News
KPMG launches new CSR initiatives
In 2009, KPMG in Ukraine launched a new CSR initiative – fundraising towards Ukrainian children who need bone marrow transplantation (BMT) from an unrelated donor.
The BMT is often the remedy of last resort for children with certain hematology and oncology diseases (relapsed acute lymphoblastic or myeloblastic leucosis, severe aplastic anemia, etc.). Unfortunately, the BMT from an unrelated donor is impossible in Ukraine due to lack of the legislative framework and technical facilities. These children have no other option except being treated abroad. The cost of the BMT from an unrelated donor in a foreign medical center approximates EUR 120,000 – EUR 250,000 (the price differs depending on the country). An average Ukrainian family doesn’t have the money to fund such costly treatment. Their only hope is with people who cannot stand aside when somebody is in trouble.
Our fundraising campaign started spontaneously – we found out that Andrey Zharko, a 6-year old son of our colleague from another Big Four firm, needs the BMT from an unrelated donor. Competition was put aside, corporate solidarity (or, put simply, humanity and mercy) triumphed. KPMG in Ukraine launched the campaign to raise funds for Andrey’s treatment in Germany. Due to the interoffice communication, not only KPMG but also other audit and consultancy firms in Ukraine (including all Big Four firms) joined the initiative. The money was passed directly to Andrey’s father or through KPMG coordinator Yuliya Nogovitsyna. By joint efforts, the target amount of EUR 218,000 was raised within several months. The contribution of the KPMG employees and partners amounted to UAH 28,000 (approximately EUR 2,800).
On 14 September 2009 Andrey underwent the BMT from an unrelated donor in Hamburg, Germany. A number of severe aftereffects followed, but at this moment the boy was already discharged from the hospital. He still needs to stay in Germany to be under the doctors’ supervision but we hope that by Christmas he will come back to Kyiv to his father and two younger brothers.
The idea to help Andrey was not a part of the meticulously planned initiative – we did not expect it to turn into something bigger than a one-off campaign. But the KPMG people were so deeply touched by this desperate situation faced by Ukrainian kids suffering from cancer that in a while we have resumed the fundraising. Our second addressee was Eduard Zubovnik, the 15-year old boy from Kyiv. St. Anna Children’s Hospital in Vienna agreed to admit him for the BMT from an unrelated donor. The estimated cost was EUR 125,000. The parents managed to raise the bigger part of this amount through their own channels (e.g., charity funds, friends, colleagues, bank loans, etc.). However, all resources were exhausted EUR 40,000 short of the target amount. Once again, the employees of KPMG and other Big Four firms in Ukraine joined the fund raising campaign. By joint efforts, the necessary funds were raised, and in October 2009 Eduard left for Vienna. He is expected to undergo the BMT from an unrelated donor by mid-November. The KPMG employees contributed UAH 7,000 (around EUR 700) to Eduard’s fundraising campaign.
We keep in touch with the parents of both boys and closely monitor any news about them.
This experience proves the main principle of fundraising – if everybody shares a little, the goal can be easily achieved. The main thing is to involve as many people as possible. And we did it.
KPMG in Ukraine will not stop at this point. We plan to not only provide the personalized assistance but also to support the Ukrainian children’s cancer centers. The employees of the KPMG office in Donetsk have already on several occasions visited children from the Children’s Cancer Center of the Donetsk Region Hospital. The children who spend up to nine months in the hospital were delighted with the time spent with the KPMG volunteers, games, gifts and clowns. They desperately need all this. But even more we need them – to revisit our personal values and priorities.
Our fundraising campaign started spontaneously – we found out that Andrey Zharko, a 6-year old son of our colleague from another Big Four firm, needs the BMT from an unrelated donor. Competition was put aside, corporate solidarity (or, put simply, humanity and mercy) triumphed. KPMG in Ukraine launched the campaign to raise funds for Andrey’s treatment in Germany. Due to the interoffice communication, not only KPMG but also other audit and consultancy firms in Ukraine (including all Big Four firms) joined the initiative. The money was passed directly to Andrey’s father or through KPMG coordinator Yuliya Nogovitsyna. By joint efforts, the target amount of EUR 218,000 was raised within several months. The contribution of the KPMG employees and partners amounted to UAH 28,000 (approximately EUR 2,800).
On 14 September 2009 Andrey underwent the BMT from an unrelated donor in Hamburg, Germany. A number of severe aftereffects followed, but at this moment the boy was already discharged from the hospital. He still needs to stay in Germany to be under the doctors’ supervision but we hope that by Christmas he will come back to Kyiv to his father and two younger brothers.
The idea to help Andrey was not a part of the meticulously planned initiative – we did not expect it to turn into something bigger than a one-off campaign. But the KPMG people were so deeply touched by this desperate situation faced by Ukrainian kids suffering from cancer that in a while we have resumed the fundraising. Our second addressee was Eduard Zubovnik, the 15-year old boy from Kyiv. St. Anna Children’s Hospital in Vienna agreed to admit him for the BMT from an unrelated donor. The estimated cost was EUR 125,000. The parents managed to raise the bigger part of this amount through their own channels (e.g., charity funds, friends, colleagues, bank loans, etc.). However, all resources were exhausted EUR 40,000 short of the target amount. Once again, the employees of KPMG and other Big Four firms in Ukraine joined the fund raising campaign. By joint efforts, the necessary funds were raised, and in October 2009 Eduard left for Vienna. He is expected to undergo the BMT from an unrelated donor by mid-November. The KPMG employees contributed UAH 7,000 (around EUR 700) to Eduard’s fundraising campaign.
We keep in touch with the parents of both boys and closely monitor any news about them.
This experience proves the main principle of fundraising – if everybody shares a little, the goal can be easily achieved. The main thing is to involve as many people as possible. And we did it.
KPMG in Ukraine will not stop at this point. We plan to not only provide the personalized assistance but also to support the Ukrainian children’s cancer centers. The employees of the KPMG office in Donetsk have already on several occasions visited children from the Children’s Cancer Center of the Donetsk Region Hospital. The children who spend up to nine months in the hospital were delighted with the time spent with the KPMG volunteers, games, gifts and clowns. They desperately need all this. But even more we need them – to revisit our personal values and priorities.
© 2010 KPMG-Ukraine Ltd., a company incorporated under the Laws of Ukraine and a member firm of the KPMG network of independent member firms affiliated with KPMG International, a Swiss cooperative. All rights reserved.
