It is with pleasure that I accepted the invitation of the dear colleagues of the Pachna Community Council, to celebrate today the inauguration of a very important project that the Community has been waiting for many years, that of the Pachna Regional Nursery. Today's event, apart from its importance for the Community of Pachna, is more special and emotional, since the Pachna Regional Nursery will bear the name of our beloved Zeta Emilianidou.
With children at her heart, Zeta worked with vision and perseverance to ensure that all children, particularly in the delicate infant and early childhood years, wherever they are, have access to care and education services, contributing to their development and progress. With this objective, it promoted the creation of facilities for children, increasing the availability of places for the benefit of the children themselves.
The Pachna Regional Nursery was implemented, as a priority, within the framework of the National Strategy for the Development of Mountainous Areas, an integrated policy with 250 actions, adopted by the Anastasiades Government for the development of mountainous Cyprus.
Following the prevailing trends in other European countries and recognising the potential of Local Authorities in the field of social care, the State supports the operation of programmes that meet the needs of citizens within the framework of the Minor State Aid Plan of the Ministry of Social Welfare administered by the Social Welfare Services. Under the above Plan, annual financial support is given to Non-Governmental Organisations and Local Authorities for the operation of programmes aimed at meeting the care needs of children of school and pre-school age. Specifically, in 2022, 130 such programmes received total state support of more than €3.2 million (€3,261,674) to subsidise school-age and pre-school childcare programmes nationwide.
From this Project, the Pachna Infant Care Centre was financially supported in 2021 with an amount of €60,000 to start the construction of the building, while in 2022 it was financially supported with €120,000 for its completion.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The commitment to providing equal access to quality inclusive early childhood education and care for all children to develop their skills and abilities in safe environments is confirmed through a number of other policies implemented in recent years.
As part of a broader plan aimed at strengthening the family and especially the well-being of children, the Ministry of Social Welfare invested, among other things, in improving the infrastructure of the Children's Homes in Larnaca and Nicosia, in order to ensure safe living conditions for all children in the care of the State. The main objective is to create an environment that ensures that children feel at home. At the same time, through the National Plan "Cyprus_Tomorrow", the creation of two new structures in Limassol and the relocation of the Paphos Children's Home to a privately owned building are being promoted. Through the Plan, part of the monthly cost of children's education is subsidized according to family income, the age of the child, family composition and the hours of attendance. Private and community nurseries and kindergartens participate in the Scheme and approximately 7,000 children benefit from the subsidy, with a total subsidy of €1.1 million per month.
The State recognises the important involvement of Local Authorities in the service delivery sector, as it offers the opportunity to more effectively investigate and identify needs and understand the specificities of local communities in order to address and resolve complex local problems.
This is also the focus of the State Grants Scheme which was approved last Wednesday by the Council of Ministers and will be implemented by the MSEs within the framework of the Recovery and Resilience Plan "Cyprus_Tomorrow". The Plan envisages the creation or expansion of a total of 30 structures for children with a completion date of 2026 and with priority given to areas where mapping has shown the existence of real needs.
The benefits of operating such programmes are multifaceted, especially in mountainous communities such as Pahna, since the quality of the services provided and the hours of operation of the programmes allow for the integration, reintegration and retention of the inactive - mainly female - workforce in the labour market. Moreover, they contribute to the economic strengthening of the family, as well as to the reconciliation of family and professional life.
It is widely recognised that pre-school education plays an important role in the development of children, as it lays the foundations for a very sensitive age, when experiences have a decisive influence on the shaping of their personality, the development of their learning capacity and, more generally, their ability to go through life with strength and knowledge.
It is worth mentioning that the Social Welfare Services and the State Ministry of Social Welfare are promoting the upgrading of the relevant legislation and regulations governing the operation of nurseries and kindergartens, with the aim of providing quality care for every child in order to meet new challenges such as the integration and inclusion of children with disabilities in the social fabric, multiculturalism and new technologies.
Dear Friends,
In view of the handover of the portfolio of the Ministry of State, I feel satisfied because, despite the short time I have been at the helm of a very sensitive and demanding Ministry of State and the difficulties we have had to manage as a newly created Ministry of State, I was able, with the cooperation and professionalism of all my colleagues, to put the first stones in place to strengthen and improve the welfare state. Continuing the multifaceted work of the late Zeta, we have respectfully invested in policies that protect our vulnerable fellow human beings and allow them to live with dignity.
Dear Andreas,
I would like to thank you for your help and perseverance in the completion of the Pachna Regional Nursery "Zeta Emilianidou", so that today we can hand over to the children a modern structure where they can develop their skills and create beautiful experiences. And I am sure, Achilleas, that your mother is happy today that we have transformed her vision into action and are bringing joy to the children.
I am sure that the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare will continue to take an undiminished interest in the local actors and provide support for the work they do.
I wish you every success in your goals and aspirations.
I wish you every success in your goals and aspirations. Thank you.
(MQ)
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