Estonian Start-Up company Medihub is starting a social media challenge for the first time aimed at Start-Up companies, through which they try to collect donations to support children with mobility disabilites. The campaign will begin at the Start-Up conference Latitude59, taking place on the 25th and 26th May.
With the challenge “Let’s sit still”, Estonian Start-Up companies will be called out to accept a challenge in 48 hours, presented to them by another Start-Up company, to sit as long as they can in a half-squatting position, with their back against the wall. The attempt must also be filmed, posted to Facebook and an amount of money, equal to the seconds in the sitting position, must be donated to the Tartu University Children’s Foundation.
According to the founder of the challenge, CEO of Medihub OÜ – a company offering price comparisons on medical services, Helary Lainjärv, the goal of the challenge is to send a message, that limited mobility for a child means unbearable and forced sitting still. “While for an adult, disability means limited efficiency at work, for a child it means inability to play. At the same time moving and playing is essential for a child from a standpoint of mental and physical development,” he notes. “We wish to help the children with their problem, and give our part in the process of getting them to move and play.”
Although originally the challenge will be presented to Estonia’s start-up companies, all other companies and individuals, who want to give their part to support the acknowledgement of the problem and supporting of disabled children are welcome to be a part of the campaign. All donations will be directed by the Children’s Foundation to enable water aerobics and physical therapy for disabled children.
The strategical manager of the Children’s Foundation Küllike Saar notes that this kind of charitable campaign is a first in the Start-Up community, and shows that the Start-Up companies wish to contribute to help the weaker individuals of our society, in addition to technical innovations.
“In addition to making the world a better place through innovation, charity gives a chance to improve the quality of Estonia’s society, providing a good influence to new and old companies by donating”, Saar believes. “In the Western world, charity is usually a part of entrepreneurship. Hopefully the campaign “Let’s sit still” will give the first push towards charity becoming a part of entrepreneurship in Estonia, and of course for that to happen, we need to address the future creators of Estonia’s business environment.
Additional information about the campaigne can be found from the Children’s Foundation’s home page and Facebook. First video of the challenge can be viewed at www.facebook.com/medihub.me and www.facebook.com/lastefond.
The Tartu University Hospital Children’s Foundation is one of the oldest and largest nationwide charitable organisations in Estonia, which from the year 2000 has, along with the donators, supported different hospitals in purchasing equipment, also children in need of special treatment and care and their families by a total of 3 million euros. You can also help children in need of treatment by becoming a permanent donator of the Children’s Foundation at http://lastefond.ee/vormista-pusiannetus . To apply for a donation or to let us know about someone in need please send us an e-mail to info@lastefond.ee.