‘Aibolit’ charity campaign

In the period from 21 December 2009 to 07 January 2010, the public organisation ‘Aibolit’ held a Christmas campaign called ‘Mercy for Prisoners’. The main goal of the campaign was to collect charitable aid and voluntary donations for prisoners, as well as to collect hygiene products (toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, towels, etc.), warm clothes, socks, etc. Churches in the city of Simferopol took an active part in collecting aid for prisoners: the Simferopol Christian Church, the ‘The Lord is Coming’ church, the Free Evangelical Church, the Church of Evangelical Christian Baptists, the ‘Open Heavens’ church, as well as the Crimean Charitable Foundation for Social Protection and Assistance, the Centre for Social Services for Family, Children and Youth of the Bakhchysarai District, and ordinary citizens of Simferopol.
In addition, children’s drawings and crafts were collected as gifts for the prisoners. The following helped with this: the Republican Shelter for Minors, the City Orphanage, the Stroganovka Orphanage, the Special Boarding School for Orphans in the urban-type settlement of Hvardiiske, the boarding school for children with mental retardation in Simferopol, children from Sunday schools, and simply other children. From the collected funds, volunteers from the ‘Aibolit’ NGO prepared 250 gifts for convicts of the Simferopol Correctional Colony No. 102. Each gift included: toothpaste, a toothbrush, soap, a towel, socks, a child’s drawing, the ‘Road Home’ newspaper, a brochure from the ‘Aibolit’ NGO, and a Christian leaflet.
As part of the campaign, Christmas meetings were held with teenagers who are incarcerated in the Simferopol Pre-trial Detention Centre.
The concluding event of the campaign was a Christmas concert at the Simferopol Correctional Colony No. 102, which was held on 5 January 2010 by staff of the ‘Aibolit’ NGO and members of the Church of Evangelical Christian Baptists of Yalta. During the concert, the participants sang songs and recited poems about Christmas and spoke about the true meaning of this event. The concert ended with a general prayer and the distribution of the prepared gifts. Such events are a very important occasion in the life of every prisoner, because through the manifestation of mercy and care for them, kindness and warmth are sown in the hearts of the prisoners. And perhaps, this is what will help them change their own lives.
‘Aibolit’ is sincerely grateful to everyone who did not remain indifferent and took part in the ‘Mercy for Prisoners’ campaign!