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On 24th May, the Bucharest Hospice Appeal was publically announced at a Ground Breaking ceremony. 70 supporters and press attended a ceremony which was covered in the Romanian National News that day. The Mayor of Sector 2 spoke enthusiastically about the hospice project and about his support for it. The British Ambassador likened the occasion to a British wedding, with the torrential rain pelting the tent under which all the guests sheltered. The bad weather didn’t seem to put off supporters from attending. There was a moving time when the Ambassadors, CEO’s of the donor companies and some Hospice patients laid bricks. The real bricks are going to be laid in a matter of weeks. There was a real sense of excitement about the hospice being built. This ceremony brought it a very important step closer. 

Update: 3 million euro raised out of 4.7 million needed (March 2012)

In 2009, Patrick Desbiens, the General Manager of GlaxoSmithKline in Romania gathered a group of Chief Executives and Ambassadors to raise the 4.7 million Euros needed to build the hospice and to pay for the first 9 months of running costs. The “Honorary Patrons” met in September 2009 and have continued meeting monthly ever since to raise the money, find the right site and govern the process of getting the hospice built and running.

In November 2010 a UK Honorary Patrons Committee was formed which meets regularly for updates on progress of the new Bucharest Hospice Appeal.  They are working towards raising a target sum of £750,000 from the UK towards the new hospice.  

In December 2010, the Florescu family contacted to charity to offer their family’s Summer residence as a children’s hospice. The property is 18 km South of Bucharest. The extensive buildings include a working farm with pigs, sheep, goats and chickens. The main building can be converted into an inpatient hospice with 10 beds for children. The other buildings will be used for activities and for the day centre for children to visit. The surrounding fields and lake will be ideal for the children to play in. We plan to use these facilities to provide respite care for the children of Bucharest who suffer with life limiting illnesses. We also plan to hold summer camps for them and their siblings, using volunteers from the companies which support us, both in Romania and the UK.

Testimonial from Ion Florescu:

Adunati Copaceni is a traditional “conac”, or Romanian country house, on the outskirts of Bucharest. It comprises a main building and a number of other working buildings. It was originally a winery owned by my great grandfather, which he also used as a weekend house. The Florescu family was looking for a charitable organization to which to donate the property, and is delighted to offer it to Hospice of Hope. As a building in the countryside but within relatively close reach from Bucharest, it is ideally suited for children who need to be housed in a pleasant environment with nice surroundings and lots of fresh air, but within easy access for their relatives in Bucharest. As important for us in choosing Hospices of Hope is the knowledge that we are dealing with a professional organization which can, and has, delivered on its promises. Hospices of Hope has a long track record in Romania and neighbouring countries, and the fact that its hospice in Brasov has secured part of its running costs from the Romanian Ministry of Health is an important sign of its ability to work on a sustainable basis within the local health system. For these reasons we are delighted to work with Hospices of Hope, and am happy to help secure further funding for it in Romania as an Honorary Patron.

Testimonial from Richard Ralph CMG CVO Former British Ambassador to Romania:

 "I have been involved with Hospices of Hope since my time as British Ambassador to Romania in 1999-2002. Hospice’s founder, Graham Perolls    , took me to see what Hospices were doing in Romania’s second city, Brasov. I was captivated by the professionalism, dedication, and warmth of the marvellous team there, and moved by the bravery and good humour of the terminally ill men, women and children whom the Hospices team were helping towards the end of their lives. I became a convert! When I retired from the Diplomatic Service three years later, I got involved again with Hospices of Hope’s UK fund raising campaign towards the new hospice in Bucharest - incredibly, the first such establishment in the capital city. It’s a great project; and inspiring to find that, even at a time of austerity in this country, people are still ready to support a wonderful cause like this."

If you would like more information please contact us or download a pledge form
 

Rural Project

Although Romania is now a member of the EU, few people realise that  14% of the population still live on £1.08 per day or less  (the World  Health Organisation describes this as  “absolute poverty”) and the government states that 44% of the total population still live “in poverty”. Most of this poverty can be found in the rural areas of the country and patients with a terminal illness are particularly severely affected. 

 

 

 

This is why we would like to ask you to join with us in helping to tackle the problem. 

 

The hospice movement in Romania is really starting to grow, but most of the services to date are located in the major cities. We would like to pilot a mobile hospice service in two rural areas of Brasov County. The 'Rural Project' will establish two multi-disciplinary teams that will be supervised by Hospice Casa Sperantei in Brasov, but will be based in two smaller towns (Fagaras and Zarnesti) and reach out to patients in the surrounding areas. The teams will be developed and evaluated over a 3 year period with the intention of presenting a model of care to the Romanian government that can then be replicated in the rest of the country.

 

The 'Rural Project' will cost £275,000 over three years, and through supporting this appeal, you could be making one of the most important contributions possible to the development of hospice care in Romania at the present time. Whatever you can contribute will make an enormous difference to some of the most vulnerable people in Europe.

 

 

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