and social welfare industries within the nation. Its work focuses on reversing the trend of declining birth rates in Greece. Created by Doctor Stefanos Chandakas, an Obstetrician- Gynaecologist Endoscopic Surgeon, the executive committee of this company is made up of 15 renowned professionals with experience ranging from specialist medical care to communications, media, marketing, and culture. This highly competent board of people is supported by the rest of HOPEgenesis’ dedicated volunteers. These volunteers are all a diversity of professional people themselves, including gynaecologists, nurses, midwives, administrators, and a myriad of other types of people committed to making a difference. The medical team that volunteer for HOPEgenesis is 50 strong and spans 15 different municipalities in Greece. With further regards to its internal structure, it has an Honorary Committee of Mentors that includes 18 prominent leaders in their fields – these people have all had many years of experience working in Greece and are key in keeping HOPEgenesis’ strategy and approach contemporary and flexible. It also has a Scientific Council that specifically handles the medical decision-making in the organisation, staffed by 12 scientists with a vast range of accolades and capabilities who hold advisory and guidance responsibilities. 180 different large Greek companies already support this non-profit from Vodafone to Clearblue, and it has accumulated a roster of 90 volunteers. During its growth, 2017 was a pivotal year for HOPEgenesis in terms of securing further support – during this time more than 1700 people joined as ‘FILOS’, or friends of the organisation. In studying, revealing, and analysing the causes behind low birth rates in the nation of Greece, it seeks to help expectant parents by developing actions, movements, and programs to reverse the negative birth-death ratio. The organisation also works hard to provide solutions at a local community level to aspiring parents. In this way, HOPEgenesis seeks to grant the necessary security to women who wish to become pregnant or those already expecting, giving them the aid and support that they would otherwise lack. Through impact in a multitude of local areas and smaller communities in Greece, it wishes its influence to be felt throughout wider Greek society, bolstering this with its information campaigns, efforts in raising awareness, and in-depth studies of the birth deficit. It also accomplishes this through the following programs. Firstly, it champions adoption and supports birth rates on frontier regions and remote islands by covering costs such as pregnancy and childbirth healthcare, transport, and accommodation for mothers. These areas have the worst negative birth-death ratios due to the limited access to appropriate medical care without additional support. It also provides cost- covering measures for those seeking IVF, in affiliation with the Hellenic Navy, a program implemented on 28 different islands and with treatments being provided in collaboration with the largest fertility centres in Greece. It also has developed a system of remote medical monitoring using its advanced, pioneering medical devices. These devices use Bluetooth connection and a specially designed platform to keep watch over its patients and ensure their safety. It also offers pre-school children’s activity centres and nursery schools to give mothers peace of mind regarding the care of their older children, alongside a ‘neighbourhood nanny’ program that involves providing staff to subsidised children’s care facilities to support working parents. In terms of research, HOPEgenesis puts aside significant funding for documenting and tracking the statistics behind birth rates in Greece. Thanks to its efforts, more than 400 families have benefited from the programs that HOPEgenesis runs; areas with previously high negative birth-death ratios in which it operates have seen significant improvement, reinforcing their social and financial futures. Moving forward, HOPEgenesis seeks to continue its good work. Namely, it will be opening yet more pre-school activity centres and schools, conducting further research, and putting more funding towards its Neighbourhood Nanny program. Company: HOPEgenesis NPO Contact: Elina Sbokou Website: www.hopegenesis.org/en The Company Providing Crucial Support for Expectant Mothers Jan21384