“The Smile of the Child” inaugurated the Center of Direct Social Intervention of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace
27 June 2017
PRESS RELEASE
Tuesday, 27 June 2017
“The Smile of the Child” inaugurated the Center of Direct Social Intervention of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace
“The Smile of the Child” thanks to the precious help of its supporters managed to establish its presence in the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace through the inauguration of the Center of Direct Social Intervention, based in Kavala (CDSI). The new Center will activate the full spectrum of services of the Organization for children in need of support across the wider region.
The inaugurating ceremony was held on 26 June 2017 at the Galaxy Hotel of Kavala in the presence of institutional actors, representatives of the Hellenic Police and the Hellenic Army, the Holy Metropolis of Neapoli Filippon and Thasos, the Prefecture of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, the Hellenic Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace, as well as private actors and companies that contributed to the realization of the Center of Direct Social Intervention.
The event was honored by the presence of the Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Thessaloniki, Mr. Walter Stechel, and delegates from Greece and Germany. The Consul General greeted the event and highlighted the twinning of the cities of Kavala and Nurnberg which lead to a generous donation for the realization of the actions of the Organization in the region.
Greetings were also extended by the Mayor of Kavala, Mrs. Tsanaka Dimitra, the Vice-Prefect of Kavala, Mr. Markopoulos Theodoros and a representative from the Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace. They all congratulated the President of “The Smile of the Child”, Mr. Costas Yannopoulos, for the work of the Organization and expressed their intention to support this great effort for children.
The President of the Organization welcomed and thanked all the actors, partners and supporters and underscored the importance of cooperation among all those who supported “The Smile of the Child” in establishing its physical presence in the wider region based Kavala. He noted: “We united our efforts and we are here today to talk about our children. In 22 years of action “The Smile of the Child” stands by every child victim of violence, disappearance, every child who has health problems and lives in poverty. We do so through a wide spectrum of nationwide and daily services on a 24/7 basis. Thanks to the support of individuals and the companies we continue our difficult work, always with quality and vision for the smile of every child”.
During the presentation of the nationwide actions of “The Smile of the Child” the President of the Organization spoke about the realized actions in the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace and presented the services that the Center of Direct and Social Intervention will implement.
More specifically, “The Smile of the Child” will operate the:
● Center of Direct and Social Intervention based in Kavala equipped with:
● A state-of-the-art Call Center interconnected with 5 additional Centers of the Organization in Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras and Heraklion. The six hubs of communication are interconnected as one and are capable to receive calls from the 1056, 116000 and 116111 Lines of the Organization.
● Vehicles of Direct Intervention to carry out direct interventions and Mobile Units of Psychological Support
● 3 Mobile Medical Units of Preventive Medicine offering their services across the country
● A Mobile Operational Unit for the search and rescue of missing children using specialized logistical and technical tools (jeeps, ATV, motorbikes)
● The 1st Mobile Lab of Information, Education and Technology “Odysseas”
● A Support Center for Children and Families in Kavala
● The Volunteer Recreational Workshop in Kavala.
The day was symbolic not only for the inauguration of the Center of Direct Social Intervention, but also for the beginning of the operation of a new Home for Children in Nea Irakleitsa in Kavala. The Home made up of two buildings was donated by the late Ioannis Symeonidis. The Home was renovated in the framework of the programme “Multi-sectoral assistance to and protection of migrants and refugees stranded in Greece” of the International Organization for Migration, with funding from the European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid.
19 children victims of any form of violence and regardless of ethnicity and religion who have been removed from their family environment upon the order of prosecutorial and judicial authorities will find a safe, caring and warm living environment in the Home.
In a high emotional moment the President of the Organization awarded the individuals, private actors and companies that contributed to the establishment of the Center of Direct Social Intervention (CDSI) of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, as well as the restoration of the Home for Children in Kavala.
Following the inauguration ceremony visitors were toured to the new facilities of the Center.
“The Smile of the Child” would like to warmly thank all the citizens of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace who realized in practice the encouragement of our 10-year-old founder of the Organization, Andreas Yannopoulos:
“Let’s all help, if we all unite we will succeed!
“The Smile of the Child” would like to warmly thank the Galaxy Hotel and the road Police of Kavala for the realization of the event.
Photo material can be found here.
For more information, please contact our press team at
press@hamogelo.gr or at +30 210 3306 140.
