Centre for Life is a non-profit organization, founded in 1991 as an initiative of friends. Frank Olcvary played a leading part and was the inspiration and driving force of the association during its first years.
The Centre for Life, which focuses on the support of people living with HIV/AIDS throughout Greece, offers free of charge a multitude of services for the support (psychological, social, moral, financial, etc.) of people who have been diagnosed HIV positive or suffer from AIDS, as well as for the support of their families. Moreover, through nationwide campaigns, targeted activities to raise awareness and educational programmes, it informs the general public regarding the disease and protection methods, ultimately aiming at combating the social stigma that people living with HIV/AIDS experience. An important part of the activities of the Centre for Life is the Legal Service which has been operating since 2012 and offers specialised information on the rights of people living with HIV, in vital areas of social life, as well as selective legal representation in rights violation cases.
In 2019 the Foundation supported the work of the Centre for Life by partially covering the operating expenses of the Legal Service, so that it can continue its efforts to provide free legal support to people living with HIV/AIDS, without hindrance. The Legal Service of the Centre for Life is active in a wide range of fields, such as personal data protection, access to medical care, safeguarding labour rights, intervention in cases of discrimination, support for prisoners and exprisoners living with HIV, and the submission of proposals for the establishment of an institutional framework for the protection of the rights of people living with the virus.
Specifically, the legal adviser of the Centre for Life supports its visitors in the following ways: