PRONIA means ‘to provide’ or ‘make provision for’ in Greek, but it also has a more substantial meaning. Its deeper connotations of ‘care’ and ‘forethought’ define the fundamental purpose of our existence as an organisation and lie at the heart of our mission with the ‘the provision of vital welfare services to the Australian Greek community that respond to their ever changing and complex needs’. True to our name and our vision, at PRONIA we have been fortunate to have our mission as our guiding force. For almost half a century, hundreds of our employees have helped us fulfil our mission daily. This simple and compelling declaration has inspired our people as they weathered good and difficult times, ups and downs, and everything in-between. However, never has this been more inspirational than in the last year.
As the curtain slowly draws of the year 2020, it is a timely moment to pause and reflect on what has been an extraordinary year so far and to recall and recognise all that we’ve been through as this year was shaping up to be one of the biggest years yet for our organisation and its clients. Opening up the pages of 2020 would see us inherit one of our most difficult summers recorded as bushfires ravaged significant parts of the country. Loss of property and life, and the impact on flora and fauna left communities and ecosystems across Australia devastated. PRONIA played its part with a number of key initiatives including the Bushfire Appeal which was strongly supported by the Greek community and with their kind donations raised over $80,000 for the ‘Community Enterprise Foundation’ and the fire-affected communities.
As we commenced the process of recovery however, we saw the emergence of a new threat, not just to our country but to all human life and economies. As the first lockdowns were imposed, we saw fear enter into the psyche of our entire community. And we knew that our community needed us more than ever.
The COVID-19 pandemic presented all of us with a multitude of challenges, on both professional and personal levels. The lockdowns challenged and disrupted the traditional functioning of all our service units and particularly the delivery of our person to person services. In response, like all other sectors, PRONIA took the necessary steps to deliver its services by phone and online and made the required adjustments to assure our staff, our volunteers and our clients that it was ‘business as usual’.
We have experienced a lot of firsts during this time – we have progressed to deliver our services by telephone and online using zoom and other virtual platforms, we have on- boarded new team members who we have never met in person, we have adapted our ways of working with our clients and each other. The past year has been a testament that at PRONIA we are united by a common culture of flexibility and co-operation that make us determined in the face of events like this, in the face of adversity. All our people have delivered way beyond expectation and set an example of strength and commitment, compassion, sacrifice, professionalism, and solidarity.
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On behalf of our Board, I would like to express our gratitude and say that “words cannot capture the immense pride and gratitude we have for you, as you demonstrate support for one another, our clients and the community that we serve. During this difficult time, all our staff and volunteers inspired us with their empathy, courage and sense of duty. They have stayed true to the mission and values we stand for, and we are forever grateful. Your commitment and dedication is always recognized and deeply appreciated”.
It is important to also recognise the ongoing support from the Federal, State and Local Governments not only in Victoria but throughout Australia, who have responded and supported multicultural organisations like ours throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
We are slowly beginning to find our feet once more and there is much to be excited about as we look to close out 2020 and move into 2021. We are going to keep providing the necessary resources to offer the maximum protection possible to all our clients and their families, our staff and volunteers. To this effect, we have a dedicated COVID-19 team that meets on a daily basis to monitor the situation and to support our work.
We are always committed to being the leader in community support and an active participant in the Greek community, where we operate. In the coming months, as we are returning to a COVID-normal life, we will resume our services as they were, step-by-step and always in accordance with the new guidelines provided by the Victorian Health department.
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Finally, we are all proud to work for an organisation that has such a profound and lasting impact on others. And as our world transforms, we’ll continue to do what PRONIA has always done best: To support, to connect and to empower members of the Australian-Greek community to reach their full potential.
