Children of disadvantaged Bieszczady region to receive charity gifts

Some 8,000 children from the poverty-stricken southeastern province of Bieszczady will get new clothes, food and personal hygiene products as the nationwide charity campaign "My own backpack" comes to a close today. The whole event was organized by the Lesko-based Higher School of Tourism and Hotel Management (WSHiT) along with Rzeczpospolita, RMF FM and TVP. "By organizing this campaign we wanted help the children of Bieszczady. Our school is the only one in the area and we know the problems the kids have to face. We want to repeat the campaign every year, but next year we would like to help children form another region," explained Pawel Polanski, deputy chancellor of WSHiT. Apart from the major sponsors, the campaign enjoyed the support of the National Bank of Poland (logistics) and Plus GSM (toll-free telephone calls). All the gifts gathered, which fill three huge trucks, will be distributed among 8,000 pupils in 45 primary schools and 16 gymnasia in Bieszczady, Lesko and Sanok powiats. The children will also be able to take advantage of the free services of local doctors, who have also offered their help. (Rzeczpospolita, p. A5) J.K.