The board of the European Blind Union, its national members, and all her friends and colleagues mourn the sudden death of our secretary general, Maria Kyriacou, who passed away on October 11th 2021.
No one of us can measure the pain and loss that her husband, her family and relatives have suffered. Still, we sincerely express our deep condolences and wish them strength and confidence during this difficult time.
Maria Kyriacou was born in Cyprus on April 1st, 1972. She had a BSc in special education and a Med in the education of people with visual impairments. For the past twenty five years she had been working as an educator at the St. Barnabas School for the Blind in Cyprus where her main areas of expertise had been the education of children with multiple disabilities as well as early childhood intervention.
Maria served as an ordinary member of the EBU Board for the working period 2011-15, as the Secretary General for the period 2015-19 and had been re-elected to the same position for this term of office.
In addition to her work as secretary general she dedicated special interest and energy to the promotion of rights of blind and partially sighted women and took responsibility in many working groups, surveys, and organising conferences on this subject.
Our sincere condolences also go to our national member in Cyprus. As an expert in all the issues related to people with visual impairments she worked with great enthusiasm in the school for the blind, where she did perfect work with her children. Reports say: "She loved them all and she was loved by them all."
We will think of Maria with great gratitude and respect for her tireless work, her important initiatives and ideas that contributed so much to EBU's achievements.
She was full of vitality, joy, and always with a warm smile on her face. We will miss her very much, but she will stay alive in our memory as one of the most outstanding persons we ever had the honour to meet.
Wolfgang Angermann, Ordinary board member and EBU President 2011 to 2019