On October 22nd, representatives of the member organisations that compose Missing Children Europe gathered in the headquarters of The Smile of the Child, in Athens, for the General Assembly. On the agenda was the election of a new board of directors. Sandrine Pépit, Director of 116 000 Enfants Disparus at Droit d’Enfance, was elected to continue as Vice-President of the organisation, and Maryna Lypovetska, Head of Projects at NGO Magnolia, and Marija Andjelkovic, director of ASTRA, were elected for a second term as Board Members. MCE also welcomes two new board members: Nel Broothaerts, CEO of Child Focus in Belgium, and Patrycja Szczepańska, Project Manager at ITAKA Foundation in Poland. Maria Herczog also remains in her position as President of the Board of Missing Children Europe.
Patrycja Szczepańska has worked for 16 years with public institutions and NGOs in the fields of finance, budgetary oversight, governance, and risk management, and is currently responsible for managing the 116 000 hotline in Poland. After years of experience in psychology and education, Nel Broothaerts joined Child Focus in 2007 as project manager, where she is currently the CEO.
The MCE Secretariat conducted a workshop with members to assess which tools and opportunities should be created to best facilitate member engagement in the organisation. Attendees also had the opportunity to tour the work premises of our Greek host and to witness first-hand their incredible work in the field. We extend our gratitude to The Smile of the Child for hosting, and to all member organizations for their hard work and dedication.