Relying on charity

The European financial crisis is being felt especially hard in Greece, with many people having to depend on charity to survive.

People from all backgrounds are paying the price for the economic turmoil in their country, with one-in-four people in Greece having lost their jobs.

Former businessman Panagiotis Covas is representative of the growing number of unemployed Greeks. The last thing he expected was to be lining up at a soup kitchen in downtown Athens.

"I am here because I have not the possibility to have a normal life", he said. “I had a lot of money. My business was destroyed, and after this I was forced to live without money - without enough money to have a normal life."

Every day , 55-year-old Covas receives a free meal from volunteers at the charity "Bread and Action" which provides for those who can no longer provide for themselves.

For people with little or no income, places like this are the only way they can get help. Covas is reluctant to accept charity but he says he has no other choice.

"I'm not a beggar ... I don't like to ask. I want to work. I don't want to live like a rich person, I can also live with less money," he said.

No government support

With Greece in extreme financial difficulty and its government tied to the EU bailout terms, there is no state support for people who have lost their livelihoods.

Many simply rely on family members. In some cases, one person may be supporting several generations, but for people like Covas, whose family relations have broken down, charities are all they have.

"I have worked for so many years in my life, but I never expected that at this stage I wouldn't get any help. Nothing. What can I hope for? I don't expect someone to care for me", Covas says.

"Bread and Action" has nine help centres throughout Athens. Covas is thankful for their kindness but he says what he really needs is a job.

"I want to work in every kind of work I can do. I am 55-years-old and it's not very easy to have any work. There's a lot of work I can do ... But it's not possible now in Greece."

Little hope left

The formation of a new Greek government comes as a relief to EU leaders and global markets, but ordinary Greeks hold out little hope that it will do much to improve their daily lives. Many, including Covas, have long since lost faith in politics

"I don't think that the Greek government can change something. European countries can help with investment and give the possibility to the Greek persons to work. I don't trust very much the Greek government, the politics of Greece, because this crisis don't come from the citizens, it comes from the government. I don't trust them. I trust Europe more," Covas says.

The situation for Greeks is tough but will only worsen in the future as austerity cuts begin to bite even deeper. The EU bailout terms will mean more cuts will have to be made to state funding and, therefore, Greeks are likely to become increasingly dependent on charities like "Bread and Action."

It could be a long wait until this crisis is resolved and before life gets even a little bit better for people in Greece. Until then, Greeks like Covas will continue to struggle to satisfy even their most basic needs.

Author: Kitty Logan / crl
Editor: Joanna Impey