‘The Smile of the Child’ (TSoC), is the largest recognized non-profit organization in Greece in the critical field of child protection, search and rescue of missing children, support of children and families with children in need, as well as free public health service for children, both in prevention and treatment. TSoC implements nationwide non-stop direct and effective actions to prevent from and fight against phenomena threatening children, providing free services to every child & family in Greece, engaging in 4 critical fields, Violence, Health, Disappearance, and Poverty. Its mission is to provide services to all children in Greece, regardless of ethnicity and/or religion, nationwide, 24/7.
Over 27 years of action (established in 1996), TSoC has made the difference for more than 1.915.496 children & their families in Greece. The 464 personnel (social workers, psychologists, educators, trainers, communication officers, administrative staff etc.) and approximately 4.000 active volunteers create a substantial impact.
While the actions of "The Smile of the Child" target children in Greece, its cooperation with international actors and partners has gradually grown into a mission of paramount importance. On the multilateral level, the Organization cooperates with a number of international organizations, most notably the United Nations, where "The Smile of the Child" enjoys special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and is associated with the Department of Global Communications (DGC), while most recently in 2020 two of its young members of the European Student Volunteer Network “YouSmile” were accepted to serve on the UN DGC Youth Representatives Steering Committee. In the context of the recent migration crisis affecting Greece among others, "The Smile of the Child" works closely with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) Greece Representation, having signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in 2018, as well as with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), while most recently it has embarked on a dialogue with the newly established UNICEF Greece country office. Last but not least, in the context of its work on child trafficking and exploitation, the Organization has been in communication and cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Moreover, there is solid cooperation with the European Union and its agencies and bodies. First and foremost, "The Smile of the Child" is formal partner of DG ECHO (European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations), having signed a Framework Partnership Agreement in 2017. Additionally, since 2013 the Organization participates in the Platform of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) and is member in the EU Civil Society Platform Against Trafficking in Human Beings. "The Smile of the Child" also cooperates with the European Asylum Support Office (EASO), having joined the Vulnerability Experts Network Advisory Group in 2018, and the office of the EC Coordinator for the Rights of the Child by participating in the annual EU Forum for the Rights of the Child. It is also important to note that in 2014 the European Parliament awarded the Organization with the ‘European Citizens Prize’.
"The Smile of the Child" also shares the values of the Council of Europe, with which a concrete cooperation already exists, having participated as observer in annual meetings of the Conference of INGOs while most recently joining the Migration Committee of the INGO Conference, as well as with the Organization for the Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), by participating over the past several years in annual meetings of the Alliance for the Combat of Trafficking in Human beings.
