site.bta"The Smile of the Child" Northern Greece Coordinator: INTERSYC II Project Aims to Protect Children in Danger, Improve Level of Social Care

The main objective of the Integrated Territorial Synergies for Children Health and Protection II project (INTERSYC II) is the development of methods to protect children in danger, as well as to improve the level of health and social care, said "The Smile of the Child" Northern Greece Coordinator Ioanna Makri at the 5th cross-border conference of the project "Europe in the Balkans: A Common Future", implemented by the Bulgarian News Agency on Tuesday in Thessaloniki, Greece.

Makri explained that the project is implemented in the region of Central Macedonia, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, as well as in the region of Blagoevgrad in the period September 5, 2017 to December 4, 2023, and its value is EUR 1,717,193. She pointed out that the project includes four areas - protection of children in danger through the promotion of European methods, improvement of health care, improvement of social care, as well as support related to the cowpox pandemic. 

Preventive check-ups targeting children in need took place in the border regions of Greece and Bulgaria. Examinations were carried out on 3,282 children from Greece and 3,546 from Bulgaria in mobile medical centres, Makri noted. 

She said that training seminars focusing on the European Hotline for Missing Children have been held for representatives of the police, social enterprises, teachers and others. First aid training and blood donation campaigns were also carried out during the COVID pandemic in cooperation with local authorities and hospitals in the border areas the two countries. Makri added that psychological and social assistance was provided to children and families affected by the pandemic. 

The project has achieved some of the following results: providing immediate assistance in cases of missing children through the European Missing Children Alert and Amber Alert systems, addressing significant issues such as child trafficking, supporting families in crisis situations and providing health care, building closer cooperation between law enforcement agencies of the two countries, and preventing children from developing diseases, Makri noted. 

"Thanks to these projects, we have resources we never dreamed of," said “The Smile of the Child" BoD President Costas Yannopoulos, who joined the conference via video link.