Facing up to a disease is always very complex for children and it becomes increasingly more difficult when this has to happen far from home. Often, it may be necessary to move to another city for long periods of time, thereby losing the precious support of family and friends in tackling a new type of daily life. To this end, Enel Cuore’s commitment to the Foundation of the paediatric hospital Bambino Gesù in Rome is aimed at offering real assistance to the parents of these small patients, welcoming them to special reception structures where they can find support, comfort and community. Through the Accoglienza famiglie (Family Welcome) project, which runs across the 2019-2020 biennial period, we guarantee housing for families in difficulty, by providing 13 rooms, free of charge, in the residential structure run by the Franciscan Sisters of the Lebanon Cross, and purchased outright by the Foundation, in the neighbourhood of Monteverde Vecchio in Rome. This way the families of young hospital patients will not only have a place to stay, but also be provided with services and a comfortable atmosphere where they can share their emotions and experience. In 2019, another initiative developed as an offshoot from this project: an experimental, six-month trial offering support to the siblings of the paediatric patients who move with their families to Rome (there are approx. 5,000 per year). The initiative aims to safeguard the intellectual, emotional and cultural development of these siblings and prevent potential trauma caused by the experience of serious illness within the family. The collaboration that sees us working alongside the Bambino Gesù Foundation dates back several years: in 2014, Enel Cuore participated in the Ospedale senza dolore (Painless Hospital) campaign, contributing to the acquisition of an AstroTAC, a machine that can transport children and teens on a journey around stars and planets during CAT scans, thereby reducing both the need for anaesthetic and levels of fear, anxiety and stress in the patients and their parents. Details Location: Rome Organization: Fondazione Bambino Gesù Onlus Beneficiaries: families of patients at the paediatric hospital Bambino Gesù in Rome Contribution: 300,000 euro Year/Duration: 2018/2 years
