‘The Smile of the Child’ supported 60.788 children and their families in the first semester of 2019, including refugee and migrant children stranded in Greece
11 July 2019
PRESS RELEASE
Athens, 11 July 2019
‘The Smile of the Child’ supported 60.788 children and their families in the first semester of 2019, including refugee and migrant children stranded in Greece
‘The Smile of the Child” announced its statistics during a press conference that was held today, the 11th of July 2019, at the premises of one of the Homes for Children of the Organization in Athens.
More specifically, the Organization presented the total number of children supported through its wide spectrum of actions and services for children victims of violence, missing children, children with serious health problems and children and families living in poverty or threatened by poverty. Testimonies and real stories shared by scientific personnel of the Organization as well as beneficiaries of its actions showcased the multi-dimensional work and services of ‘The Smile of the Child’.
At the same time, new actions and initiatives of the Organization were presented, including
● the establishment of the Panhellenic Center of Health and Social Services
● the establishment of the 1st Multi-medical Clinic (Pediatrics, Ophthalmology, ENT Units), based in Athens
● the continuation of the nationwide campaign against sexual abuse of children ‘It remains a Secret’
● the hosting of a high-level International Scientific Conference on child sexual abuse in Athens
● the organization of seminars in cooperation with the Prosecution of the Supreme Court aiming to ensure the effective management of missing children cases
● the establishment of a specially designed facility of recreational activities for children at the premises of the First Instance Prosecution in Piraeus, Attica.
‘The Smile of the Child’, staffed with 505 scientific personnel and 3.363 active volunteers has managed to offer steady and high quality services in the course of the 1st semester of 2019 for the protection of all children and families, regardless of ethnicity or religion or any other criterion. It did so by cooperating on a daily basis with all the institutional actors in the spirit of mutual respect and thanks to the trust and precious support from businesses and citizens in Greece and beyond.
‘The Smile of the Child’, always committed to the principles of transparency, accountability, quality and respect to the institutional actors, and thanks to the valuable support of citizens and the businesses trusting the work of the Organization, managed to support 60.788 children and their families in the 1st semester of 2019. We managed to respond immediately and effectively to all the requests addressed to our Organization for children at great risk and/or in need. And most importantly, committed to our philosophy and vision, we managed to cover a great number of children not in an opportunistic manner, but based on holistic actions and infrastructure that ensured the wellbeing of children. Behind the numbers that reflect only the mere statistics, there is the constant, immediate and extensive mobilization of all our people with the goal to ensure the Smile of every child’, said the President of the Board of Directors ‘The Smile of the Child’, Mr. Costas Yannopoulos.
By spreading the core message that there is always a child behind numbers, the personnel of the Organization, as well as families who benefitted from actions and services of ‘The Smile of the Child’, presented real stories and offered their testimonies highlighting in a clear way the mission and the services of the Organization, implemented nationwide for the benefit of 60.788 children.
More specifically, according to the statistics of 2018:
“The Smile of the Child” next to every child victim of Violence:
● The National Helpline for Children SOS 1056 received 117.215 calls. 29% of these calls concerned reports for children at risk.
● The National Helpline for Children SOS 1056 received 321 reports of serious cases of abuse related to 623 children. 234 of these children were between 0-6 years-old. For 315 children these reports concerned neglect/abandonment, whereas in 108 cases the mother was the victimizer.
● The European Helpline for Children and Adolescents 116111 received 3.186 calls.
● The European Helpline for Children and Adolescents 116111 offered counseling services on issues related to children to 2.436 individuals. 18,4% of the callers sought guidance from our Organization on issues related to behavioral problems.
● Interactive preventative interventions were carried out for 24.449 children in the framework of 510 visits across Greece with the participation of students, parents and guardians as well as the general public.
● 88 direct interventions were carried out for 131 children at risk. In 34% of these cases the immediate removal from their family environment was required.
● 55 requests for the shelter of 84 children at risk were received. 45,3% of the cases concerned children in neglect.
● 278 children are currently being raised in the 11 Homes of the Organization nationwide. 30 children became members of our family in 2018.
● 60 of our children over 18 years of age are continuously supported by “The Smile of the Child” parallel to their studies and/or employment.
● 280 children received 22.141 hours of diagnostic and therapeutic services from the multi-disciplinary team of “The House of the Child” Day Center.
“The Smile of the Child” next to every Missing Child:
● Interactive preventative interventions were provided to 659 children, 847 parents and guardians and 836 teachers in the framework of 87 visits nationwide.
● The European Hotline for Missing Children 116000 received 4.495 calls.
● The European Hotline for Missing Children 116000 received 59 requests for the support in search and rescue operations for 59 missing children. 51 children were found (83.5%).
“The Smile of the Child” next to every child with a Health problem:
● 11.515 children were medically examined nationwide and free-of-charge in the framework of 23.680 medical check-ups provided in the 3 mobile medical units of preventive medicine (Multi-medical Unit “Hippocrates”, Dentistry, Ophthalmological and ENT Units). “The Smile of the Child” cooperated with 144 doctors of different specialties and dentists across Greece who volunteered by offering their services for children.
● “The Smile of the Child” conducted transfers of 1.462 newborns and children responding to 2.993 calls and covering 300.883 km! Out of the 1.462 children 258 were newborns and infants.
● 870 children with health problems were supported and the Organization responded to 5.435 requests for support. Out of the 870 children, 379 children had no health insurance!
● 4.935 children participated in recreational activities offered by the Organization through 8.718 actions in 11 Hospitals in Athens, Thessaloniki and Patras.
● 294 children received the services of the “Pediatric Care at Home” program in the framework of 1.718 visits of doctors, physiotherapists and nurses.
● 3 families whose children face serious and chronic health problems were provided with the accommodation in two specially designed apartments of the Organization in Athens and in Thessaloniki.
“The Smile of the Child” next to every child who lives in poverty or is threatened by poverty:
● 9.445 children and their families living or threatened by poverty were supported nationwide. In 78,40% of the cases these were families of unemployed parents or parents with an insecure employment status. Out of the total number of children, 1.147 were supported for the first time.
● 45 children were provided with services in the 3 Daycare Homes in Ileia, Agrinio and Mytikas, respectively. 84,4% of these children took part in this action due to social reasons.
At the same time, 2.312 children participated in recreational activities offered by the Organization at the Recreational Activities Area of the Organization at the Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos”.
In addition, 846 children visited and participated to interventions held at the 1st Mobile Lab of Information, Education and Technology ‘Odysseas’.
For more information, please contact our press team at press@hamogelo.gr or at +30 210 3306140.
