Social Firms Europe (CEFEC): Declaration of Support and Solidarity

   

Confederation of European 

social Firms, Employment initiatives and social Co-operatives (CEFEC) 

a.s.b.l.  (non – profit association)

4041 VOTTEM, BELGIUM

 Social Firms Europe CEFEC Secretariat

 e-mail: socialfirmseurope@cefec.biz  

 www.socialfirmseurope.org

                                        

DECLARATION

We, members of Social Firms Europe CEFEC, representing :

Austria (Pro Mente Austria)

Belgium (AIGS - Association Interregionale de Guidance de la Sante asbl)

Bulgaria (Gyonyul Hayredin)

Czech Republic (FOKUS - Association for Mental Health Care)

Finland (Affinity - Finnish Central Association for Mental Health)

Germany (BAG Integrationsfirmen e.V)

Greece (PEPSAEE ‘Panhellenic Union for Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Work Integration’)

Italy (Lorenzo Toresini)

Portugal (ARIA ‘Associaçăo de Rehabititaçăo e Integraçăo Ajuda’)

Romania (AREAS)

Slovenia (Dobrovita Plus D.O.O.)

Spain (IDEA S.A.)

Switzerland (Association of Swiss Social Firms ‘ASSOF’)

UK (Social Firms UK)

declare, at this time of troublesome economic, political and social situation worldwide, in Europe and especially in Greece, our support and solidarity to each other and mostly to the Greek colleagues working in the social cooperatives and mental health sector.

We have followed your efforts and successes with closing down the psychiatric hospitals, de-institutionalising the asylums, socializing and reintegrating into the community individuals who had lost their dignity, self-respect and human identity.

Some of us worked with you in the psychiatric hospital of Leros, combining our efforts, knowledge, experience and human empathy to give back life to the people and individuals whose existence and personality had been removed completely from them over the years of institutionalisation.

We followed your struggles through all of those years, to bring back life, hope and, to most of them, joy by living in the community, their homeland, their childhood neighbourhood.

We are on your side to fight with you and stand up for these rights, so that individuals suffering from mental health problems and from other disabilities, not only in Greece but across all of Europe, continue to be considered and treated as equal and valuable members of our society.

Keep well, strong and courageous

Social Firms Europe CEFEC                                                   1st November 2011

Social Firms Europe CEFEC is a European Network of Social Firms, Social Co-operatives, NGO's and organizations that all share the objective of creating paid work for disabled and disadvantaged people.