A family drama with protagonist an 18-year-old boy is currently taking place on the island of Crete. A family with several children showed the exit door to son Nikos and left him to seek his own fate on the streets, apparently unable to feed him or to provide him with even a roof over his head.
According to media reports, the boy was kicked out from home already in November, but his classmates learned about his fate when he suffered a nose bleeding and was taken to first aid centre, where doctors diagnozed high blood pressure. When the school teachers contacted the parents, they reportedly said, they had no interest to their son and that the teachers should do what they think they should about the child.
School director Andreas Tsepapadakis told news portal newsit.gr that the boy was already sent away from home last November but the family was forced to take him back after a prosecutor’s intervention because he was under-aged, that is below 18.
“The moment he crossed 18, the family sent him away again. He spent the Christmas holidays with his grandmother, but when school were opened again, there he was again on the streets,” said the school director who also stressed that also four other students stopped attending the classes, because they could not afford to pay the bus fare to school.
The boy apparently had to spend some nights on the city’s benches. While at his grandmother’s home, schoolmates and teachers had provided him with food supplies.
No further details have been released on the status of the family and the number of their children.
The story that shakes the Greek society became known after his classmates at the Evening School of Herakleion made an appeal for help at the Facebook page of the school.
“Appeal for help for Evening High School student, just 18 years old, homeless and jobless, his parents (many children) and relatives have abandoned him due to crisis. We hope to have found something for him untill the evening. Possibly he slept on a bench last night. Update: he is been currently hosted at KHFH/of Irakleio Municipality until January 11st 2013.”
The boy is being temporarily hosted at centre ΚΗΦΗ of Herakleio Municipality until January 11th 2013. A permanent solution is urgently needed. He is looking for a job in the mornings so that he can finish school first of all. Ηe attends the first Gymnasium class.
Evening schools are for working students who could not attend normal classes in earlier years.
Until everything is settled, his schoolmates are raising money for him and for four more classmates in economic need.
If you want to help Nikos, you can call directly the school (Εσπερινό Γυμνάσιο Ηρακλείου) in (+30) 2810 223 424 between 7:30-10:45 pm and mobile + 6984 445879 (for emergencies). Facebook page is here
PS OK, the family may have more than just economic problems, but there is a humanitarian situation here.
Poor guy. This is truly sad. Knowing your own folks don’t want you and are willing to say so publicly even has to scar the soul. Maybe he will get some real help. I hope some good fortune comes his way.
KTG, just one point, that although this is a sad story, an 18 year old is a man, not a boy.
considering, he attends 1st gymnasium class although 18, he could be a ‘boy’ with difficulties coming from a dysfunctional family.
What is the first gymnasium class? He is just in the first year of high school while specializing in physical education? Or does he take his courses in the first gymnasium one runs into in the school?Or is it just a name for what year he is? Or what?
I guess technically he is a man if your country says one is no longer a minor once one reaches 18 (in mine that magic threshold is 19 in some regions and 18 in others). However, if he is a man he is in the very infancy of manhood since they just kicked him out. According to the sphinx he might still not have finished the use of four legs.