Renewed Deliveries to Belarus Huge Success!
CitiHope’s first delivery to Belarus since 2011, humanitarian medicine to treat cancers and rare genetic diseases valued at over $2.25 million, landed in Minsk, Belarus in February 2019.
CitiHope’s longtime shipping partner, Missionary Expediters & Cargo Logistics, shepherded the air delivery from the USA to Turkey to Minsk. After 15 hours in the sky, the cargo plane arrived safely at the Belarus National airport where it was met by Valery Skakun, Director of the Department of Humanitarian Activities of the Office of Presidential Affairs of Belarus, and members of Belarusian news and television media.
Upon receipt of the cargo, Director Skakun said “Just 3 months ago in November, a round of talks took place in the United States, in Washington, prepared by the embassy of our republic, to work with charitable American organizations for treatment of disease and at the same time save budget funds and allocate them to other needs.”
The medicines, which were accepted in advance by the Ministry of Health of Belarus, were quickly delivered to several medical institutions in the country. "This foreign gratuitous assistance is exempted from taxes and customs duties," stated Skakun.
This significant delivery was coordinated by CitiHope’s excellent local partner, Lyudmila Kozovaya of Belarusian NGO ‘Otklik’ (Response of the Heart). Kozovaya stated, “The most active period of charitable assistance came after the Chernobyl disaster. Nowadays, new humanitarian efforts are relevant: education, ecology… but health care remains a priority.”
"Cancer treatment drugs are expensive all over the world. All oncologists and patients understand this. And receiving supplements is an opportunity for the patient to expand treatment regimens. This is a significant help to our budget. In many countries this is not the case, but we provide treatment for cancer patients free of charge". Svetlana Sirenko, Deputy Chief Physician of the Minsk City Clinical Oncology Dispensary
CitiHope President Paul Moore II responded to the successful delivery, “Thanks to the enthusiastic support of the Belarusian government, specifically Director Valery Skakun & Charge’ Pavel Shidlovsky, this delivery represents an answer to prayer. It also represents a promise kept, which I made at 17 years old, to a young Belarusian cancer patient who changed my life. CitiHope is ecstatic about the renewal of our work in Belarus, and we believe this delivery is the first of many to come.”
If you are interested in partnering with us to support cancer patients and other vulnerable people in Belarus, please contact us!
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