Help Athanasios Lerounis by signing the petition

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Athanasios Lerounis is a Greek volunteer teacher who has been actively engaged in carrying outdevelopment work in the Kalash region (a remote mountainous area of Pakistan), since 1994.

Lerounis was kidnapped by armed Taliban beginning of September 2009 and his abductors demand a ransom of 2 million US dollars and the release of three Afghan leaders.

The Kalash are a minority of Pakistan, an ancient nation who live isolated, and have their own tradition, language and religion.

Athanasios Lerounis came to visit Pakistan in the early 90’s as a traveler, when he first heard about the ”Kalasha” people in Northern Pakistan, sharing common historical and cultural ties with the ancient Greeks .

He visited the Kalash Valleys and fell in love with the Kalash people and their ancient culture. His mentorship contribution
in preserving Kalash Culture and Heritage speaks for itself by the amount of work he did in the Kalash Valleys.

Lerounis built the first schools for the Kalash children in the three Kalash valleys. Kalash people call him BAYA and regard him one of their own.

The Govt. of Pakistan has honored him with various awards, specially the National Award recognizing his work in fields of Education, Health &Cultural-Preservation.
He made the first Museum and Culture Center of the Kalash People known as ‘Kalasha Dur” with the support of the Hellenic Aid Foreign Affairs of Greece.
Thank you
KAZ
Vana Theodoridou
http://www.mdmgreece.gr/component/option,com_petitions/id,6/lang,el/view,petition/