Klein Tools donates tools to help Salvation Army project in Athens

Klein Tools has provided tools for the Salvation Army in Greece, to help the charity upgrade its Athens support centre which helps thousands of people seeking asylum in the city.

There are some 60,000 refugees in Greece, with thousands more arriving daily from Iran, Afghanistan and Syria. Since March 2016, new refugees arriving in Greece are either granted asylum or deported, and human trafficking is now rife as people try desperately to escape to more economically prosperous countries in Europe.

The Salvation Army in Athens works alongside other charitable organisations to protect vulnerable asylum seekers from human traffickers, and provides aid to families who are struggling to find homes, employment and the means to look after themselves and their children.

The charity has 500 registered families it regularly supports with free healthcare, basic hygiene provisions, shoes and clothing. It also runs two programmes to support new mothers and their babies, including access to regular check-ups, free nappies and fresh fruit and vegetables.

Renovation

The charity delivers its support services from a 1930s’ three-storey listed mansion that had sat empty for many years. Attempts had been made recently to bring it back into use and the top floor was completed renovated. But due to the financial crisis, the ground and first floors had no wiring, other than the original 1930s cables, offering limited functionality and non-compliance with local building code requirements.

Due to the state of repair of the building, the owners rent the property to the Salvation Army at an extremely reduced rate, but the lack of proper electrical connections (and therefore, no heat or light) make it challenging for the charity to operate in, especially during the winter.

The Salvation Army raised some money to carry out essential upgrades to the building to make it fully functional, including rewiring it and installing a proper data network to allow organisations to better share information about the people they support. A local unemployed electrician volunteered to do the work for free but had no tools, so the Salvation Army approached Klein Tools for help.

Captain Jean-Curtis Plante, Regional Business and Administration Officer for Salvation Army Greece/Italy said: “When I moved to Greece from Canada to take up the position in Athens, I brought a selection of hand tools with me that I had accumulated over the years. These were pretty basic and although they got the job done, it was not always first time and not always with any great accuracy.

Delighted

“We approached Klein Tools to see if they could supply a few items that would help us with the support centre refurbishment project – we knew that they produced high quality tools that get things done quickly and efficiently, and this would save us weeks of time on getting the network, heat and light installed in the building. So we were absolutely delighted when they said they could help and now we have the tools to complete the project before the cold of winter arrives.”

Malcolm Duncan, Managing Director of Klein Tools‘ distributor Super Rod said: “When we were approached by Jean-Curtis about the project, we were really keen to help. He needed some fundamental hand tools, like pliers, cable cutters and wire strippers, as well as some test meters, so we put together a package of items and shipped them over.

“The great thing about Klein Tools is that they are built to last, so not only does the Salvation Army have what it needs to complete the rewire on the Athens centre in the here and now, but it also has a tool resource which can be used for future projects in Greece and Italy for many years to come.”

Pictured above: Salvation Army electrician, Ali, with Captain Jean-Curtis Plante, Regional Business and Administration Officer for Salvation Army Greece/Italy.