Ersi Dikomitou, one of the founding members and long-serving leaders of the Cyprus Girl Guides, passed away on Monday at the age of 86, the organisation announced.
Her funeral will take place on Wednesday, at 1pm at the church of Saint Nicholas in Limassol. Burial will follow at the Saint Nicholas cemetery. The family will receive condolences from 12.30pm. The organisation has requested that donations be made to the Ersi Dikomitou scholarship fund at the Cyprus girl guides in her memory.
Dikomitou dedicated her life to the principles and values of the World Guiding Movement. She inspired generations of girls and young women through her example and service. She joined the movement as a schoolgirl in Famagusta, participating in local Guide groups modelled on British Girl Guide and Girl Scout units.
After Cyprus gained independence, Dikomitou became one of the founding members of the Cyprus Girl Guides. She played a key role in securing the organisation’s full membership in the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) in 1977. She held all senior leadership roles within the organisation and served as chief commissioner for the longest periods in its history, from 1978 to 1987 and from 1990 to 2006.
Her contributions were recognised internationally. In 1974, WAGGGS awarded her and other members of the Cyprus Girl Guides the International Walter Donald Ross certificate of merit for their work assisting refugees following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.
The Guides organised and operated 14 refugee camps in the government-controlled areas. For two years, they provided food, clothing, psychological support, creative activities for children, and organised workshops for women, laying the foundations of Cypriot handicrafts.
In 2023, Dikomitou received WAGGGS’s certificate of commendation for leading the hosting of children from chernobyl in Cyprus.
