''The Smile of the Child'' () is a voluntary, non-profit

child welfare Child protection (also called child welfare) is the safeguarding of children from violence, exploitation, abuse, abandonment, and neglect. It involves identifying signs of potential harm. This includes responding to allegations or suspicions ...

organization based in

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

Establishment

In December 1995, a large number of the Greek public watched the TV show ''Red Card'', which featured the 18th-month struggle of 10-year-old Andreas Giannopoulos, who was fighting to stay alive after a very serious health issue. This provided the impetus for the creation of ''The Smile of the Child''. In January 1996, The Smile of the Child was registered as a non-profit, non-governmental organisation . The Association continues to expand to meet the serious problems of children in-need living in Greece.

Activities

''The Smile of the Child'' organises Bazaars, Concerts, cultural and sports events aiming to assist children in need and their families.

Funds

The organisation is supported financially mainly by a number of companies in Greece and elsewhere. The

Hellenic Police The Hellenic Police (, ''Ellinikí Astynomía'', abbreviated ) is the national police service and one of the three security forces of Greece (the others being the Hellenic Fire Service and the Hellenic Coast Guard). It is a large agency with res ...

an
Elpida (Hope)
are two such organizations that have supported ''The Smile of the Child''.

International partners

''The Smile of the Child'' collaborates with international organizations such as the

International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children The International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, USA, with a regional presence in the United Kingdom, Europe, Turkey, Africa, Canada, Latin America, Caribbean, Southeast Asia, India, Jap ...

(ICMEC), th
European Federation for Missing and Exploited ChildrenChild Help Online
th
European Federation for Street Children
and the US's

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is a private, nonprofit organization established in 1984 by the United States Congress. In September 2013, the United States House of Representatives, United States Senate, and the Pre ...

. As of October 2010, The ''Southeastern European Centre for Missing and Exploited Children'' was inaugurated, as a joint initiative of ICMEC and ''The Smile of the Child''.

References

External links