Gold Magazine February - March 2013, Issue 23 | Page 57

concern to our society.
Regarding obesity, the statistics
are also distressing. Four out of
ten children aged 6-8 years old are
overweight or obese and one in
five children aged 2-6 years old is
overweight. The absence of adequate
scientific research for identifying
and addressing the problem, the
lack of infrastructure and sufficient
training and the ignorance of the
public, together create a dangerous
situation.
The MAZI Foundation, within just
two years of operation, was a pioneer
in the field of eating disorders and
obesity in Cyprus. It took a series of
actions aimed at informing and educating the public on these sensitive
issues and supported health-related
scientific and research projects. Additionally, it has assisted families with
members suffering from eating disorders, providing them with guidance
and information.
An important part of the Foundation’s education programme is its
website, www.mazi.org.cy , which
provides a wealth of information and
articles about eating disorders and
obesity, as well as about MAZI activities. An electronic contributions

platform is also available, by which
the visitor can donate the amount of
his/her choice to support its work.
MAZI’s publication Eating Disorders
of Our Time by Eleni Andreou, Clinical Dietitian and Vice President of the
Board of the Foundation, is available
from all bookstores and lending libraries, and is accessible to teachers, students
and the general public. In the coming
months a second publication, entitled
ANASAMIA and by Soteria Vasileiou,
is due to be published. It is a collection of extremely moving short-stories
on the theme of eating disorders, from
the point of view of the sufferer. The
two volumes complement each other
perfectly: the first deals with the subject
from the scientific aspect and the second
from the personal. This combination
offers readers a comprehensive understanding of these disorders.
An extremely important aspect
of the Foundation’s progress is its
collaboration with Anna Vissi. It
began in September 2011 when the
singer undertook to become Foundation’s Goodwill Ambassador and to
communicate the messages and goals
of MAZI.
The MAZI Foundation, with the
support of Zorbas, includes among

its objectives the construction of
the first comprehensive rehabilitation and recovery centre for people
suffering from eating disorders and
obesity, with a multidisciplinary
team of expert scientists. The vision
of the Foundation is to successfully manage the scourge of eating
disorders and obesity in our country.
The extremely important decision
to work towards the operation of
the first integrated rehabilitation
centre derives from MAZI’s goals
for raising awareness and mobilising
initiatives for the optimal management of eating disorders and obesity
in Cyprus. The MAZI centre will be
the equal of similar centres abroad
and staffed by an expert team of
scientists.
The ultimate aspiration of the
Foundation is to successfully manage
eating disorders and obesity in our
country. Together (the Greek word
‘mazi’ means ‘together’), we can
influence the future.

CONTACT DETAILS:
A. Zorbas & Sons Ltd
Tel. [phone]
Fax. [phone]
www.zorbas.com.cy