DETEP and the University Congregation organized their first fair in May last year, which was then followed by another one in November. Apart from starting a tradition, their aim was not only to raise awareness of environmental issues but also to raise money for charity. In addition to the students and university employees, these events also gave the citizens of Debrecen an opportunity to sell their old pieces of clothing that were still in good condition but no longer in use, and to donate part or all of the proceeds to charity.
“We decided at the very beginning of the organization process that the proceeds would be later donated to one of the university foundations in order to help their work,” said Zsuzsa Mándy to the portal hirek.unideb.hu.
An employee of the Scientific Directorate of the University of Debrecen and one of the initiators of the event, Ms. Mándy pointed out that the first choice was the Foundation for Pediatric Surgery of the University of Debrecen, since this way they could contribute to the purchase of equipment that can help the care of the youngest children.
Currently, at the Clinical Center of the University of Debrecen (DE KK), there are approximately 1300 surgeries performed every year by the staff of the Pediatric Surgery Clinic. The Head of the Department is László Sasi Szabó, Clinical Chief Physician, who is assisted by six specialists and two residents.
Thanks to the recently completed Emergency Pediatric Surgery Development Project, the Pediatric Clinic could purchase a HUF 40 million 3D laparoscopy tower from a donation collected by Foundation for Children with Leukemia, Hope for Children with Leukemia Foundation and For Our Children Foundation.
In order to facilitate the day-to-day use of this special tower, a camera head with a 5 mm diameter that can be adapted into a 2D system would also be necessary, as it is considered essential for minimally invasive surgery on babies and young children.
“The current goal of our foundation is to raise the necessary funds to purchase this device, which will cost around five and a half million forints. With the HUF 150,000 donated now, the total amount of donations collected so far has reached half a million HUF," said Ágnes Magyar, a pediatric surgeon at the Pediatric Clinic of DE KK.
The chairman of the Board of Trustees of the DOTE Foundation for Pediatric Surgery highlighted that the foundation, which was established in 2003 and became a public benefit entity in 2020, regularly supports the operation of the Department of Pediatric Surgery. In addition to the purchase of equipment to assist in the performance of pediatric surgery, they have also contributed to the acquisition of a number of items to help the children and their parents in the ward to rest and relax. More information on the Foundation's fundraising campaign is available here.
The next charity wardrobe fair will be taking place in May 2024 at the same well-established location, which is the Inner Courtyard of the Main Building. The charitable donations will once again be used to support the work of a university foundation, organized by DETEP and Debrecen’s Reformed University Congregation.
Press Centre - BZs
