Every year in Turkey, approximately 1200-1500 new patients who are in the range from 0 to 16 years are newly diagnosed with leukaemia. The treatment takes three years and the cure rate is about 90% for the standard risk group. Apart from the social and psychological support - which are also crucial to overcome the disease - approximately $100.000 are needed for the medical treatment of each patient.

LOSEV – Foundation for Children with Leukaemia - is a non-profit organization, which offers a wide range of services without any governmental support. LOSEV is totally supported by donations from generous and helpful people and companies. LOSEV provides information, financial assistance, emotional support, medical diagnosis and treatment support to almost 1.500 children affected by leukaemia and their families, who have no social security or are too poor to afford any medical treatment, totally free-of-charge. At our hospital, LOSANTE which is established just for the children with leukaemia, we have maintained good nourishment conditions and a sterile environment required for the treatment of leukaemia and provide service totally free of charge Since 87% of the registered families to LOSEV have a monthly income of less than 200 USD, LOSEV also gives social assistance to the families who experience financial hardship.

We support education and give scholarships to almost 360 children. We provide families with necessary goods, such as: coal, clothing, food, cleaning supplies, toys, furniture and school supplies.

Our foundation also carries out projects and campaigns to provide better health and social-economic conditions for our children and their families and to increase public awareness about the issue. For this purpose we started a campaign called “Goods Distribution Festival”. With this campaign we aim to distribute various materials costing almost 550 Euros to one thousand families with children who suffer from leukaemia. This campaign is carried out at all cities of Turkey between August, 25th and – October, 15th 2004 and ends with the big Final Festival Day, held in Ankara at October, 17th.

LOSEV and our families were in Istanbul for the Festival Day. The materials given to families, were within a wide range from clothes, furniture, food, stationery goods, toys to white goods etc. With the supports of our volunteer members and the donations made by generous and helpful people and companies, it became an unforgettable day for our children and families. The festival went on all day at the distribution site. We set up many booths for each good. The families bought the goods according to their needs with the free coupon checks given to them by LOSEV. With this system, not like the other distribution campaigns, the families were not given goods which the companies considered that they may need, but rather the families chose the goods themselves according to their own decisions and needs. 200 families benefited from this organization by the support of helpful people and private corporations. The Festival itself became a great opportunity to encourage families in their struggle against leukaemia and also to encourage volunteers and sponsor corporations in terms of social responsibility.

We also realised one of our initial aims, which is to increase public awareness on the issue, by promoting the festival via mass media.

With such organizations, LOSEV aims to provide the highest possible quality in the life of each child with leukaemia and his/her family. Anyone can support LOSEV to reach this aim by supporting us both financially and spiritually, by being sponsor of our campaigns, by assisting us in introducing and performing our projects, by making donations in kind such as clothing items, computers, bicycles etc.

We as LOSEV believe that by sharing ideas, experiences and information, we can improve the life of our children and provide them with a healthy and therefore better future. Having this in mind we would like to share our experiences with others who are battling leukaemia all around the world.

Contact details:

Resit Galip Cad. Ilkadim Sk. No:14 GOP.  Ankara/TURKEY

Tel:+90-312-4470660        Fax:+90-312-4476833

losev@losev.org.tr        www.losev.org.tr