Money was raised through the sales of special sunflower t-shirts. With 3,000 shirts sold at the price of 20 EUR, the foundation was able to purchase a contemporary piece of equipment for early detection of leukemia for the pediatric department of the Clinical Center of Kosovo (UCCK).

The Foundation was first established in Albania, and has recently spread its activities to Kosovo. Its mission is to support children with various diseases, in particular by creating better opportunities for their treatment in the countries where they live.  

The campaign which has also run in Macedonia, was introduced to Kosovo this year and it was successfully closed on 31st October. Its goal was the purchase of  a medical device for flow cytometry which is used for early detection of leukemia. The money will also be used to buy reagents necessary for performing this type of procedure as well as the training of the hospital staff. Flow cytometry test for leukemia can provide valuable insight into whether the tumor cells contain a normal or abnormal amount of DNA, and the relative rate at which the tumor is growing.

An increasing number of children in Kosovo suffer from leukemia, making early detection a necessity. Due to a shortage of necessary chemical reagents, doctors in Kosovo are often forced to send blood samples to hospitals in Austria for analysis.

Of course, these medical supplies will be required in the future as well, but the success of this campaign has certainly raised public awareness on the matter, and is bound to help similar initiatives in the future.