The wildfire of July 23rd, 2018 which affected the areas of Marathonas and Rafina, resulted in the destruction of entire settlements, 100 victims and a burnt area of ​5,000,000 sq. m. The immediate support offered by individuals companies and institutions at the very outset of the fire, was crucial in covering immediate needs, and in initiating relief and infrastructure projects.

Thanks to your help, DESMOS succeeded in addressing a wide range of urgent needs of the areas’ residents, through continuous presence in the afflicted area, visits to organizations and cooperation with NGO networks, local organizations and municipal authorities.

The total amount of donations from over 100 companies and individuals, reached a total of €517,327.93 (€5,050 of which were in kind donations). With these resources we managed to cover basic needs and initiated a regeneration project, which was launched in December 2018 and is expected to be completed this summer.

Below is a detailed description of our actions:

In the first days following the disaster, thanks to the spontaneous response of individuals and companies, we provided the Social Services Dept. of Marathonas Municipality with essential items (water, food, medicine). They were distributed to individuals and families, and to functional homes in the vicinity, and provided essential needs to relief organizations.

Since July 2018 we have donated:

  • Respiratory face masks to volunteers and rescue workers operating and / or living in the afflicted area. In total,  308 masks with 616 filters were donated by the King George & Grande Bretagne Hotels
  • Fuel to volunteers of the Social Services Dept of Marathonas Municipality, that covered transfer expenses, aid relief and food provision to afflicted households houses. The total value reached €3,000 (€2,000 from Hellenic Petroleum and €1,000 from individual donors)
  • Longlife nutritional products donated to the Holy Ascension Church in Rafina, and the local soup kitchen, collected in a drive by the children and parents of Doukas kindergarten and first primary school grades
  • 4 professional refrigerators donated by Frigoglass to the Social Grocery and Social Pharmacy of Marathonas Municipality, and the local branch of  “The Smile of the Child” organization
  • 150 freshly-cooked whole meals to Marathonas Municipality’s Social Services, prepared for the afflicted residents by the student and parent volunteer action group “Cook4Good” of St. Catherine’s British School.

Besides essential goods we have offered:

  • 5 laptops to the Lyreio Children’s Institution, to replace laptops destroyed by the wildfire, together with the facilities of the Institution, δonated by  Ladies Run in November 2018
  • Household electrical appliances (kitchens, refrigerators, dishwashers, TVs and small appliances) for the afflicted families and households that have been forced to find new homes or furnish their homes in the area, donated by the pharmaceutical company Sobi in collaboration with Caritas Hellas in January 2019

We aim to move on with positive and decisive intervention in the area, knowing we hold your complete trust in making optimal use of your donations. Our upcoming projects will include the reconstruction and redevelopment of:

  • Playgrounds
  • Basketball Courts
  • Outdoor public spaces

which were either completely destroyed or deemed unsuitable for use.

We thank you for your trust and will continue to provide reliable and effective support in the regeneration of the area.