In December 1 students raised money for HIV-positive adopted kids
The event “Get tested in your University” is carried out for the second year. The aim of the event - to stimulate young people to learn their HIV status and to popularize the safe behavior models among the youth. The first aim has been achieved owing to the help of the specialists of the Kiev City AIDS center - they tested approximately 400 students. To achieve the second aim ANTIAIDS Foundation prepared a stylish set of three fashionable pocket calendars, promoting safe sex, and a condom in the packing of the same black-white-red design. The condoms have been kindly provided for this event by “Contex”, and the design of their packing has been developed by the advertising agency Provid/BBDO by the request of ANTIAIDS Foundation. In December 1 these materials were distributed also in the Institute of International Relationship named after T. Shevchenko at the meeting with the newsmakers of the youth musical TV channel M1, Vasya Frolova and Dmitriy Shepelev.
Fundraising for seven children of two Makeyevka’s foster families has become the important part of the event. And it does not matter how much money was raised. Hundreds of people have joined the action of help to those in a great need; they made a step forward towards tolerant attitude people with HIV/AIDS. The empathy and compassion predominated on the photo exhibition of the well-known Ukrainian photographer Natalia Kravchuk. The exhibition, provided by ANTIAIDS Foundation, shared life stories of HIV positive children and children with AIDS in the Makeyevka’s Specialized Orphanage.
The short text under the children's photographs will help to experience the atmosphere of the exhibition:
“There are seven of them, aged five to ten. Three elder children live with the AIDS diagnosis, four younger ones - HIV positive. They had their “family” – Makeyevka’s Orphanage for children with HIV/AIDS. But they didn’t have parents… Today they come to the orphanage only as guests and tell happily to their upset friends they have THE MOM! To be more accurate - two moms. Two moms and seven children
They are first - for the first time in the history of our country HIV positive children, grown in the orphanage, have found their children's happiness. Two teachers from the Makeyeka’s Orphanage have completely changed their own life and life of these seven children. They have created two foster families. Seven happy children grow and enjoy themselves with their modest family comfort in two small city apartments. There are two happy moms.
How and why they took such decision? They say, they were tortured by the thought of the future where there was no place in the orphanage for the kids elder than four. There are such rules… These women grow close to THEIR kids and could not bear the fact, that THEIR kids would be transferred to the boarding schools, where… The three elder children have already tried on themselves how it is to live in the boarding school, though. Their foster moms say, that cheerful children returned unrecognizable – frightened and sick, after two months of the boarding-school life. Some of them were beaten, the others have been taught to smoke for the beginning… But there was no time to break them, in several weeks they thawed and became the same as before. Now, they are healthy and have been preparing for school with their mother – not an easy part of the independent life as well»
These children have the main thing. But there is a lack of many yet - up to the simplest bed linen and the mattresses. You can help them. Any means, which you donate to these children, will be doubled and passed to these two families by the Elena Pinchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation. To these two HAPPY families”.
176 USD, raised by students for the Makeyevka’s children, ANTIAIDS Foundation has doubled and sent them for the bed linen purchase. This is only a small part of what ANTIAIDS Foundation does for these families - recently the Foundation has bought new furniture for the children. These families will not remain without our attention and concern in future as well.
For detailed information, please, contact Pavel Piminov, Communications Director, Elena Pinchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation on e-mail: [email protected]. Contact phone number: +38 (044) 490 4805.
