FILE - Emilia Kamvisi, center, a co-nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, sits with her friends Efstratia Mavrapidou, left, and Maritsa Mavrapidi, in the village of Skala Sikaminias, on the northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos, Greece, on Oct. 7, 2016.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)
ATHENS — Efstratia Mavrapidou, who was part of a trio of older Greek women who gained international attention at the height of Europe’s most recent mass migration wave for helping refugees on the island of Lesbos, has died at age 96.
Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou described Mavrapidou on social media as “simple, sweet, and deeply human.”
Mavrapidou, her cousin Maritsa Mavrapidou and their friend Aimilia Kamvyssi became known as the “Lesbos Grannies” after they were photographed caring for a baby who had crossed from Turkey in a boat and landed on an island beach in 2015.
FILE – Efstratia Mavrapidou, a co-nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize sits in the village of Skala Sikaminias, on the northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos, Greece, on Oct. 7, 2016. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)
The incident came at a time when about 1 million people from war-torn Syria and other countries had reached Greece, hoping to move on to seek better lives in Europe’s prosperous heartland.
The three women from the village of Skala Skamnias, and other Lesbos residents, were reportedly nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2016 for the compassion they showed arriving newcomers.
Sakellaropoulou, who visited Efstratia Mavrapidou at her home in 2020, said she had been “attached to the essential things in life … and so was able to serve as a mother and grandmother to all the children of the world.”
“With her, we bid farewell to a generation that serves as an example to following generations … which generously offered kindness and help without seeking recompense or recognition,” Sakellaropoulou wrote in social media post.
Mavrapidou died on Lesbos Tuesday. Her cousin Maritsa died in 2019, at age 90.
WASHINGOTN - Greek Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Dendias met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington on Tuesday, the minister tweeted.
FALMOUTH, MA – The police in Falmouth have identified the victim in an accident involving a car plunging into the ocean on February 20, NBC10 Boston reported.
PHILADELPHIA – The Federation of Hellenic Societies of Philadelphia and Greater Delaware Valley announced that the Evzones, the Presidential Guard of Greece will be participating in the Philadelphia Greek Independence Day Parade on March 20.
WASHINGTON, DC – Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met with US President Joe Biden at the White House on Monday, in the first day of an official two-day visit to the American capital.
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