Press Releases

Budapest, May 5, 2009 15:00

The Down Association can be supported by calling the Telekom Donation Line 1788 in May and June.

The Down Association - that was established by parents raising children with Down's syndrome - is fighting to make the society aware of and accept these children and achieve that parents in a similar situation accept and bring up their children, to reduce the number of abandoned newborn babies.

In Hungary every 600th child is born with Down's syndrome, annually about 160 children are born with this chromosome disorder. Out of this number, every third child is left in the hospital because their parents abandon them. In most cases - annually about 50 newborn babies - they are raised in state care centers. With an early development program these children could live similarly to healthy children. They can learn to write, read, calculate, they can work when grown up and can be integrated into the society.

With the donations received on the Donation Line the Down Association would like to create the financial background for construction of an Early Development Center in the North-East region of Hungary.

In addition to the Donation Line Magyar Telekom supported the Down Association and construction of the center also by hosting in April an exhibition and auction of pictures made by children with Down's syndrome.

Telekom Donation Line (1788) has been accessible for the past seven years from Magyar Telekom's fixed and mobile networks; one call or SMS costs HUF 100. Calls are not subject to VAT except calls made with Domino prepaid cards. The amount collected this way over the two months will be donated in full to the Down Association.