Thank you for your trust!
Traditionally, we summarize the outgoing 2016. The next results, we summarize for the sixth time in a row. During this time we managed to raise 21,076,047 hryvnias and provide comprehensive assistance to 693 children. In 2016, with the help of our readers, we raised UAH 1,326,147. And although these figures are lower than last year, the year was difficult. We haven’t had much in the past year. But the main thing is that you and I still succeeded, thanks to you, 34 children received treatment in 2016.
Dear friends, the list of our "shortcomings at the end of the year" can be filled for a long time, so let’s talk about the good, and if it’s about problems, then in the positive.
So, from the beginning about the good. In 2016, our long-term partners continue to cooperate with us: Seldiko, Privatbank, Ukrainian Charity Exchange. We have new partners: the New Theater in Pechersk, KP "Kyivkinofilm", and a number of book publishers.
We have new permanent private donors. However, they, like many other donors, do not want to reveal their names.
Thank you all!
Thanks also to those enthusiasts who are involved in charity through private initiatives. There are more and more such people in Ukraine every year.
Last year, we launched a new foundation website. Now it has become even easier and more convenient for our readers and donors to help the foundation’s wards. We tried to indicate on the site all possible ways to transfer funds, such as electronic payment systems (Lycpey, Privat24, MasterPass), as well as providing online receipts with the details of the fund, and of course, SMS messages for mobile phone owners.
As for the situation in the field of taxation of charitable SMS, this year, a law developed by the Ukrainian Forum of Philanthropists was successfully adopted, which exempted charitable SMS donations from taxes. Let’s be honest, the whole country has been waiting for this for more than three years, especially the whole third sector!
But everything also remains an inconvenient and morally outdated law "On Charity", which would exempt charitable assistance from income tax. This law does not stimulate, but, on the contrary, inhibits the development of charity in our country. We hope that in the new year, by joint efforts with other public and charitable organizations, we will be able to move this stone, and help sick children will be even easier.
In 2016, the Ukrainian Relief Fund, for the second time, became a participant in the ranking of charitable foundations with public and transparent reporting. This is the second recognition of our work with you across the country, as well as a testament to the openness and transparency of the Fund.
By the end of 2016, we successfully launched a program to help children with orphan diseases. So far we have taken only one diagnosis - bullous epidermolysis. In 2017, we will continue to raise funds for the treatment of children with bullous epidermolysis, and also plan to add another diagnosis to the program of orphan diseases - cystic fibrosis.
Unfortunately, we did not manage to realize much of what we had planned. For example, to cooperate not only with KyivVlast, Telegid, Gazeta.UA, and with Glas, TV, ERA, and Kyiv, but also with other major media outlets. It would seem that there are good responsive people everywhere, and they all want to help sick children. And for some reason it does not work ... Moreover, the experience of our senior colleagues from Rusfond in cooperation with the "First Channel" has brought truly fantastic results! Maybe the reason is the endless Ukrainian political crisis? What is most attractive and rated for our media. We still have a very long and difficult way to go: why, despite our successes and attempts to reach a large audience, we have not been able to increase the number of those who would know about us.
We will analyze which strategy to choose to help more children and people ready to save children.
We invite new partners to cooperate, together we can do more! Thank you, friends, for being generous!
The author Roman Betsenko