The St. Nicholas Foundation School has received a 30-seater minibus from a funding initiative under the care of the Greek Foreign Minister, Mr Nikos Dendias.
The exemplary initiative saw the active funding by Mr Evangelos Mytilineos and Ms Sophia Daskalaki Mytilineou, bringing to reality the bus for the school.
The presentation of the bus to the school coincides with the celebration of the Greece independence day, which falls on March 25.
It was the first time that the St Nicholas School celebrated the Greece independence day with a display from the school cadet, poetry recitals in Greek as well as a historic dance of zonglona, which showed the resilience of women in the face of war.
The independence celebration was also to honour the immense support given by Greece, and to thank the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Dendias together with the Mytilineos Group and family for their constant support as well as the Tsakos family and Maria Tsakos Foundation.
In an address read on his behalf, Mr Nikos Dendias reiterated the commitment of the Greek government to ensuring continuos support for the school.
“I wish to reassure all of you that Greece and the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs will always stand by your side in your future endeavours,” he said.
Mr Dendias congratulated the students for their accomplishments in education, saying it set the groundwork for a successful and prosperous future.
“We are reminded that education is key to affect real change in our lives and our society,” he said and lauded the contributions of the Greek government and other donors to the school’s efforts for more educational opportunities, including the construction of a basketball court, as well as the new bus offered by Mytilyneos.
Recently, the Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias announced plans to finance the construction of a basketball court for the St. Nicholas Foundation School.
The Minister made the announcement during a visit to the school, his second, in the last two years and requested the basketball court be named after “Giannis Antetokounmpo” a Greek Nigerian NBA player.
“A student from the school said that To have the name of a Nigerian (African) Greek, Giannis Antetokounmpo will show us wherever you are born, you can aspire to overcome every obstacle.
Mr Evangelos Mytilineos, Chairman of Mytilyneos, in a speech read on his behalf by Miss Forgive Setuagbe, a student, congratulated the students for their dedication to education, the diligence to succeed in their goals and their effort to claim a better future for you and your families.
“Nothing in life is achieved without effort and sacrifice! Freedom, education, equality of opportunity, respect for the people, the environment, the history and the culture are stable values that strengthen societies and create pioneers,” he said.
“Your school and its donors and administrators provide you with this opportunity with care, love, and vision. In this vision, we as Mytilineos we assure you that we are next to you,” he added
Mytilineos since its first operation in 2015 in Ghana, have carried out social welfare projects and environmental initiatives amounting to over six million Ghana cedis.
The company built a canteen and a six unit classroom for the St. Nicholas school.
“In this future that we are all shaping together, you, the children of the future, must be pioneers and with the same effort and sensitivity draw the lines that the generations after you will follow.
“Personally, I would like to wish you all success in your endeavors and to promise that we, Mytilineos, I personally, are by your side in your next steps,” he said.
He expressed the hope that the new bus presented to the school would safely transport students to school.
“Our promise to every student and everyone working at the school is that we will continue to be part of your journey,” Mr Mytilineos added.
The school was built and funded by the Tsakos Family and Foundation and since its establishment in 2012, there have also been support from other Greek companies under the Efthymiadis family Leon and Lotus Shipping. Maria Asmarianaki has also brought in many donors to support the Greek culture and heritage.
The school is pursuing a dedicated vision in progressing and maintaining the Hellenic influence, both ancient and modern, amid an all-round education and culture.
Commenting on the donation of the bus, Madam Deborah Eleazar, a Founding Trustee, attributed the progress of the school and the success chalked so far to the support from Greek donors and trustees.
She acknowledged the immense contributions of the Tsakos family and Foundation in honour of their beloved daughter, Maria Tsakos as seen in the continued support given in the running of the school and providing food.
“We also have been extremely grateful for the support given by Mytilyneos building projects throughout the school as well as the Honourary consul of Greece in Ghana, Mrs Marianna Gavriel.”
This has enabled the school to be currently educating 194 children with adequate classrooms and teachers and have successfully had their first graduates who all passed their Basic Education Certificate Examination and obtained entrance to KETASCO.
“To the whole of the Greece and the Greek Community, we say thank you for your love and support,” Celestine Bibah, a student said in a welcome speech.
“To the Greece, the seat of democracy, culture, wisdom and education we wish you to always be free,” she added.
Numo Cephas Adjei-Pinto of the Tema Traditional Council lauded the enormous progress the school had made over the last 10 years.
He said the new school bus would help children, who live far from the school to access quality education.
Mr Ivan Quashigah, a trustee of the St. Nicholas Foundation School, said the Greek community had made great contributions to the development of the school since its inception in 2012.
He said the new school bus will address the challenge of conveying the students to and from school.
Greece is an inspiration for democracy, philosophy, wisdom and culture, and the children have learnt much from there close ties with Greece.
We are also so pleased to see that the seed you planted over 12 years ago, continues to flourish and grow with your continued support.