3. The association RAST is a non-government organization from the
Republic of Macedonia established in 2006-2007.
The founders are parents of children who use growth hormone,
who are later joined by supportive citizens in the fight for greater
awareness of growth problems.
4. From the very beginning (2007), President Aleksandar Petrovski
had and still has intensive negotiations with the Ministry of Health
of the Republic of Macedonia and the Health Fund of the Republic
of Macedonia to indicate the need to expand the list of growth
hormone therapy, which until then numbered about 50 children.
Only because of his sacrifice and personal perseverance
Alexander reached an agreement to treat 100 children, twice as
many as before.
5. During the next two years (2008-2009) the President of RAST
participated in various seminars mainly with thematic on rare
diseases and thus strengthened the association contacts resulting
in creation of team composed of volunteers.
From 2010 the association starts organizing and conducting
summer camps for children, educational workshops, New Year's
Eve parties and beginning to participate in the media.
6. Since 2011, organization RAST starts with annual celebration of
the World Growth Awareness Day, which has been held
continuously every year on September 20th.
At each of these celebrations, many people from the state
institutions are invited, people associated with the procurement
strategy, waiting lists and coordination of the growth hormone
treatment.
7. In 2013, a campaign was organized and implemented focused on
early recognition of growth disorders in the Health Centres
throughout the cities of the country.
In the same year, a campaign is implemented for early recognition
of impaired growth in kindergartens in the capital (Skopje).
8. In 2014, RAST association donated height measurement tools to
teams that perform systematic health examinations of children in
rural areas.
In 2015, a public education campaign was conducted with
participation on the national media outlets with health related
programs.
9. In the period of 2019 to 2022, the engagement of the association
was reduced to a minimum in terms of group activities due to the
COVID pandemic, but the online communication with the affected
persons was uninterrupted.
Throughout of this period, there has been continuous appeals to
increase the budget for the purpose of treating all children in need
of hormone therapy without interruption during lockdowns.
10. In 2020, a team building session is held at the coordinating body
of the association regarding the needs of endocrinological
patients and solving their problems.
In 2021, RAST association participates in a seminar on growth
disorder organized by the Association of Paediatricians of the
Republic of Macedonia.
12. Since joining in 2007. until today (15 years) the president of RAST,
Aleksandar Petrovski has been a guest in several television shows
of health character, a total of about 250 appearances.
He has appeared on radio shows on the occasion of World
Awareness Day on September 20th every year.
13. The association has published several brochures and thousands of
flyers with basic information for early detection of growth problems.
There is a space for the association RAST in daily newspapers and
monthly magazines, including the renowned bulletin of the Medical
Chamber of Macedonia, VOX Medici.
RAST has distributed advertising material to public organizations, for
example banners with the logo of RAST and ICOSEP on public
transportation busses (JSP buses), T-shirts with the same logo for
children in kindergartens, notebooks and pens for students in
primary schools.
14. A "Card of Growth" mobile phone application has been created for
monitoring height of children.
RAST has signed a dozen of memorandums for cooperation with
other organizations and associations.
15. From the internet networks in our country, the social network
Facebook is the most attractive and the social network Twitter has
the least interest.
There are videos from the association RAST on the YouTube
channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHTwqXzLeSSjkG3lH5SmJ3A/
16. We act locally but we think globally, because all children deserve
the best.
We are happy about the fact that we are moving forward more
unified than ever before, because our strength comes from unity.
