- Donor: STREICHER Tief- und Ingenieurbau Jena GmbH & Co. KG
- Recipient: Elterninitiative für krebskranke Kinder
- Donation amount: 10,000 Euros
- Purpose: Funding for youth meetings and experience exchange
Jena, 09.02.2026. When children and adolescents fall ill with cancer, everything changes abruptly – not only for the young patients but for their entire families. Alongside medical care at the Universitätsklinikum Jena, psychosocial support plays a decisive role. This is precisely where the Elterninitiative für krebskranke Kinder steps in, having now received significant financial support from the local business community.
Community as an Anchor in Difficult Times
A cancer diagnosis leaves traces that extend far beyond the period of acute treatment. Especially for teenagers and young adults, the illness can represent a profound turning point in their lives. Phases of isolation in the hospital, fear of the future, and the physical consequences of therapy often make it difficult to reconnect with everyday life and peers.
To provide these young people with a platform, the Elterninitiative für krebskranke Kinder has been organizing special youth meetings for many years. These gatherings are much more than mere leisure activities. They serve as an exchange of experiences among those who have gone through similar situations. Within the community, the young people find support, understanding, and the courage to find their way back to a self-determined life – away from the daily routine of the clinic.
Generous Support from Jena-based Company
Such offers, which go beyond medical necessity, often depend on donations to be realized. STREICHER Tief- und Ingenieurbau Jena GmbH & Co. KG has now sent a clear signal of solidarity. The company is supporting the initiative’s commitment with a donation of 10,000 Euros.
For non-profit associations and initiatives in Jena, contributions of this magnitude are of enormous importance. They provide planning security and make it possible not only to maintain projects like the youth meetings but to design them with high quality. Furthermore, it demonstrates the connection of local economic actors with the city’s social service providers.
The Importance of Aftercare
The work of the parent initiative is an indispensable building block in the network of aid surrounding pediatric oncology in Jena. While doctors and nursing staff fight cancer on a physical level, the initiative takes care of emotional wounds and the social fabric. The youth meetings help to reduce the feeling of “being different” that many children who have been ill often feel.
With the current donation, it is ensured that this important exchange can continue to be promoted in the future. It is an investment in the quality of life of young people who had to learn early on how fragile health can be.
Thanks to this support, the parent initiative and the benefiting young people can look optimistically toward future meetings, where the focus is not on the illness but on shared experiences.