In the days leading up to Christmas, an expatriate nurse tells the readers of Neos Kosmos about how the state has taken the children from Greek-Australian drug users and has put them in the hands of “foreigners” to take care of them.

The letter reads:

My name is Eleni Andrianakis. I have been working as a psychiatric nurse for the Department of Justice in Melbourne prisons for 25 years. For the last 10 years I have been working in the department of addicted mothers and addicted newborns by birth.

It is a very tragic picture lived by these children who have inherited this misery and agony of the daily life of a harsh society, growing up among substance users. On a daily basis we experience the torturous ordeal of many babies born drug addicts because the mother’s addictions have caused deprivation syndrome in these innocent creatures.

During development in the womb, these children become addicted to drugs such as heroin and methadone, resulting in being born with a deprivation syndrome. Recently, we had young children of Greek origin, who were delivered to our department.

Drug addicted parents are kept in our prisons and we take the children to send them to foster parents for some time. Unfortunately, in many cases, many refuse to take on children in the deprivation syndrome category because they have special needs in their daily care. Our work becomes even more difficult seeing that the number of these children is increasing.

More and more children are looking for a calmer life to escape an environment of violence and abuse as is the case with the neglected children of drug-addicted parents.

Almost all hopes for relatives and suitable caregivers are often dashed. We see that many grandparents are now exhausted and unable to take care of them. As a result, we find more and more obstacles in the system, in order to properly house the children in a safe environment.

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The reason I wrote to Neos Kosmos is to raise awareness in the community about the problem but also to call on it for help.

Recently, parents of Greek origin, users of the drug ice were imprisoned and there is no relative to temporarily take care of the young children.

The state can send them to live under separate roofs and thus separating the siblings.

So far we have 18 such cases (not all Greeks of course).

So I reach out to our beloved brothers and sister in the community, as Christmas is approaching and our hearts can not bear to see them separate. We want to try to give them a warm Greek atmosphere with some necessary things, clothes, gifts and anything to bring a smile to their faces.

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If you would like to help you can deposit into the following bank account:
Bank Commonwealth Bank CBA
Account name: C/O Eleni Andrianakis Lean On Me Fetal Alcohol Drug Syndrome
BSB: 063120
Account Number: 10148650

Thank you for your time and for any gesture on your part to offer something to these children who have the same right to happiness as all the children of the world.

I hope with your support we start building small paradises to protect and give joy and security to all the children who knock on our door.

If you want to contact me by email you can do so at helen.kilias@gmail.com

Sincerely,
Eleni Andrianakis