Youth Affairs Agency of the Republic of Uzbekistan

Today, the number of volunteers in our country is increasing day by day. They are engaged in doing good for people, providing help to those in need, and offering material and moral support to children suffering from oncology and hematology diseases. Our story today is about the "You Are Strong" volunteer project organized in Tashkent.

The main goal of this project is to provide material and moral support to children suffering from oncology and hematology diseases and to reduce mortality among such children in Uzbekistan and improve their recovery rates.

The "You Are Strong" project accomplishes five main tasks:
1. Organizing festive events for sick children with the participation of animators (along with providing each child with the desired gift);
2. Organizing psychological training sessions for the mothers of the children;
3. Preparing and presenting motivational videos and shows;
4. Collecting children's drawings and organizing auctions, using the proceeds to provide material support to sick children;
5. Identifying and highlighting problems in the field of oncology and hematology, raising awareness among the population about such diseases, and conducting work on the early detection of oncology.

So far, within the framework of the "You Are Strong" project, more than 20 events have been held, and toys that the children desired were purchased with funds amounting to more than 30,000,000 UZS. A beautiful atmosphere was created in the children's department of the city oncology hospital, and the playroom was decorated. As a result, children eagerly await the "You Are Strong" team every week. Each child strives to actively participate in the events. This is because each event is approached creatively. One event is not like the other. Giving children the gifts they want ensures they are in high spirits.

Sick children must be strong, but their mothers must be twice as strong. The psychological state of the mothers is of great importance. With this in mind, special training sessions were organized for the mothers. The last psychological training was conducted on August 25, 2023, at the city children's oncology hospital by Odihan Muhammad Yusuf, the sons of Sheikh Muhammad Sadiq Muhammad Yusuf. After the training, the mothers once again felt their strength and strengthened their will.

In many cases, psychological disorders are observed in sick children. In such cases, children (especially teenagers) strongly refuse treatment, stop eating, express dissatisfaction with those around them, shout, cry, throw things, and so on. As a result, the "You Are Strong" project studied and analyzed the situation and prepared

 its first motivational video and show. In the show, a sick child is given the opportunity to try out the profession they have chosen. The first motivational show and video featured 14-year-old Athamjon from Samarkand. Athamjon exhibited the above-mentioned problems. After talking with him, I learned that he dreamed of becoming a pilot, and thanks to the cooperation of "Uzairways" and the Tashkent International Airport named after Islam Karimov, Athamjon was gifted a pilot's uniform and invited aboard an aircraft to meet the pilots. A future agreement was made between Athamjon and "Uzairways". As a result, Athamjon regained hope for the future and decided to continue the treatment course.

The idea of organizing an auction of children's drawings came to mind on July 28, 2023, at a hospital event. At the event, the children were drawing, and I bought the drawing of 8-year-old Muhammad Ali. Seeing how happy Muhammad Ali was and learning that he wanted to buy soccer cleats with the money, I thought about it and came up with the idea. I decided that such an event should be organized on a large scale, with the participation of every sick child. On August 21, 2023, I organized a large gallery featuring children's drawings in the hall of the Academy of Fine Arts of Uzbekistan. The artist and poetess Khurshida Namazbayeva and the volunteer group of the "You Are Strong" project helped organize the event. The event was attended by more than 50 children from the city children's oncology hospital, the Republican Children's Oncohematology Center, the "Mehrli maktab" school at the hematology center, the "Hospice" children, and children undergoing treatment at home, with more than 300 drawings. More than 500 invitations were distributed to the general public for this charity event. Unfortunately, only a few people participated, and a total of only 8 million UZS was collected and handed over to the owners of the drawings.

Even in developed countries, overcoming oncology and creating good conditions for patients is difficult. The reason is that oncology treatment requires significant expenses. However, in Uzbekistan, simple and common mistakes are often found in the field of oncology. The "You Are Strong" project studies, analyzes, and reveals the problems in oncology. As a result of the research, it was found that the children's department of the city oncology hospital, designed for 20 children, is in need of a modern building and repair, and that children there have been cut off from education. As a result, the "You Are Strong" project participated in the "project financing" competition organized by the Youth Affairs Agency with a project to provide laptops to 21 children who are permanently undergoing treatment at the city oncology hospital so that they do not fall behind in their education, and we hope to soon defend this project and win laptops for 21 children.

During our surveys among the population and parents, it was found that 9 out of 10 people have no understanding of early detection of oncology. As a result, about 30% of the more than 1,000 children diagnosed with oncology annually are diagnosed at very late stages (3-4 stages). The "You Are Strong" project studied the situation, conducted interviews with oncologists and professors. Now, the "You Are Strong" project is determined to widely disseminate information on the early detection of oncology among the population. During events, on our social pages, in our shows and videos, on hospital walls, and in medical facilities, information will be provided on early detection of the disease, and short information materials will be distributed.

Elyor NORPULATOV  
Responsible Officer of the Youth Affairs Agency