How did the idea of Hospices of Hope come about initially and what were the first steps to establishing the charity?
I first went to Romania as a tourist in 1975 and, during a visit to Brasov, I made some friends, which led to a lasting interest in the country. My father died from cancer in 1980 at St Christopher’s Hospice in London, and the care they gave him inspired me to start a hospice charity in my home town of Dartford.
I returned to Romania for a visit with my family in 1989, when things were probably at their worst. Later that year, the dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu, was shot dead and more than 40 years of communist oppression were brought to an end.
I went back to visit my friends in the early days of 1990 and witnessed at first hand the terrible legacy of those years – thousands of abandoned children and terrible conditions in hospitals and other institutions.
On visiting the cancer hospital in Brasov, I saw a young man dying in terrible pain and this planted a seed in my mind that perhaps I could use my experience of starting a hospice in Kent to help pioneer hospice care in Romania.
How has it grown since then?
We started in 1992 with just one nurse going out from our UK hospice to train the first Romanian hospice nurse. We also found a Romanian doctor who was willing to support us.
From those small beginnings the charity has grown into the leading provider of hospice and palliative care in South East Europe, now employing more than 250 people in Romania, Serbia and the Republic of Moldova.
Since the start, 25,000 patients have received hospice care and 17,000 health care professionals from across the region have attended training courses.
What are the current goals for the charity?
We have just finished building a new hospice in Bucharest, the capital of Romania. It took 6 years to raise the £4 million needed for the project and 60% of the funds were raised within Romania.
However, even though the State contributes to the running costs, it will be a huge challenge to raise the funds needed to keep this and all the other services running.
We are also now focussing on renovating a donated building that will become a Centre for children with rare and life-limiting illnesses. This is a group that have been very much neglected in South East Europe.
What do you hope the future will bring?
We look forward to a time when every patient in Romania and surrounding countries who needs hospice care will be able to receive it.
At the moment, less than 6% have access to any kind of specialist service. This means that thousands of patients still die in pain and family members are often traumatised by the experience.
We are starting to have a closer working relationship with the governments of these countries and encouraging them to provide more resources for hospice and palliative care. However, funds are still very limited and they still need our help.
44% of Romanians still live in poverty according to World Health Organisation statistics.
What local help do you need?
We have a lot of support from people in the UK. I live in Tunbridge Wells, where one of our 20 charity shops is situated. We are always looking for volunteers to help in our shops and also to volunteer in Romania, where we run summer trips for bereaved and sick children.
We obviously need donations to help meet our commitments to our partners in Romania, Serbia and Moldova and every little makes a difference.
Please contact us on +441959 525110 or visit our website www.hospicesofhope.co.uk to find out more.
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