SICKKIDS, CHILDREN OF CHORNOBYL CANADIAN FUND AND UKRAINIAN CANADIAN CONGRESS JOIN FORCES LAUNCH UKRAINE PAEDIATRIC FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
Toronto, ON – October 23, 2013 – On Friday, November 1, SickKids was be joined by representatives from the Children of Chornobyl Canadian Fund (CCCF) and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC), as well as two Ukrainian paediatric neurosurgery fellows currently undergoing clinical training at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), to formally launch the Ukraine Paediatric Fellowship Program. A national fundraising campaign to raise $1 million in support of the Program wasl also unveiled, calling on the Ukrainian-Canadian community to raise funds that will improve paediatric health care in the eastern European country. In addition, the campaign’s first major gifts were announced.
The Ukraine Paediatric Fellowship Program was made possible thanks to a $1.05 million gift from the CCCF. The Program will provide physicians from Ukraine with opportunities to acquire high-demand skills through intensive training in paediatric specializations at SickKids in Toronto. Teams of specialists from SickKids will also travel to Ukraine to provide training and help establish capacity building programs at medical centres across the country. An exchange of expertise and experience between Ukrainian and Canadian health care professionals will ensure children with specific and often complex health issues are better able to access the care they need.
This is the first partnership of its kind for the CCCF, which was established in 1990 to provide humanitarian aid and support for victims of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster. The event will be hosted by Ukrainian-Canadian award-wining writer, journalist and Liberal Party of Canada candidate, Chrystia Freeland.
