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“To me, it was like a ray of light in my life,” says Marianna Andreeva, one of the 4,000 people in Cyprus to benefit from the country’s Neighbourhood Social Worker programme.
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The 57-year-old mother was struggling to manage her 20-year-old autistic son at home, and reached out to Neighbourhood Social Worker Antri Nikolaou for advice. Antri helped her with paperwork and care for her son, allowing Marianna the chance to re-start work.
Single parent Emil Stefanov and his two young daughters were also given tailored support by Antri, who made sure they had everything from electricity to childcare, giving Emil the time and confidence he needed to find a job. “Whatever is missing, whatever we’re searching for together, Antri is right here with us,” he told Euronews.
The Neighbourhood Social Worker programme in Cyprus is based on three principles: prevention, personalisation, and proximity. Its success shows how innovative social welfare policies can deliver positive change in communities.
The initiative comes as the EU launches its Anti-Poverty Strategy, with the target of reducing the number of Europeans at risk of poverty or social exclusion by 15 million people by 2030. The European Commission wants to help eradicate poverty altogether by 2050.
Poverty expert Professor Olivier De Schutter welcomed the Strategy, in particular its focus on boosting access to social services, something considered vital to ensure that people are able to claim the benefits to which they are entitled and are offered the support they require to seek employment.
