Marianna Vardinogiannis ( el, Μαριάννα Βαρδινογιάννη, ''née'' Μπουρνάκη ''Bournaki'') married to Greek shipping magnate

Vardis Vardinogiannis Vardis Vardinogiannis ( el, Βαρδής Βαρδινογιάννης) is a Greek billionaire oil and shipping businessman. He is the chairman and controlling shareholder of Motor Oil Hellas, Vegas Oil and Gas and involved in numerous other sh ...

, is a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

Goodwill Ambassador and an activist for the rights of children and the family, and against child sexual abuse via her Foundation for the Child and the Family. She has been the President of the Elpida ( en, Hope) Association of friends of children with cancer.

Early life, education and family

Marianna Vardinogiannis was born in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, Greece (1943) and raised in Ermione, birthplace of her mother, Evangelia. Her father was George Bournakis. She studied Economics at the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private university, private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Mountain States, Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

after her graduation from a high school in

. She is married to

and they have five children.

International and regional activities

Marianna Vardinogiannis began her activities as a member of various organizations, associations and philanthropic organizations, from which she has fought for international peace and global solidarity, although her primary focus has been mainly on the problems of children: health, education, social welfare and poverty, child abuse and exploitation. She has developed strong relationships with several international personalities, such as

Queen Rania of Jordan Rania Al-Abdullah ( ar, رانيا العبد الله, ; born Rania Al-Yassin, 31 August 1970) is Queen of Jordan as the wife of King Abdullah II. Rania was born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents. She received her bachelor's degree in busi ...

Suzanne Mubarak Suzanne Mubarak ( ar, سوزان مبارك , née Thabet; born 28 February 1941) is the widow of Egyptian former president Hosni Mubarak and was the First Lady of Egypt during her husband's presidential tenure from 14 October 1981 to 11 Februar ...

, several networks, collaborations and organizations such as the Global Coalition Women Defending Peace. In 2013 Marianna Vardinogiannis joined the Nizami Ganjavi International Center Board along with Ismail Serageldin, Vaira Vike-Freiberga, Tarja Halonen, Suleyman Demirel,

Roza Otunbayeva Roza Isakovna Otunbayeva (Kyrgyz: Роза Исаковна (Исак кызы) Отунбаева, Roza Isakovna (Isak kyzy) Otunbayeva; born August 23, 1950) is a Kyrgyz diplomat and politician who served as the President of Kyrgyzstan from 7 A ...

, Ambassador Walter Fust and Federico Mayor Zaragoza.

Elpida Children's Oncology Hospital

On 14 October 2010, the Elpida (Hope) Children's Oncology Hospital (located in

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

), was inaugurated and opened to the public. Elpida, which is Vardinogiannis' lifetime goal, focuses on the care of children with cancer.

Awards and honors

Légion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

. Title conferred in 2006 by the

French Republic France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. Title of ''Officier'' conferred in 2015. * Golden Cross of the

Order of Beneficence The Order of Beneficence ( el, Τάγμα της Ευποιΐας) is an order of Greece that was established in 1948. It is conferred by the Greek government as a moral reward for women especially, Greek and foreign, for the good services they ...

by the

Hellenic Republic Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

*The 2020 Nelson Mandela Prize by the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

References

External links