The Unity of Filipino Migrant Workers in Greece “Kasapi” created in 1998 the “Munting Nayon” nursery school, attempting to solve the problem of the shortage of nurseries in the centre of Athens and their limited hours of operation (“Munting Nayon” was one of the first to operate until 6 pm). This nursery is a successful example of coexistence between children of various cultures. Children from 21 countries coexist, learning and playing together, overriding borders and prejudices. In the same time teams of specialised volunteers from all over Greece and Europe are collaborating with “Munting Nayon” (courses of internship for pedagogues and children psychologists).

Which was the legal-technical issue?
Unfortunately the initiative and the will of the creators of the nursery ware not enough. The nice two storey building of the 30s where the nursery was hosted did not meet the requirements of the technical legislation and as a result the nursery was lacking the official licence.

Our involvement and the solution to the problem
In order to obtain the licence, a interior renovation had to be made. We design the architectural and the structural part, but the structural analysis showed us that a serious reinforcement was needed, in order to comply with the current regulation. The budget for such reinforcement was extremely high, so we started to search for an alternative solution. After intense efforts, in May 2011 we discovered a nursery with a valid licence. Our team helped in the process of the transfer, we made the fire protection study and the energy certificate that were needed and we continue to offer technical assistance in any issues of the building.
We would like to thank Mr. Psalidas who transferred the old nursery school’s licence without charge.