History:

In 1989, a little girl with leukemia was referred to the Department of Pediatrics of the University of Debrecen. Her family assisted actively to the nursing team and they recognized directly the physical, psychological and financial burden that leukemia, various forms of cancer and other severe hematologic diseases, such as anemia and bleeding disorders put on sick children and their families. The great sorrow, the often unbearable pain, and the persistence to go through hardships of treatment procedures leading to cure moved them deeply. However, they also felt the indescribable happiness and jubilated together with the kids, their parents and after recovery. These experiences confirmed their intention and, together with the head of the Department of Pediatrics, at that time also serving as Rector of the University, and the community of the Department they established the Foundation for Children with Leukemia (“Leukémiás Gyermekekért Alapítvány”; Foundation) in 1990 – as the first civil organization registered by the City Court of Debrecen. Ever since, the Foundation became well accepted by supporting private persons and organizations. With the generous help of supporters, it exerts a great job for the benefit of children with leukemia, tumors and severe non-malignant hematologic diseases. In 2020, after undergoing thorough screening procedure for transparency, the Foundation has been declared an “Ethical Fundraising Organization”.

The major objective of the Foundation is a complex and comprehensive support of children and families managed at the Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology of the Department of Pediatrics of the University of Debrecen. This division is a tertiary pediatric hematology-oncology facility taking care on children living mostly in the North-Eastern part of Hungary.  Doctors and nurses admit about 80-100 new inpatients annually and take care on hundreds of outpatients.

The mission of the Foundation involves the following main tasks and activities:

• A complex material and financial support of children and their families, frequently from a heavily underprivileged socio-economic environment.
• To organize various programs and activities for children while hospitalized.
• The Foundation supports one or two big projects each year. In course of such a project we help families to establish a healthy living environment for their sick children after exmission from the hospital (modernize the bathroom, repair the roof of the house, build a covered terrace, etc.).
• Organize activities for the big holidays such as Christmas, Easter, etc.
• To cover expenses of holiday camps for patients and families.
• To facilitate social reintegration of cured children after the long treatment time.
• To organize social, charity and sports events to celebrate the cured children and their families, and to give hope for those who are still on their way of getting cured. (1^st )
• To contribute to all the necessary equipment for providing an optimal patientcare in the facility. The Foundation put a special emphasis on a safe and convenient accommodation for parents at the inpatient facility during the treatment procedure of their children.
• To support training of doctors and nurses so as they can provide an up-to-date treatment and care
• To support diagnostic abilities and research activities at the facility.

Data:

President of the Board of trustees: Prof. Csongor Kiss, M.D., Ph.D., D.Sc., Head of the Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Debrecen
Address: 4032 Debrecen, 98 Nagyerdei Krt., Hungary

Entry in the commercial register: Apk. 1/1990/2. March 1, 1990, Court of Hajdú-Bihar County
Public utility:  from January 1, 1998
Tax ID: 19123958-1-09
IBAN: HU89 1020 0304 4141 3746 0000 0000
BIC (SWIFT) code: OKHBHUHB

Website: https://leukemiasgyermekekert.hu/