Asociația Prematurilor, a Romanian NGO rolling out programs in support of premature babies, is among the 23 winners of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) 's Civil Solidarity Prize.

The association was recognized for its project to offer protective equipment in maternity wards at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The NGO provided protective equipment to four maternity wards in the country, aiming to ensure the safety of medical staff, mothers, and newborns.

In a virtual award ceremony held on February 15, the EESC awarded 23 civil society organizations, individuals, and private companies "whose projects have excelled as examples of remarkable solidarity during the Covid-19 pandemic." Each winner received a prize worth EUR 10,000.

The winners were selected from a total of 250 applications. All of the projects "had solidarity as their driving force and displayed creative and effective ways of rising to the often daunting challenges posed by the crisis." Although it aimed to find a winner in each EU member state and in the UK, it received no eligible entries for projects in six countries, EESC said.

Regarding the content of the projects, they focused on five main themes: food supply and assistance to vulnerable groups, medical equipment, advisory services, educational services and information on the pandemic, and culture.

The list of winners is available here.

(Photo: Natalya Serenko | Dreamstime.com)

simona@romania-insider.com