The closing ceremony of the project “TIME TO LEARN”, implemented by the Ladies’ Union of Drama- H.O.H. with Alysos Alert as a partner, took place in a crowded hall.

Welcoming the event, President Aliki Tsiamoura stressed that: “Thanks to the project, five Roma women received a primary school diploma and two others continued at the Evening High School. In addition, 39 women learned about their rights, for example that they can run for elections. In her online greeting the President of the Bodossaki Foundation Athina Desypri among others said: “Programmes like these act as catalysts and we hope that they create an impetus for future steps on the equal inclusion of Roma communities and especially women”, while in another point of her greeting she noted: “NOW TO LEARN is an excellent project which approached its goal in many ways, namely the training of Roma women on human rights issues and the exchange of know-how and good practices with WAY OUT in Slovakia.”
The President of Alysos Alert, Christina Halilopoulou, said: “The social footprint of the “Time to Learn” project is manifold. First of all, it has provided valuable knowledge and skills to the participants, but it has also strengthened social cohesion and solidarity within the community. In addition, this project can serve as a good practice tool for other communities wishing to promote knowledge and education to vulnerable groups. Our experience highlights the importance of a personalised approach, respect for cultural specificities and the active involvement of local actors and communities.
This was followed by the presentation of the results by the project team of “TIME TO LEARN”, the screening of the TV spot aimed at raising awareness among the general population, while the podcast with the role-playing game created by the Roma women caused excitement and enthusiasm. The event took place in the art hall “Georgios Parasidis” in the old Town Hall of Drama, on Wednesday 5 February 2025.
The “TIME TO LEARN” programme was extended by one month in order to carry out an internal evaluation that will help the organisation to optimise its objectives in the next programmes.

The project “TIME TO LEARN” is implemented in the framework of the BUILD project, with the “Ladies’ Union of Drama – House of Open Hospitality ” and the partner organization “Alysos Alert”. The project “Building a robust and democratic civic space” (BUILD) aims to protect, promote and widely recognise the fundamental rights and values of the EU, through supporting Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Greece and Cyprus and strengthening their capacities and sustainability. BUILD is co-funded by the European Union, through the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme, the Bodossaki Foundation and the NGO Support Centre Cyprus with a total grant amount of €2.9 million.BUILD is coordinated by the Bodossaki Foundation (Greece) in partnership with the NGO Support Centre (Cyprus).
Disclaimer
“The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the European Union, the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) or the Bodossaki Foundation. The European Union and the EACEA cannot be held responsible for the views expressed.”