The Crohn’s and Colitis New Zealand Charitable Trust (CCNZ) was recently granted a $30,000 Jetstar Flying Start funding to enable the creation of the first camp for children and teenagers suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in New Zealand. The idea of the camp is to gather young patients from all over the country to share experiences. CCNZ was the 11th recipient of a Jetstar Flying Start Programme grant, which is divided into $15,000 in cash and $15,000 in travel expenses.

Over the course of one week, the CCNZ Children and Teen’s camp will host 48 young patients between the ages of 10 and 19 years at Auckland’s YMCA Camp Adair this coming January. The trust has been working since 2010 with the main purpose of improving the lives of patients suffering from IBD, which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, by raising funds to support research projects working to find cures for the diseases.

“Dealing with IBD as a child is incredibly challenging. Our vision is to help these children cope with their disease, build self-confidence and prepare them for life,” said the CCNZ chairman, Brian Poole, explaining that their work is limited by budget barriers. “The Jetstar Flying Start grant will help make our vision a reality by enabling us to bring these children together for a meaningful and transformational experience at the camp at no cost to their families.”

The grant will be used to enable children from any part of the country to travel and attend the camp, which the head of Jetstar New Zealand, Grant Kerr, believes will be beneficial for both pediatric patients and their families. “Inflammatory Bowel Disease affects a huge number of New Zealanders and through this partnership we hope to help CCNZ raise awareness as well as give young patients a meaningful opportunity to meet and talk with others in a similar situation while enjoying the outdoors and having fun,” he said.