September 3rd, 2018: In Buenos Aires, the funds raised through the sale of Harry Styles’ “Treat people with Kindness” hair ties went to Fundacion Natali Dafne Flexer.
Fundacion Natali Dafne Flexer is a non-profit organization that works to support children with cancer and their families in Buenos Aires and throughout Argentina. The organization was founded in 1995 and since then has helped more than 3,000 families cope with many different aspects of childhood cancer.
A cancer diagnosis for a child and their family is nothing short than a complete shock. Everybody who is close to the diagnosed child including parents, siblings, grandparents and even friends have a very difficult time, especially in the beginning, coping with the news. That’s why one of the services that Fundacion Natalie Dafne Flexer offers is information on childhood cancer in the form of booklets that are distributed to parents and other members of the community.
The association works also to provide the best medical care possible to all children diagnosed with cancer in Argentina recognizing that often it is harder for children from rural areas to obtain the best care. Indeed, one of the missions of the association is equality in treatment regardless of whether the child is from a big city or the countryside. In the context of medical care, one of the services the association offers is free medications. The association collects medications that have not expired from families and from other sources and makes them available to children in need of them. In addition to medical support, Fundacion Natali Dafne Flexer also offers emotional support to both children with cancer and their families and it does so mostly by visiting hospitals.
Fundacion Natali Dafne Flexer also offers entertainment to children diagnosed with cancer both at their home and at the hospital throughout the duration of their treatment. Entertainment is offered by lending TV sets and video games, by organizing parties and special events centered around crafts and music. There are also excursions to the movie theater, the zoo, or other destinations that are organized by the association, for both children and their families.
The association also offers legal advice and information about medical insurance, it offers wheelchairs, prosthesis, and crutches, transportation support for families that live far away from the hospital, and even works with schools to help children keep up with their academic work.
In addition, the association has two groups that work with them and that are supported in their mission by people that have been personally touched by childhood cancer. One of the groups is supported by parents of childhood cancer survivors and it raises funds and awareness for Research in Pediatric Oncology. The other group was founded by two mothers who lost their daughter and son respectively to cancer. This group directly supports the Posadas Hospital Pediatric Oncology Department. For example lately, this group raised funds to rebuild part of the department. This group also functions as a link between the families and the association making sure that the families get what they need throughout the treatment of their child.
Work of Fundacion Natali Dafne Flexer can be supported by signing up to be a volunteer, by fundraising, or by donating directly to the association. Visit their website to learn more about how you can help.
Picture are images are credited to Fundacion Natali Dafne Flexer website and Facebook page, and to Helene Marie Pambrun.
A Charitable Direction 