Social Justice in Cyprus-6/10/13

Hello all,
It has been quite some time since I have written in this blog.  As such, I have a lot to say about my experiences here in Cyprus.  I will probably write several different entries about the past few days because so much has happened.
I want to start by talking about last Thursday, 6/6/13.  As you all know, I am here in Cyprus on a pre-medical study abroad trip.  My primary purpose for being here is to learn.  However, I feel I can learn outside of the classroom here, just as I can back home.  I was interested in knowing about Cypriot social justice issues and as such contacted one of the leaders of my study abroad program to see if she could put me in touch with any NGOs/charities in Cyprus that I could volunteer for.  She set me up for a meeting with a woman who works for an NGO that is part of the Kykkos Monastery.  I met with this woman at the University of Nicosia campus and she insisted on buying me coffee!  I tried my best to pay for myself but she told me that she had to show me the customary Cyprus hospitality.  I thanked her for my drink and we sat down and talked about some of the things that her organization does.  It seemed that her organization mainly worked with the hungry in Cyprus.  Many families cannot afford food so her organization collects donated food, packages the food, and sets up a supermarket format where people can pick up their food.  Her NGO also has a program for mothers and children where baby clothes and supplies are donated and packaged for poor mothers.  She also has several contacts in the hospitals here in Cyprus and another NGO under the Kykkos Monastery that works with children who have special needs.  I said I was willing to work wherever help was needed.  So on Wednesday this week, we are going to meet again and she is going to take me to where she works to show me the daily operations.  Normally, I don't like to advertise when I am doing volunteer work but I want to share with the world what types of problems this country is facing and the only real way to do that is to learn from experience and share afterwards.  I love service and volunteerism in any setting and do a lot of it in my free time but prefer not to boast about it as Jesus calls us to keep our works to ourselves.  I am not here to glorify myself as some great humanitarian hero, I only wish to do what good I can with each day I live.  Anyways, when I go to the NGO on Wednesday, I will write a continuation entry of what I experienced there and hopefully be able to provide some more information about social justice issues in Cyprus.
That is all I have to say about this at the moment, so look for an entry later with more in depth information about this topic as I learn more.  I will write about my adventurous weekend in Ayia Napa very soon!
Thanks for reading,
Julia