UNICEF partner

Supporting the works of UNICEF, we promote projects that ensure children have a happy childhood in regions affected by droughts and food shortages, where children witness violence or become its victims.

We do our best to make the youngest members of the society feel happy. UNICEF and Damian Medical Centre have worked together since 2010. So far we have been able to perform a lot of actions improving the awareness of the patients and CMD's employees in respect of the activities of UNICEF and the problems of children in the poorest regions of the world. The initiation of cooperation was an exhibition of pictures devoted to UNICEF activities shown in the centres in Warsaw. As part of the cooperation, Damian Medical Centre is involved in annual information and fundraising campaigns of UNICEF Polska. Information about the organization and the situation of the children in developing countries is published regularly in “Poradnik” magazine and on the webpage of the organization.

In 2013 Damian Medical Centre organized an individual action of rising funds for UNICEF for the first time. By joining the action “2 PLN for the health of the child”, patients of Damian Medical Centre had a possibility to make a small donation added automatically to their bill for medical services. The action is repeated every year during holiday time.

United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund – UNICEF is an international humanitarian organization which has helped children around the world for over 65 years. Being present in over 190 countries in the world, UNICEF fights for the right of every child to a healthy and happy childhood. It delivers medicines, food, facilitates access to education. It helps people in areas effected by natural disasters. It motivates people and organizations to fight children abuse. It runs humanitarian education projects. Polish National Committee UNICEF (UNICEF Polska) is one of the divisions of the organization acting in 36 developed countries. It represents interests of children and does everything to respect their rights as well as collect funds to help children in the poorest regions of the world.

UNICEF Polska is a Public Benefit Organization to which we can donate 1% of our tax. UNICEF Programmes saving children’s life are financed from voluntary contributions of donors.

From life-saving vaccinations, building schools, to immediate help in a situation of natural disaster – UNICEF does everything to make children’s life better.
It works in small villages and with governments of the countries because it thinks that every child, regardless of the place where it was born, colour of the skin or religion, has the right to a healthy and safe childhood.

UNICEF activities are grouped in five areas:

• early childhood
• Education
• Protection
• fight with HIV/AIDS
• children’s rights

Access to healthy and nutritious food, drinking water and health care in the first period of life gives a child a chance to grow healthy, develop cognitive and language skills, go to school and have a productive and happy life in the future. Unfortunately, every day, 19 thousand children die because of illnesses which we can prevent. UNICEF provides health care for future mothers and their new born children.

It delivers medicines, organizes vaccination actions, runs a programme fighting with malnutrition, builds water wells and provides drinking water in a situation of crisis. All over the world UNICEF runs programmes the aim of which is to decrease the number of children outside the education system.
It tries to provide access to the right quality of education for girls and for boys. Many programmes are run in the places of humanitarian crisis, where children were forced to stop their education.

UNICEF supports the poorest families who cannot afford education for their children. Protection of children against exploitation and violence is the key to their survival and development. One of the priorities of UNICEF is to its best to provide a safe environment for the children to live and develop. All over the world the organization runs a number of programmes the aim of which is delivering help to children suffering from violence and abuse. One of the main activities of UNICEF is prevention of the spread of HIV and AIDS and helping children who dialy have to struggle with the consequences of this disease.
In the world there are over 3.4 million children below the age of 15 infected with HIV (2011).

Although, the number of children receiving antiretroviral drugs has increased in the last years several times, access to the therapy is available to only 30% of infected children. UNICEF is a leading organization in the world counteracting the spread of HIV/AIDS among children. There 2.2 billion children living in the world. It means that every third inhabitant of the Earth is a child. And every child has its rights.

They result from dignity and uniqueness of a child as a human being and should be given to every child. No child can be deprived of these rights. The rights of a child concern relations power vs. an individual and because of this the state must provide a child with a possibility to use the rights it is entitled to. UNICEF is directed in its activities by resolutions of the Convention about the rights of a child and fights for the children affairs to be considered first in activities undertaken by the world leaders but also country and local governments.

Great support received by UNICEF from the individual Donors and many companies provides invaluable input in activities to help children in the poorest countries in the world.

How can you help?

• pay the donation at www.unicef.pl or directly to UNICEF’s account: 15 102 010 130 000 000 000 000 000
• transfer 1% of your tax to UNICEF (KRS 0000107957)
• buy “Prezenty bez pudła”
• become a UNICEF volunteer
• tell your friends about UNICEF

More information about activities currently run by UNICEF Polska can be found at www.unicef.pl

In 2016, the campaign "2 PLN for the Children's Health" lasted for three months, i.e. from 1 July to 30 September. During that period, patients donated 15 888 PLN to help children that have suffered during the earthquake in Nepal. It is estimated that, in addition to death and destruction, the earthquake has caused re-impoverishment of 700 000 to 982 000 people. They live on less than 1,25 dollars a day. Out of 188 900 people that were temporarily moved right after the disaster, about 26 272 people are still living in temporary shelters, away from their villages. The majority of people live in makeshift huts made of corrugated steel sheets, tarpaulins and other materials that they manage to recover from damaged homes. The Nepalese have already seen hot summer, humid monsoon, cold winter, and now windy spring (accompanied by fires) in these huts.

The "2 PLN for the Children's Health" raised during the campaign is a real help:

• measles vaccines: 39 PLN for 30 doses
• polio vaccines: 39 PLN for 60 doses

Thanks to the involvement of Damian Medical Centre patients and open hearts we collected 14 953 PLN to support UNICEF activities run for the children living on the territory of Ukraine swept by the conflict. The means were transferred to provide the most immediate help to the children who because of unstable situation lost their homes, cannot come back to school, suffer from trauma and stress caused by dramatic experiences and are endangered by such diseases as polio.

The amount collected during “2 PLN for the health of the child” action really helps:

• 78 PLN is the cost of 120 doses of vaccinations against polio.
• 165 PLN pays for a sanitary kit for a 5-person family.
  (buckets, canisters, water purification tablets, soap, toothpaste, washing powder and others).
• 305 PLN pays for 5 warm polar blankets and a monthly sanitary kit for a 5-person family.

Year 2014 saw a continuation of our joint activities. In the period from the beginning of July till the end of August 2014 we jointly carried out the 2nd edition of the action “2 PLN for the health of the child”. When registering for a visit in all Damian Medical Centres patients were able to make a donation to buy lifesaving vaccinations for children in the poorest countries in the world.

Thanks to Damian Medical Centre and its patients from the 2nd edition of “2 PLN for the health of the child” UNICEF received 9412 PLN which bought:

• 2760 vaccinations against measles
• 9600 vaccinations against tetanus
• 4800 vaccinations against polio
• 30 portable fridges to transport vaccinations.

UNICEF Polska awards Good Will Ambassadors awards. We are very proud because among companies which received the award, there is Damian Medical Centre for active participation in campaigns for the children. The award was collected from Managing Director UNICEF Polska by Piotr Lach, Financial Director, member of the board of Damian Medical Centre The awarded people comprise among others Małgorzata Foremniak, Majka Jeżowska and Robert Korzeniowski.

In the period from 24 June till 30 September every patient had a possibility to support children vaccination programme run by UNICEF. The campaign was well publicised by fliers, posters and stands available at all Damian Medical Centres. Special information was published in “Poradnik” magazine, on the webpage of Damian Medical Centre and UNICEF Polska. Thanks to the engagement of Damian Medical Centres and our patients, from the action “2 PLN for the health of the child”

UNICEF received 7 548 PLN which bought:

• 1 350 vaccinations against measles
• 7 200 vaccinations against tetanus
• 2 250 vaccinations against polio
• 45 portable fridges to transport vaccinations.

Employees of Damian Medical Centre deserve special prise for their engagement in activities for UNICEF. In 2012 the employees took part in “Believe in Santa Claus” action. UNICEF products were bought for children from the orphanage in Równe for 3000 PLN. Employees of call centre prepared a Nativity Play and performed it in front of the children from the orphanage. In the same year in December the employees of Damian Medical Centre took part in “All Colours of the Wolrd”. During the final at Christmas Eve party 57 charity dolls, sewn by the employees, were presented. The participants of the meeting had an opportunity to become carers of the dolls by giving a donation for vaccination programme run in Chad.