Our charity projects
No matter how big or small, every donation does make a difference to what we can achieve for our “Little Heroes” – the preterm and ill born babies and their families around the world!
The following projects are examples of how your donation can impact the life of many babies, families, and also healthcare teams.
But we simply couldn’t do it without your help.
Thank you!
Contact us
Please contact us directly if you have questions regarding current Charity Projects.
Kangaroo chairs for the tiniest in Kyrgyzstan
Skin-to-skin contact between parents and child are without a doubt extremely important for their bonding process – for preterm babies, kangarooing is vital for the improvement of their physical and psychological development. In the central paediatric clinic in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, there was – until November 2016 – no protected area for mothers to give their preterm babies warmth and parental love. Thanks to EFCNI in cooperation with the organisation Uplift-Aufwind e.V., the clinic now owns three Kangaroo chairs with little footstools. These are the first and only chairs of this kind in the country. But above all they are highly sought after, so that mothers even have to queue before they can relax in one of the chairs with their baby. Currently, 29 babies are being cared for in the neonatal unit. Among them are seven preterm babies that weigh less than 1,500 grams. All mothers of preterm babies use the chairs on a daily basis and doctors also advise using the skin-to-skin therapy in the Kangaroo chairs for other weak and ill babies.
Maren Ernst, CEO Uplift-Aufwind e.V., Berlin / Bischkek
“EFCNI offers sustainable support! We receive very fast professional help and can enjoy a wide network of important partner organisations. There are no territories of knowledge and information. EFCNI is open and transparent. This trustful cooperation creates constructive synergies. With EFCNI’s support we can act unbureaucratically and accurately on urgent requirements for our preterm infants and their parents.”
FINE training at the children‘s hospital Dritter Orden in Munich, Germany
The preterm born baby is one of the most fragile patients in our hospitals. In addition to the importance of medical treatment and care, we also must support the psychological processes of bonding and attachment between parents and their newborn, which is so crucial for the child’s long-term health and development. The right support for the baby and the family through a specialised, well-trained healthcare team during this vulnerable period is crucial. Thanks to a large donation, the entire staff (120 healthcare professionals) of both neonatal units at the children‘s hospital Dritter Orden in Munich, Germany, received a three step training. The training programme FINE – Family and Infant Neuro-Developmental Education includes the understanding and interpretation of the child’s individual needs through precise observation. Further, training participants received more insight on the situation of parents and families of preterm or ill born babies, on how to help these families based on case studies, as well as on how familiy-centered developmentally supportive care should be structured.
FINE training and kangaroo chairs for the Helena Venizelou District Hospital in Athens, Greece
In 2015, the Helena Venizelou district Hospital in Athens, Greece, decided to train their midwives, nurses, and further healthcare professionals in the Family and Infant Neurodevelopmental Education (FINE) programme. Thanks to the financial support by EFCNI and the Greek parent organization Ilitominon, many staff members could be trained. Now, the family-centred care approach is practiced by conviction. With the support of Ilitominon, the hospital was able to change many further things in the NICU. Chairs were placed next to incubators and a special lighting equipment was installed to reduce the light in the NICU. In 2017, with a donation by EFCNI, two kangaroo chairs were purchased. These chairs allow extensive skin-to-skin care and are well frequented by the parents.
Parents’ room in a children‘s hospital in Hamburg, Germany
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is not the first home of a newborn baby that parents hope for. Parents of preterm babies usually spend weeks or even months on a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, often without any place of retreat, without easy access to food, drinks or privacy. EFCNI used the price money Silke Mader received as an awardee of the Prix Courage to create the new parent room „Kleine Auszeit“ (Small Break) at the German Catholic Children‘s Hospital Wilhelmsstift in Hamburg. This room gives parents a space and place on their own, where they can rest, regain energy and exchange.
Dr Sönke Siefert, Chief Physician, Kath. Kinderkrankenhaus Wilhelmstift and Managing Director, Foundation SeeYou, Hamburg, Germany
“The parent room in close proximity to the neonatal intensive care unit offers parents a moment of privacy and rest. It is lovingly furnished and creates a homely atmosphere and a pleasant contrast to the medical technology on the ward. It has become indispensable for us, thank you very much to EFCNI for this great support!”
Kangaroo chairs for parents at the NICU in Nicosia, Cyprus
These chairs allow parents to cuddle with their babies for many hours. It is meanwhile broadly acknowledged and medically proven that physical (skin to skin) contact is very important and improves the bond between parents and child. Kangaroo chairs must comply with hygenic requirements of an intensive care unit. In Cyprus, EFCNI was able to furnish the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with two special Kangaroo chairs!
A new parents’ room in a children’s hospital in Munich, Germany
Joint with other private donors as well as foundations and associations, EFCNI supported the funding of a parent’s room at the Klinikum Dritter Orden in Munich, South Germany. The lush and comfortable room gives parents an opportunity to recharge their batteries while staying close to their baby at the same time. The room celebrated its opening just in time for World Prematurity Day 2017!
