In December 2005 Elena Franchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation and All-Ukrainian network of people living with HIV prepared and sent presents for 854 children living with HIV/AIDS in 15 Ukrainian cities. This traditional New Year project exists for three years. In December 2003 first New Year party with presents for 45 kids took place in Kiev. 211 kids in 5 cities of Ukraine got presents in 2004. In the year 2005 the geography of the project grew up three times, and four times more children got parcels from Father Frost.

This year children got presents not only in Kiev, Odessa, Donetsk, Cherkassy and Chernigov, but in Kherson, Kharkov, Poltava, Nikolaev, Khmelnitsky, Simpheropol, Krivoy Rog, Kirovograd and Zaporozhskya oblast. In many cities All-Ukrainian network of people living with HIV has opened day care centers for kids, involved into epidemic. Social workers of day centers are planning to organize New Year parties on which every child will get a present.  Parents and grand parents will get presents for the smallest kids. In each parcel from Father Frost kids will find a box with sweets, Start multicorn dry snacks of various kinds, dry fruits, dry porridge for babies and a toy, individually chosen for every kid. Total weight of New Year presents, received by children and there parents is about one and a half ton.

In 2005, kids from “Beryozka” orphanage and Makeyevka specialized orphanage got New Year presents from ANTIAIDS Foundation and All-Ukrainian network of people living with HIV for the first time. Both institutions are under the care of ANTIAIDS Foundation.   This year, small habitants of “Beryozka” got the biggest present from ANTIAIDS Foundation– renovated building. For the funds, attracted with the help of the Foundation, new furniture, household goods and TV-sets for bedrooms for Makeyevka orphanage were bought.

Partly, costs for New Year project were raised from more than 4 thousand of PrivatBank’ clients, who donated for children support in 2005 from a few kopeks to a few hundred hryvnas. The fundraising project through the ATM machines was launched by the bank in August 2004. We would like to thank once more everyone who remembers about children. Kids are always waiting for holiday, especially on the New Year’s Eve…

We also know that HIV-positive kids are in need of our attention and care not only on holidays.

The main project of 2004-2005 – renovation of “Beryozka” orphanage is over, and  now ANTIAIDS Foundation is thinking about possible ways to make lives of HIV-positive kids and kids with AIDS a bit better. The results of already completed support projects you can find at Supporting People on our website.