Eurasian Development Bank arranges New Year celebration for oncology children in six countries

The event took place in six countries at once: in Kazakhstan (Almaty and Astana), Kyrgyzstan (Bishkek), Tajikistan (Dushanbe), Armenia (Yerevan), Russia (Moscow and Saint Petersburg), and Belarus. In Belarus EDB representatives visited the national science and practice center for children's oncology, hematology, and immunology in Minsk District.

A festive celebration with treats and gifts was arranged for the little patients. The Grandfather Frost visited and congratulated those children, who were placed in sterile wards and could not take part in the general celebration due to medical reasons, BelTA reports.

Director of the center Olga Oleinikoa remarked: "In the run-up to the New Year it is particularly important to feel attention and care, to see that despite anything the children can have a good time even in hospitals. It will bolster their confidence in recuperation. We told the kids that the same celebrations were arranged for children in similar centers in other countries, too, that those children celebrated the New Year together with the Belarusian ones. The feeling of unity and support allowed them to understand that they are not alone, that people know about them and feel for them".

More than 1,000 children were congratulated as part of the event. Apart from that, aid was granted to the oncology centers. The bank took care of the organization and the expenses involved in the New Year celebration. EDB Chairman of the Board Igor Finogenov stressed that children that suffer, particularly children with grave diseases, are a common sorrow that unites people of different ages and professions regardless of their nationality and religion in their sincere desire to help the patients and do something useful for them. "We are not medics but we can help medics treat the children and can help the children get better. In this regard the social and psychological aid to the patients is the most effective thing that we are capable of. Bolstering hope and faith of children in themselves, allowing them to feel that there are people who think about them and believe in their future is the most important thing," added Igor Finogenov.