Already at the outbreak of the conflict in February 2022, we provided 100.000,- EUR for humanitarian aid to the fleeing families with children in Slovakia, integration and especially for the provision of long-term housing in Košice for 12 families as a foundation for their smooth integration in Slovakia.
For the second time we provided 150.000, – EUR to support various projects located in Uzhhorod, Svaliava, Veliko Berezno and Seredno.
In Uzhhorod, the Marie Ward Centre, which houses parents with children on the run, as well as 26 orphan students, is located. The centre has been given a unique solar system that will provide enough energy for heating. Also, the nurses working at the centre were given available resources to buy food, hygiene items, baby food, medicines, and medical supplies to care for the migrant families.
In the village of Seredné there is the St. Elisabeth Children’s Home, which used the resources provided to purchase beds, bed linen and school desks needed for education. Together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we used part of the funds to quickly complete the attic of the children’s home, thus creating an additional 80 m2 for housing.
There is a children’s centre in Svaliava, where 106 children – aged 0 to 6 years – are currently living. The funds were used to buy aggregates, fuel, food, medicines, therapeutic aids, clothes and shoes for the children.
In Veľký Berezny there is a rehabilitation centre for children, which houses 185 children with heart disease, diabetes, and respiratory diseases. The funds were used to purchase basic hygiene supplies, medicines, and high-power generators.
In nearby Perecin, in cooperation with the Step by Step medical team, we provided medicines, thermometers, blood pressure monitors and glucose monitors for nearly 280 refugees with children.
We have not only contributed financially, but also materially. We provided new laptops and tablets for frontline workers to use when working with refugees at first contact points. We did not forget about the little ones either and prepared packages for them, which included basic hygiene items, vitamins, fruit, as well as colouring books and other children’s toys. We delivered the packages directly to the refugee centre for refugees from Ukraine, which is located at the Červená hviezda swimming pool in Košice.
On November 10, 2022, we received an award from the organization Úsmev ako Dar for our long-term activities aimed at supporting and helping families and children in difficult situations. The award was personally received by Matúš Čopík, Senior Vice President of CANCOM Slovakia from the hands of the Commissioner for Children of the Slovak Republic Jozef Miklos at a ceremony in the Primate’s Palace in Bratislava.
The second edition of the 1st Donor Conference was held on February 1, 2023 and its main theme was to help children living in single-parent, poorer or in families with a seriously ill family member or in a family living on the periphery of society. One in three families in Slovakia is at risk of poverty. Therefore, it is very important that there is cooperation between all the entities that can help, and thus alleviate the impact of poverty on the most vulnerable.
Representatives of private companies, local government and the third sector spoke at the conference. We were part of the III. Block, in which neighborhood aid to Ukraine was discussed.
