The Bridge of Friendship Sweden-Lithuania

Our hearts are filled with joy – the circle of Rugutė‘s friends is expanding both in Lithuania and abroad. The bridges of friendship built between Lithuania and Japan, Turkey, France, U.S.A. and Sweden prove that people‘s kindness and care knows no borders.

 

The Lithuanian Embassy in Sweden that paid sincere attention and helped in activities of Rugutė, introduced us to Mr. Bengt Nilsson, a Swede, whose daughter Anna recovered from leukaemia in 2000. This way a start of our warm relationship with Mr. Nilsson was made. We get in touch with Mr. Nilsson via our mediator Jonė Šeštakauskaitė, a Lithuanian of Sweden.

 

On the 24-25^th of November 2007, Mr. Bengt Nilsson and Jonė Šeštakauskaitė held a campaign The Bridge of Friendship Sweden-Lithuania, where a mini-bus, full of various gifts for the sick children, arrived to Lithuania. The team of Rugutė spent two days handing out the gifts, that were brought together and beautifully wrapped by Swedish children, to children in Kaunas and Vilnius hospitals. Having visited Lithuania and having realized what our sick children need most, our Swedish friends expressed their sincere willingness to continue the budding friendship and to assist in activities of Rugutė by holding various campaigns.

 

Every four years Mr. Bengt Nilsson organizes The Feast of Joy in his homestead in Southern Sweden. The idea of this feast was born in 1993, when trying to cheer up his very ill baby daughter Anna, Mr. Bengt Nilsson invited children from the same hospital and their parents to his homestead. Later the feast became a tradition for the children, hospital staff and sponsors from the oncology departments of hospitals in Southern and other parts of Sweden. Children play, sing, draw and enjoy meals together in this feast.

 

The year that the warm friendship with Rugutė budded, Mr. Bengt Nilsson invited Lithuanian children with oncological diseases and their parents to The Feast of Joy. Mr. Nilsson had already chartered an airplane that would take them all to Sweden to have fun, play and spend the whole day with their fellow patients so that everything remains in their memories for a long time.

 

Fund Rugutė is wholeheartedly happy and thankful to Mr. Nilsson and all his assistants for the smiles and the real friendship that they so warmly shared with our little ones, and for understanding, that many things are easier when they are done Together...

 

Photo gallery – The Bridge of Friendship Sweden-Lithuania