Angels WATSONS

Watsons is launching a charitable project to help children with congenital heart defects.

In Ukraine, each year 4,000 children with heart defects are forced to undergo complex and life‑threatening surgeries due to a lack of hospital funding. Medical facilities need 500 occluders annually – modern implants that are delivered to the heart through vessels in the thigh and close pathological openings. Thanks to them, surgeries can be performed without opening the chest cavity or stopping the heart, and children can leave the hospital after just 3 days. However, the state can provide for the purchase of an average of 80 occluders per year.

Watsons aims to change the situation and give children the chance to lead full lives. The company is launching a three‑year project called Watsons Angels, raising 2.5 million UAH for 76 occluders. “The Watsons Angels project continues our charitable initiatives. In 2014 we already partnered with the Future Hearts charity foundation and SC Jonson on the ‘Children of the World’ campaign, which purchased three occluders. Now we are moving to a longer‑term format of charitable assistance,” comments Tomash Vroblevski, General Director of Watsons in Ukraine. “The idea of the project is that each of us can become a guardian angel for a specific child in need of support. By simply using Watsons beauty and health products, you can affect children’s lives and make them complete.” The purchased occluders will be transferred to the Amosov National Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery with the support of the Future Hearts charity foundation.

“For my practice I have performed more than 1,000 endovascular operations,” says Bohdan Cherpak, endovascular cardiac surgeon at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery named after M. M. Amosov, president of the Future Hearts charity foundation. “I remember each of my little patients well. It’s an incredible feeling when, just a few days after the operation, you see a completely healthy child who can enjoy a happy childhood without any restrictions.”

To attract attention to the project and help raise the needed amount more quickly, Watsons is launching the website angels.watsons.ua, where Ukrainians can create their own Angel and share it on social media. The site will also allow users to track the fundraising progress and the purchase of occluders. You can join the project by buying Watsons Exclusive products in the store network. A portion of the profit from these sales will be donated by the company to purchase occluders.

The charitable campaign #AngelsWatsons, funded by proceeds from the sale of Watsons Exclusive‑labeled products and magnets featuring Watsons Angels, has already saved 63 children with congenital heart defects.

“I see charity as an integral part of a truly happy life. For me it’s completely natural to share what I have, or what I can do really well. I am sincerely delighted that the images of angels, which are the result of my inspiration, will help draw attention to the project and make children’s lives better,” says Hapchynska.

#AngelsWatsons – a charitable campaign that saves the little hearts of children❤️

Anyone who shops at Watsons can become an angel by using just one of three steps:

1. Buying charitable magnets. Cute magnets for your home, can also be a wonderful gift for loved ones. Magnet collections are completely refreshed twice a year – so don’t miss the new designs.