Buy and help

How New Year's online fair helps out Russian charity

Pandemia is a difficult time for all of us, but it is especially difficult for charitable funds that help those who have been in trouble. And the matter is not only in money - although it became even more difficult to collect donations, when the Russians barely make ends meet. But what difficulties did the pandemic of Russian charity bring? Why is it online not always bad? And where does the New Year's fair are generally?

Since 2007, the team of the April charitable foundation has been helping children with a difficult life start in the north-west: not only to those who got into the orphanage, but also to families in a crisis where the child risks being in the state of the state, and those who have already experienced this difficult experience and fell into a foster family.

During the pandemic, this work has become much more difficult. “The doors in state institutions immediately closed. There everyone works on the principle of “rebuilding”: it’s better not to go anywhere, not to accept anyone, to do anything - and no one will get sick. But childhood is leaving. The pandemic for the second year is already, and those who are behind the closed doors are especially difficult, ”the representative of April Alexander Buzakov says about this.

Not all restrictions can be overcome, but charitable organizations do everything in their power to continue to help their wards. For example, the Samara "Childhood House" is engaged in the adaptation of graduates of orphanages to independent life. People who are brought up in the family see that mother is in a hurry so as not to be late for work, or warns the boss if she got sick. Those who have grown in an orphanage happen to take such experience, so employment can be very painful for them.

In order for the first work experience to be positive and the guys can join society, a sewing and carpentry workshops work at a “childhood house”, where not only masters, but also a psychologist accompany employed graduates of orphanages. As the representative of the organization Daria Litvishko says, they immediately realized that "to close is not our option, given the age of our wards and that they will have nowhere else to go." The way out was found in sewing masks that were in a shortage at a certain moment in 2020. The carpentry workshop was also useful, where they were cut on a laser machine. The fact that they are engaged in something useful was very reassured by everyone, and there was no panic.

The Civil Union Foundation (recognized as a foreign agent, appeals this decision in the ECHR), which helps other NPOs in the region as a resource center, turned towards online. For example, earlier he provided a room for free so that other organizations could hold his events, and now he purchased a mobile video studio to help them hold webinars. The project “Civil Union” on the support of “Children of War” also went online. Grandmothers for 80 during the pandemic are especially dangerous to get together, but they love to communicate very much, and the fund made an audio for them.

Suddenly, the pandemic also influenced the inclusive workshops of the “chest”, with the help of which the Unity Foundation helps adults with mental disorders. Switching to online was not easy, because people with such features are difficult to rebuild on other formats. But those who were difficult to completely open up in the walls of the workshop, who were stressed by the fact that there were many people around - they were able to feel more comfortable in Zoom. In culinary classes, some guys were able to rebuild so much that they began to eat products that they had never eaten in their lives. For people with an auto spectrum disorder, this is a rather difficult question-there is some kind of circle of products that they eat, and parents need to make titanic efforts to expand it.

So crises can be wrapped in benefit ... unless, of course, you have enough money to continue the work at all.

For example, the April Foundation manages to collect the same amount of money as not to reduce help, but it has become much more complicated. People who made donations become less money, and it is also not easy to business the business that supported the fund. At the same time, expenses are growing: grocery sets for wards of families recently cost 1,500 rubles, and now they are selected by 2000.

In a similar situation, the Advita Foundation, whose targeted assistance is received by about 700 people a year who come to St. Petersburg from all over the country for the treatment of cancer. Hundreds of more people are treated in clinics, which the fund helps with drugs and consumables, and do not even know about this support. Irina Loban from the ADVita Fandraizing Department recalls a well -known expression: "To stay in place, you need to run with all your legs."

Only thanks to the new donors, the fund manages to maintain the same amount of assistance as to the pandemic. But where to get them?

Alexandra Buzakova from April notes that their sources of financing are very different: donations from private individuals and business, grants, crowdfunding platforms, such as Planeta.ru. But in recent years, they have been trying to develop the presence on crowdfunding platforms, because it helps people from all over Russia, who would never have recognized them in another way. As a result, one of Naryan-Mar can help the family in a crisis in Karelia-and this is not something amazing, but a normal situation, it should be so.

Julia Shkurina from the Unity Foundation came to the idea of ​​using Planeta.ru, thanks to which for the second year in a row the New Year's charity online fair has been taking place: “Last year, when the pandemic began, Rosbank colleagues asked:“ Will you have an online store? We always came to the charity fair in December, we are so accustomed to things from the “chest” that we cannot live without them. ”

I was tormented, I was like, how to do it, and it dawned on me that you can launch a project on Planeta.ru.

But I did not want to go there alone, because with us a few more funds always went to the Rosbank charity fair in Rosbank. How to collect everyone? And then I came up with that it is necessary to go to the “All Together” charity association and offer that other funds proven by the association also participate in the fair, and do not make their shops and sites disparate. Joint efforts bring more result. And Rosbank supported this initiative. ”

For Irina Loban from Advita, an online fair is important for similar reasons: “This is our philosophy. We are pleased to support and participate in such events that show everyone around that help is not emotional stress, that you can help, making some very pleasant things for yourself, for example, buying New Year's souvenirs for your family, friends and colleagues, knowing that some of the money will help people. ”

The online fair "Planet of good gifts" , in which more than 30 charitable foundations and NPOs participate, will last on Planeta.ru until January 12. On the very first day, it was possible to collect more than a million rubles - and Rosbank doubled this amount in honor of the #generic. By the way, if not to postpone the order for a very long time, then the gift purchased here will have time to deliver you until the New Year (unlike traditional crowd projects, funds deliver orders during the fair).

How exactly can the mentioned funds be helped?

"Unity" offers dishes and toys created in the workshops with the hands of the wards of the fund. The collected amount will go to the equipment for the carpentry workshop so that adults with mental features learn to own tools and can repair something at home. This helps them to feel necessary, able to bring something useful to the family.

The sale of different souvenirs will help April continue to buy products for the kitchen corner, which they have already installed in the Sortavalsky orphanage so that children can go to the store for groceries and conduct culinary classes. If you manage to collect a large amount - they will make the same corner in the Olonets orphanage.

Advita sells at the fair the goods of the “easily-lightly” store, among which there are, for example, a miniature street Rubinstein with ceramic houses (to raise funds for the development of the Russian bone marrow registry and for master classes for treating children), in which they create drawings that become part of the merchant.

From the "Civil Union" you can buy rugs that are knitted by the elderly "children of the war". This will give them not only such an important attention at their age, but also a small increase in pension.

“Childhood House” which also offers toys made by the wards of the fund will invest collected funds in the development of workshops so that more graduates of orphanages can get a job and adapt to the adult world.

But gifts that can be purchased from other funds are no worse, and their wards will also be happy with your support. Let this year begin with happiness and care - both for them and for your loved ones!

Konstantin Fomin , media coordinator Planeta.ru