On Tuesday 14/07/2026, the South Aegean Social Inclusion Observatory visited the Municipality of Naxos and Small Cyclades and conducted interviews with the officers of the Community Center, Ms. Paraskevi Economou, Ms. Emmanouela Vasilaki, and Ms. Katerina Tserpe, the officers of the Social Pharmacy, Ms. Anna Geronti and Ms. Kyriaki Chorianopoulou, as well as the head of the 2nd Municipal Nursery School, Ms. Georgia Grylli.
Initially, the officers of the Community Center highlighted the issues of financial and housing insecurity among the residents, as well as social isolation, given that some services are closing in the villages and becoming increasingly concentrated in Chora. Furthermore, they discussed the actions they carried out, their successful collaborations with other services on the island, and their future plans.
For their part, the officers of the Social Pharmacy referred to the facility’s objective, which is to provide pharmaceutical and parapharmaceutical coverage to its beneficiaries, as well as to conduct an extensive assessment of their needs. Additionally, they highlighted the challenges they encounter, such as the difficulty of sourcing certain medical preparations, while emphasizing the vital role of the GIVMED platform in their search efforts.
The head of the 2nd Municipal Nursery School, which has been operating since 1998, referred to the multifaceted role of the facility, which focuses on the smooth integration of toddlers into the school environment, their personality development, socialization, autonomy, and teamwork. Additionally, reference was made, among other things, to the facility’s operational framework, the challenges they face—such as the fact that many children are left out of nursery schools—and their collaborations with other structures and services in Naxos.
Finally, the Observatory would like to thank the Municipality of Naxos and Small Cyclades for its cooperation and contribution to the research, as well as all the participants.
(Text and photos: Konstantina Kourkoumari)
