YEREVAN, MARCH 22, ARMENPRESS. During its one and a half year of activity Fund 100 charitable foundation has collected 18 million drams and assisted 15 children with cancer.

Tigran Baloyan – chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Fund 100, told ARMENPRESS that the number of their partners increases within the course of time.

“Not only we were financing these 15 kids. As you know, cancer requires long-term, consistent and costly treatment. Other organizations as well provided assistance, such as the Grant Life, Health Bridge, Gyanjumyan Funds, individuals and etc. Usually we work jointly. I want to inform that 6 kids have been treated and already discharged from hospital and live by their daily life. 8 of the kids still undergo treatment. Unfortunately, during this period one child died”, Tigran Baloyan said.

The idea of creating this Fund came from one story. Several years ago when it was not so popular to seek support for treatment through social networks, a girl, Elen Kalashyan, applied to public with a request to be able to collect nearly 4 million drams for treatment.

“According to the tradition, she applied to rich people, some provided money, and some didn’t. I think the stereotype to apply only to the wealthy people must be eliminated. The right thing is that everyone must have a chance to make a charity irrespective of how much money they donate. Elen’s story became very famous, many people wanted to have their contribution, but the mechanisms were not well developed. And that’s why we decided to establish this Fund through which people can donate starting from 100 drams. Imagine how much money will be collected if for example 300-400 thousand people donate 100 or 200 drams monthly. That 100 or 200 AMD doesn’t have a major significance for them, but it has a great impact for the overall work, the assistance to children with cancer by these sums continues”, he said.

The Fund decided to bring a new culture to the charity work. Tigran Baloyan noted that there is still the approach throughout the world that by presenting the stories of children suffering from this disease, the funds, those engaged in charitable activities are trying to receive the people’s support by psychologically affecting them.

“We are trying to move on an another path. We understood that it is possible to create a mechanism which will allow to transfer money once by cards and after which if one wishes the system will automatically withdraw the money from the card every month. In other words, there is no need to burden people with the idea that this or that child needs assistance. They will be confident that they provide money each month and the process of assisting kids moves forward”, Baloyan stated.

The Fund doesn’t directly provide money to the patient, it firstly contacts with a doctor, discusses in what direction the assistance is needed and then implements its activity. Tigran Baloyan informed that they managed to contact with a Dutch fund, and as a result now they are able to acquire the medicines required for the treatment at affordable prices. Already one batch arrived in Armenia.

He stated that they attach importance to the transparent activity. In the website of the Fund 100 it is clearly presented who provided money, how much has been collected and spent for what purposes.

The entire proceeds of the Van Music Awards 2017 held by Radio Van will be provided to the Fund 100.

English – translator/editor: Aneta Harutyunyan