Care of Pontian Ladies of Thessaloniki

Care of Pontian Ladies has a long and remarkable history of charitable and social work. It was founded in 1904 in Trebizond, Pontus, offering invaluable services to the Church and the local community until the Asia Minor Catastrophe in 1922. It took over the management of the Trabzon Orphanage in Trebizond, treated refugees expelled by the Turks, and brought American aid to the Armenian community. Also, in cooperation with the Red Cross, the organization donated 200 pounds to the Trabzon hospital operating room. 

After the Asia Minor Catastrophe, in 1923, Thalia Saoulidou and the Theophylactou couple took the lead in the re-establishment of the association in Thessaloniki. A Cutting-Sewing Workshop was organized where refugee girls could work. In 1934, the organization acquired its roof, which the Germans raided in 1941, destroying its property and archives.

In the post-war period, the organization continued its work. In 1948, it founded the "Agios Eugenios" Children's Home and from 1950 to 1972 it operated the "Girls' Home" for female students. In 1976, the 'Argo' kindergarten was founded. In 1990, the 'Diamantideios Steggi' Care Centre for the Elderly was founded and opened in 1993. Finally, in 2005, the "Embroidering Memory" Museum opened its gates for the exhibition of traditional Pontic embroideries and crafts.

Pictured photo: The workshop of the Pontian Ladies' Workshop of Thessaloniki, a commemorative photograph of the 1960s. ©Care of the Pontian Ladies of Thessaloniki.