Renovation works have begun once again this year and are being carried out at an additional 240 schools of all educational levels across Greece, as part of the second phase of the €100 million donation from Alpha Bank, Eurobank, National Bank of Greece and Piraeus Bank to the “Marietta Giannakou” Programme.

The donation forms part of the largest Corporate Social Responsibility initiative in the country, with a total value of €400 million. In September, with the start of the new school year, the 240 renovated schools included in the second phase of the donation will be handed over to the school community.

Overall, since the launch of the sponsorship programme, by the coming September — within just two years — 670 schools across the country will have been renovated, benefiting more than 150,000 students. The renovation works are being carried out simultaneously in all eligible school areas during the summer months, as was also the case last year.

The selection of the school units to be renovated was carried out by the relevant ministries in cooperation with municipalities across the country’s 13 regions. With the operational support of the Hellenic Bank Association for the donating banks, and through Building Infrastructure S.A. (KTYΠ), which serves as the Greek state’s unified construction body for all public building infrastructure, interventions are being implemented in:

• Interior and exterior areas through renovation works
• School courtyards, including basketball and volleyball courts and playgrounds
• Sanitation facilities and WCs for people with disabilities
• Ramps and accessibility infrastructure

The distribution of renovations by region is as follows: 10 schools in Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, 107 in Attica, 5 in the North Aegean, 15 in Western Greece, 4 in Western Macedonia, 5 in Epirus, 15 in Thessaly, 5 in the Ionian Islands, 28 in Central Macedonia, 14 in Crete, 6 in the South Aegean, 19 in the Peloponnese and 7 in Central Greece.

The new sponsorship cycle raises the total contribution made so far by the four donating banks to the “Marietta Giannakou” Programme to €200 million (€50 million from each bank). Following an evaluation process, and depending on the progress of the programme, its needs and prevailing financial conditions, an additional €200 million will be allocated over the next two years.