About Us What We Do Our Impact Background We started work in Romania in 1992. There was no hospice care whatsoever available in the country at that time. Morphine was illegal. Cancer patients had no pain relief and were simply left to die in pain. The health system was corrupt and people avoided seeking medical help as they could not afford to pay a bribe. Other countries in the region have similar problems and so we extended our work into Serbia in 2006, the Republic of Moldova in 2008 and Albania in 2018. Since 1992 we have become the leading hospice development charity in South East Europe cared for more than 40,000 patients and their families through country partners successfully lobbied for the introduction of morphine based medicine raised more than £20 million to support hospice care in South East Europe been recognised by the University of Sheffield (through research funded by the SOROS Foundation) as a beacon of palliative care provision in the region (Hospice Casa Sperantei) raised more than £1million in the Beacon appeal (following on from that research) to increase hospice provision in South East Europe been recognised as a Centre of Excellence by the World Health Organisation partnered with many international agencies such as the Norway Fund, the Swiss Partnership, the EU, USAID and the Open Society Institute opened teaching establishments in Romania and Serbia and provided recognised courses for medical professionals in Romania, Serbia and Moldova (many of these courses being attended by professionals from all across the region) introduced new technologies including virtual and augmented reality to help patients established a network of small hospices in Moldova – re-opening one that had closed and making the other four sustainable established links with Ryder Albania to set up similar network of hospices in Albania With country partners we have also built and opened two purpose-built teaching hospices, a new hospice centre in Belgrade, three educational centres, a respite and therapy centre for children, two rural based clinics and have provided home care serices throughout the Hospices of Hope Network. All services are free of charge to patients. The Hospices of Hope Network The network includes Hospice Casa Sperantei and Hospice Emanuel in Romania, BELhospice Hospice in Serbia, Hospices of Hope in Moldova and Ryder Albania in Albania. We have offices in the UK (Kent and Scotland) and an office in the US. Awards Together with our country partners we have received over 20 awards in Eastern Europe from public and private organisations for projects related to palliative care and community involvement including 2016 - Our founder, Graham Perolls was made Change Maker of the Year by Charity Bank 2014 - Having previously received an OBE, Graham was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George for rendering extraordinary service in a foreign country 2014 - Hospice Casa Sperantei became a Nursing Centre of Excellence in Palliative Care, part of the Bristol Myers Foundation programme in Eastern Europe 2011 - Hospice Casa Sperantei received an Award of Excellence from the End of Life Nursing Education program run by City of Hope, Beckman Research Institute and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing USA 2003 - Hospice Casa Sperantei was recognised as a “Beacon of Palliative Care” by the Open Society Institute in conjunction with the University of Sheffield Numbers / stats Thanks to our education and training programme and our lobbying there are now hospice care teams/wards in 20 out of 41 counties in Romania following our care model. In 2015 just under 8% of terminally ill patients in Romania received some sort of specialist hospice care. Hospice Casa Sperantei cared for over a quarter of those patients. We have provided more than 20,000 training sessions in hospice care for thousands of healthcare professionals from more than 19 countries in the region (red areas shown on the map). Quotes “When Graham came to Romania in 1992 he brought with him the hospice movement. This was founded in the UK in the 1960s around the simple and powerful idea that people have the right to end their days in comfort and in dignity. In Brasov, Graham found doctors and nurses willing to take up this cause and together they founded ‘Casa Sperantei’ – the House of Hope – to provide palliative care to terminally ill children and adults in the city... My congratulations to Graham Perolls and the whole team at Casa Sperantei on receiving this distinction from Her Majesty The Queen, and my thanks to them for bringing hope to many in Romania” - His Excellency Martin Harris, former British Ambassador to Romania Prince Charles visits Hospice Casa Sperantei - 2017 “40% to 60% of end of- life care services are paid for by sources other than the patient. This is largely because of generous charitable funding. For example, it was a UK philanthropist, Graham Perolls, who set up Romania’s leading hospice programme, Casa Sperantei, to offer free palliative care services" - The Economist’s 2015 Quality of Death Index Ranking palliative care across the world Hospice Casa Sperantei - Brasov, Romania “We learned in nursing school that you are not allowed to sit on the bed with a patient, and you are not allowed to touch if the patient has a wound or a fever. You have to try to keep yourself safe. So patients were really surprised when somebody comes and takes their hands, shares their grief. It was something new” - Gabi Baila, our first Romanian nurse A brief moment, photographed during a counselling session "Hospice has been Britain's greatest gift to the world in the 20th century" - William Rees-Mogg, former Editor of the Times A young patient enjoying our Brasov Holiday Club - 2018 Reports See our annual review Help us ensure that everyone lives and dies with dignity and without pain by donating to us