Today, the research agency Kantar Emor presented a study
commissioned by the SOS Children’s Village Estonia which showed that the cancer
treatment foundation “The Gift of Life” is among the most reputable
and well-known charities in Estonia. According to the study, the people of
Estonia see the availability of treatment for medical conditions as the most
important social problem in Estonia.
When Emor asked the more than one thousand people surveyed
to spontaneously name charities they know, the cancer treatment foundation
“The Gift of Life” came up most often, followed by the SOS Children’s
Village and the Food Bank. People were also well aware of the children’s foundations
at various hospitals.
Those surveyed rated the cancer treatment foundation’s
reputation the highest, followed by the SOS Children’s Village and Tartu
University Hospital Children’s Foundation.
“The cancer treatment foundation is the youngest
organisation involved in the study,” said Toivo Tänavsuu, the head of
“The Gift of Life” foundation. “You could say it’s a 42-month-old
baby. As such, the great trust placed in us is really encouraging and we’re
really grateful for it. But it also means great responsibility before both our
benefactors and our beneficiaries. Estonian people really care about the fight
against cancer and we do everything in our power to make sure no cancer patient
is left without a last chance.”
“More than half of the Estonian population is involved
in charity,” said Heidi Reinson, the senior expert on behavioural science
with Kantar Emor. “Fundraising is a public activity and people appreciate
those whose activities they have a clear overview of. Charity has to be
transparent and clear and solve problems that are important to everyone, such
as treatment or alleviation of medical conditions and supporting children
without parental care.”
Although the study shows that the cancer treatment
foundation’s field of activity – the availability of treatment – is seen as the
most important social problem in Estonia, it is not the field to which people
are willing to contribute most themselves. According to Reinson, this shows
that many people think that someone else, such as the Health Insurance Fund, should
ensure the availability of vitally important treatment.
Just over 1000 people aged 21-60 were surveyed for the
study.