We call it FeIRd. You may ask, “What kind of a name is that?”. But this device is our child. We worked a lot of time for it to bring it to life. A lot of people, together. So that we offer disabled friends some more independence in their everyday lives.

People from elpis, the Bodossaki Foundation , and Mr. Α.Κ. believed in us and supported us financially. So, we managed to develop it a bit more. And last Monday, the ‘payday’ for our work finally came: we collected the first ‘Thank you’, the first ‘Keep up the good work, guys’. It was the delivery time of the first FeIRD devices to people in need of them. Last Monday afternoon, we visited ELEPAP.

Every day for the last 75 years, ELEPAP’s specialized professionals support thousands of families and ensure the functional rehabilitation of children with physical disabilities and developmental problems. That day, we, too, were a piece of this puzzle: SciFY, Mr. Aggelos Kakavas from elpis, and Mrs. Fay Koutzoukou from the Bodossaki Foundation. We talked, got to know each other better, met people, and were introduced to the ELEPAP offices. We also met Mrs. Athena Palingini, the Director of ELEPAP.

We had our “children” with us: the first 16 FeIRd devices that help people with physical disabilities handle basic home appliances: TV, stereo, air-conditioner … The basic devices that can be used with a remote control. There we handed over the FeIRD devices and talked to parents, brothers, and fellow citizens who have their own daily struggles.

We told them, “Today we take our first deposit. The feeling that we bring to you the results of our work. The “payment” will be complete when we learn that it actually helped you, gave birth to smiles, and gave a bit more independence to those who need it so much.”

Dr. Christalena Kattami, Director of HPC ELEPAP and Coordinator of Psychosocial Intervention, gave us a tour of ELEPAP’s premises, introduced us to the staff, and spoke to us about their daily struggle. It is the beginning of another partnership that can only bear good fruit: we are already discussing the next project, helping children with disabilities use a computer.

We thanked them and left with a weird feeling. Feeling good about having offered, sure. But having a better understanding of their needs, we felt more strongly that this offer is our debt: We are the ones paying off debt.

In the end, that’s how we can describe it:

Feeling good for having contributed to the community, but still in debt.