This charitable event in Vienna was organized by Austrian AIDS Society, the German NGO “Connect Plus e. V.” and Elena Franchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation. All funds raised will be transferred to the children’s infection disease hospitals of our country.

- Every year the number of HIV-positive children in Ukraine is growing, - Elena Franchuk, founder of the ANTIAIDS Foundation says. -  They need treatment, care and support. That is why we don’t restrict our activity only to informational and educational campaigns. We’re working to provide specialized hospitals and proper staff with the necessary support. I am very thankful to the Auction organizers and participants for their quick response to help Ukrainian hospitals and for understanding the problem.

The auction was organized in the framework of the German-Austrian AIDS Congress that took place in Vienna June 1st – 4th 2005. The organizers of the auction decided to focus their attention to HIV/AIDS epidemic in Eastern Europe. Fourteen paintings of Austrian and German artists were set out for the auction. Within 40 minutes 29 000 EURO were raised! Such result surprised even the organizers of the action. For funds raised during the charitable auction, special furniture for hospital wards, tables for medical procedures, functional pediatric beds, refrigerators for serum samples storage, sterile storage for medicines and a dry heat sterile box will be procured and transferred to the children’s infection disease departments.

 - Our organization has been working in Eastern European countries for a long time and we know firsthand what problems people living with HIV/AIDS face in Ukraine, - Frieder Alberth, co-founder of the German NGO “Connect Plus” says. - I visited several hospitals in different regions of Ukraine personally and I have to admit that working conditions and the patients’ department for children is not up to the minimal standards.

According to the official data, on 1 of March 2005, in Ukraine there were registered 8 478 children with confirmed diagnosis of HIV/AIDS. Among them, 11% are orphans or children left in maternity houses. The research, conducted by MoH of Ukraine under support of the World Bank and GFATM, allows to state that number of children who lost both their parents due to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Ukraine  might raise up to 42 000 by the year 2014. NGOs work to prevent this.