Μake us preferred on Google The “Paidiki Chara” organization misappropriated at least three million euros from about 95 fundraisers for children with serious illnesses, according to the investigation. At the same time, the NGO, highly visible on social media, was invisible to the state: it does not appear in the registries of any of the relevant government services.
How the donations were inflated
To collect larger donations, those running the organization presented inflated medical expenses for the sick children, or showed certain costs as uncovered when they were in fact covered by insurance providers.
According to the investigation, the parents of the children received, at best, 10% to 30% of the money raised. The rest went to the NGO leaders’ personal spending and their “investments” in soccer teams in Pieria and in betting companies.
To win donors’ trust, the NGO published emotionally charged posts, claiming that “if we all come together we can work miracles” and listing its values as respect, dignity and “Transparency at every level.” It even urged citizens to question other organizations before donating, asking whether they offered the same ability to “know, check and confirm” where their help was going. When it was founded, it presented itself as a group of young people who, prompted by their own difficult personal experiences, joined forces “to bring a little joy” to sick children.
A charter that promised aid abroad
The charter of the association, named “Paidiki Chara: Child’s Happiness,” was filed on October 15, 2018, at the Thessaloniki Court of First Instance. It provided for registration in the Foreign Ministry’s special NGO registry, specifically with the International Development Cooperation Service (YDAS), with the aim of “providing emergency humanitarian, food and development aid to children in developing countries.”
However, according to the Foreign Ministry, the organization is not registered there. Officials also clarified that YDAS stopped operating in 2015.
“Organizations can register in the Foreign Ministry’s registry under strict conditions. They must have at least two years of documented experience in activities abroad. Many applications have been submitted by NGOs, even recently, and were rejected because they did not meet the requirements,” the officials said.
“Paidiki Chara” was also not found in the registries of the Ministries of Interior, Social Cohesion and Family, and Health, or in those of the Region of Central Macedonia and the Municipality of Thessaloniki.
No certification for fundraising
According to sources at the Ministry of Social Cohesion and Family, the fundraisers the organization allegedly ran required certification from the ministry. “There is no registration, no certification and, of course, no funding,” the same sources noted.
The Ministry of Health explained that when a child needs to go abroad to treat a serious condition, a request is submitted to the Supreme Health Council for approval of the hospital stay or medical care. Once approved, all hospital and treatment costs are covered by EOPYY, the national health insurance organization. Relatives can then use the approval to set up a fundraising account to collect additional support for needs the organization does not cover, such as accommodation costs.
A long line of charity scandals
The case is the latest in a series of donation scandals in Greece. In 2013-2015, financial obligations of more than 40 million euros came to light at the Red Cross, along with a 16.6 million euro deficit related to bequests. In 2018, the scandal at UNICEF’s Greek office was revealed, involving officials who pocketed revenue from the sale of Christmas cards and other items. State agencies later audited a large NGO that houses abused children, over the misappropriation of part of large donations and the failure to use hundreds of properties left to it by philanthropists.
In January 2024, criminal charges for breach of trust, embezzlement and money laundering were filed against four members of “Kivotos tou Kosmou” (Ark of the World). The Financial Police report included findings on expenses of more than two million euros, with some work shown as never carried out or left unfinished. Also in 2024, the Anti-Money Laundering Authority forwarded a report concerning at least 600,000 euros in donations to the NGO “O Allos Anthropos: Social Kitchen.” Suspicious activity has also emerged at at least seven other NGOs managing funds for minors, refugees and others.
In 2023, the Anti-Money Laundering Authority published a report titled “Abuse of Non-Profit Organizations: Methodologies, Risk Indicators, Vulnerabilities.” It flagged the use of donations for administrators’ personal expenses, the use of organizations’ properties as personal residences, contracts between NGOs and administrators’ own businesses, transfers between employee and executive accounts, and payments to shell companies and companies abroad.
