House of Hope: Cottage for Children Receiving Out-Patient Treatment

3.10.2007 The House of Hope, the cottage for patients of our hospital receiving out-patient treatment, has celebrated its first birthday. Many guests arrived at the House of Hope to celebrate this event: physicians of the Russian Children's Clinical Hospital, our volunteers and sponsors, and, of course, representatives of the Aiutateci a Salvare i Bambini Onlus association, whose participation played such an important role in the implementation of this project. Enio Bordato, President of the Italian association, was awarded a medal and a special honorary diploma by Deputy Head Physician of the RCCH Nelli Ignatieva.
All guests and children were happy to take part in the celebrations. The kids prepared presents for their guests. They danced and then drew a picture on the wall using "finger paints." They worked with such enthusiasm that even adults started helping them with no less animation. This picture of the House of Hope under sunlit sky, surrounded by the children's touching handprints, will now go to Italy.
In turn, inhabitants of the cottage also received presents, including a computer, a digital photo camera, toys and games, and a new powerful meat-grinder for the kitchen.
The guests could see the comfortable and cosy house, the playground and the garden, which has become even more picturesque, since two new beautiful trees have been planted there: a fir-tree and a silver fir. The planting of these trees was one of the culminating points of the celebration. We thank Masha, our regular sponsor and good friend, for this present.
Clown Kostya entertained the children all day long: invented games and competitions, showed funny tricks, made amusing animals of balloons, handed presents. And at the end of day, the children sang a song about the House of Hope together with Kostya.
A huge blue balloon with a large digit "1" written on it flew up together with a flock of small multicolored balloons. And then everybody ate a piece of a large cake that had one candle on it and a large edible photo picture of the House of Hope.

28.09.2006 A festive ceremony marked the opening of the cottage for children receiving out-patient treatment. On the initiative on our Italian friends from the Aiutateci a Salvare i Bambini Onlus association, the cottage was named The House of Hope.
Among the visitors present at the ceremony, there were representatives of the Italian Embassy in Moscow, leaders of the Aiutateci a Salvare i Bambini Onlus association, administration and doctors of the Russian Children's Clinical Hospital.
We thank everybody who has helped in the implementation of this project, which is still (alas!) unique for Russia.
Above all, we once again whole-heartedly thank our Italian friends: President of the Aiutateci a Salvare i Bambini Onlus association Enio Bordato, Moscow representative of this association Elena Demaria, and many and many ordinary people, whose hearts were not indifferent to the destiny of gravely ill children in far-away Russia.
Leading Italian companies rendered invaluable help in the furnishing of the House of Hope through the mediation of the Aiutateci a Salvare i Bambini Onlus association:
� Brennero Mobili, Magistri, Battistella, and Falomo provided the furniture.
� Chicco supplied large toys, child furniture, and equipment for the playground; some toys were also sent to the Department of Oncology of the Russian Children's Clinical Hospital.
� Merloni (trade mark Indesit) sent us laundry washes, fridges, and kitchen appliances.
The furnishing of the house was completed with the help of Russian sponsors, both companies and private persons, and with active participation of the same tireless Elena Demaria.
We thank Mikhail Arsentievich, Vyacheslav, Mikhail, the Sozidanie charity foundation and personally Elena Smirnova, the Euroservice company, Denis, Armen, Stas, Masha, Inna Zharova, Natalia Tikhonova, the Floortech company and Erwin Walker, Dmitri Kryzhanovski and his friends from the Leader Class educational center, Alexander, the Vozrozhdenie (Renaissance) charity center, Johnson and Johnson Inc. and Sasha Lie, Natalia and Irina.
Thanl you, dear friends! Your assistance has made it possible to implement a project that had seemed completely impossible two years ago. It will help in solving one of the most difficult problems faced by families whose children receive treatment at hematological and oncological departments of our hospital: the problem of their residence in Moscow. We remind you that more than 90% patients come to our hospital for treatment from regions very far from Moscow and have no money to rent an apartment in Moscow. It would take years to wait till the state solves this problem, and it is impossible to rely only on volunteers and private sponsors who pay for the rent of one or two apartments.
The cottage was bought and furnished solely using charity fundraising. This example is so far absolutely unique for our country. But a lot of people from Russia and Italy have managed to accomplish this together. Success of such a project doesn't mean only a solution to a difficult problem encountered by families of gravely ill children who receive treatment at a Moscow hospital. It is also a sign of the development of the civic society, of the people's responsibility and independence.

A short press conference took place in the living-room of the House of Hope soon after the ribbon at its entrance was cut. The press conference was opened by Enio Bordato, President of the Aiutateci a Salvare i Bambini Onlus association. In his first words, he mentioned Platon Karataev, a character from Tolstoy's War and Peace, a simple Russian soldier, who has an inborn feeling of other people, exists for other people, feels always ready to help them. This is how Enio Bordano sees the work of his association: simple and direct work, kind attitude, and practical help to the Russian Children's Clinical Hospital provided in cooperation with the Alexander Men Help Group. And hundreds of simple people from Italia have contributed to the today's festive event.
Enio also told about the beginning of our friendship. It happened six years ago, when Enio accidentally clicked on our banner and saw our Web site. By the way, the humble creator of this site and this banner Alexei Nalogin was standing unnoticed among the public during the press conference. The House of Hope is probably the most impressive achievement of this Web site. Besides, dozens of children have been saved thanks to the fundraising via this site, and their mothers could be infinitely grateful to Alexei... if they only knew about him.
But let us return to Enio. He came to Moscow in 2000, arrived at the RCCH and saw everything with his own eyes. Then he came with an Italian TV group. And a year later, he created the Aiutateci a Salvare i Bambini Onlus association, which has been cooperating with the Alexander Men Help Group for five years. During all these years, the relations between the association and the Help Group have become increasingly close and fruitful. And, as Enio Bordato said, everybody who helps the little kids through the Association or the Help Group shows the beauty of unselfish action and good will. This is especially important for Russia, a country full of problems but so rich in culture and humanity.
Enio Bordato thanked Italian organizations for their help in the implementation of the House of Hope project: the International Cooperation Department of the Autonomous Province of Trento and the Autonomous Region of Trentino-South Tirol; participants of the La Fabbrica del Sorriso (Fabric of Smile) program in Russia; the GIM UNINPRESA Association of Italian companies in Russia; the Italian Embassy in Moscow, the Consular Department and and personally ex-consul in Moscow Enrico Nunziata; teachers and pupils of the Aldo Moro school in Costa Masnaga; the staff and administration of INTESA VITA Spa and TUPPERWARE ITALIA; many private persons in Italy who supported this project with their donations; members of the Aiutateci a Salvare i Bambini Onlus association, including the late Maria Capietti (in her testament, she left money for this project, and the playroom built using this money is dedicated to her memory); and, finally, Bank Cassa Rurale di Lizzana, a constant partner of the Association.

Then, President of the Regional Public Charity Foundation for Seriously ill and Abandoned Children Lina Saltykova also made a speech. She thanked everybody who had helped in the implementation of this project and noted:
"This house has everything to create the atmosphere of comfort and family life around children: cozy rooms, a dining-room, a spacious living-room for having a rest or playing, a garden with a large playground, an attic with a rest lounge. Thus, the children can live a normal child life, without doctors and hospital walls, together with their mothers. So this event is truly unusual and wonderful!
Recently one of our little patients lived here with his mother. They had earlier received treatment in Germany and lived in a similar cottage affiliated with the German hospital. And they say that our cottage is better! Less formal, more homelike.
It is impossible to mention everybody who has helped us in this great cause. There were so many kind people! But we love all of them, thank all of them, and hope that they will not leave us."

Secretary of the Italian Embassy Mme Lepre:
"I won't speak long, because everything that has been done is in front of your eyes. Just look at this house, look at the children playing in the gaden. I just want to thank everybody whose efforts have made this possible. I think this is a wonderful example, a symbol of the potential of international cooperation. On behalf of the Italian Embassy in Russia, I express our gratitude and promise help to this project and to future Russian-Italian international projects."

Deputy Head Physician of the RCCH Irina B. Bryusova:
"Our hospital turned twenty this year. Our staff and patients have been dreaming of a hotel for these patients for twenty years. Becase children come to our hospital from all over Russia. We dreamed, we asked, we waited, but the state failed to find the money. And now it took two years to fulfil our twenty-year-old dream! And I believe that such a concentration of kindness will also have other consequences: maybe this house will be followed by others. Thank you!"

Deputy Director of the Research Institute of Pediatric Hematology Alexei A. Maschan:
"Dear friends! Today is a day of great personal joy for me. And it gives me a chance to thank all people who have been helping us for about twenty years in our work. Above all, of course, it is the Charity Foundation for Seriously ill and Abandoned Children, created in memory of Father Alexander Men. I also thank dozens and hundreds of people who have been helping us for all these years. And, of course, I thank Enio Bordato, who launched this project, although the task seemed virtually unsurmountable. I can hardly believe in this success. Believe me, it is a real joy for us to see children having a normal existence. Our life is not too full of joy, but today we have a reason to feel happy."

Then two girls from our hospital sang in front of the guests. They were Katya Gorbunova (a survivor after leukemia) and Masha (a patient of the Department of Clinical Immunology). Both girls are talented musicians with wonderful voices, and our Italian guests (who know much about singing!) were enraptured. Katya has gone through long treatment, recurrence, marrow transplantation, and many complications; one complication affected her legs, and now she moves about in a wheelchair or on crutches. But she is always working, always creating something. She cannot visit school, but she learned three foreign languages (including Italian) all by herself. She is proficient in piano playing and drawing, to say nothing of school subjects. She is so gifted that she could become a student of the best institute or university. But leading higher educational institutions in Moscow are not too well adapted to the needs of people in wheelchairs. We are really concerned about Katya's further destiny.

Meanwhile, the festivities went on. The weather was fine, which is rare for the end of September in Russia, and the children ran about the territory with clown Kostya, played football, threw balloons and paper cranes. And it seemed that the house itself felt better.

 

Creator and administrator of this site Alexei Nalogin together with Prof. A.A. Maschan

Left to right: Deputy Head Physician of the RCCH N.A. Ignatyeva, Deputy Head Physician of the RCCH I.B. Bryusova, Head of the Department of Marrow Transplantation E.V. Skorobogatova, Head of the Department of Oncohematology-27 N.V. Myakova, Enio Bordato, Deputy Director of the Research Institute of Pediatric Hematology A.A. Maschan, Head of the Department of General Hematology M.A. Maschan, Elena Demaria.

Enio Bordato, D.V. Rudomanov (head of a department at the MIEL real estate agency), Lina Saltykova	Enio Bordato, Alexei Nalogin, Lina Saltykova, translator Anastacia

15.08.2006 Refurnishing of the cottage for children receiving out-patient treatment will soon be completed. We thank our dear Italian friends from the Aiutateci a Salvare i Bambini Onlus Association and personally its leader Enio Bordato and its Moscow representative Elena Demaria, who have covered the majority of financial expenses for refurnishing of this cottage. Very good Italian furniture for the rooms and for the kitchen has recently been delivered to the cottage. Representatives of the manufacturing company have specially come from Italy to assemble it. And the famous Merloni company provided fridges and laundromats free of charge. Muscovites promised to help with buying the dishes and other necessary things. But even now the house is comfortable, and some patients already live there. For example, Vadik Markunin with his mother, who will soon go to Germany for a check-up. The cottage will be officially opened in September 2006.

23.06.2006 The cottage has been repaired. This work was done using the money raised by our friends in Russia. We are whole-heartedly grateful to them!
Soon the furniture will arrive from Italy.

26.03.2006 At last we can tell the good news: a country house has been bought for our patients who receive out-patient treatment at hospital! Now they have a suitable place to live during the treatment. It is extremely important, because there is very little room in the official residential premises of the hospital and it is increasingly difficult to rent apartments in Moscow for all our patients from other regions. The house costs 9,110,747.63 (about $325,000).

The house is located 30 km south-west of Moscow, in a picturesque place with lots of fresh air. It takes no more than 30 min to get to the hospital from there by car. We hope to transport the children to and from hospital by minibus, which is a present from the Aiutateci a Salvare i Bambini Onlus association.

A few words about the house itself

The house has four levels: three (including the attic) with living premises, and the ground floor with a garage, heating and water supply systems, etc. The total area is 600 sq.m. There are fifteen bedrooms (ten are ready now, and five more will be ready more or less soon), several large and small toilet rooms, a kitchen and a living room with a fireplace. There are also a sun lounge and a balcony with a wonderful view. Comfortable winding stairs lead from one level of the house to another. We also hope to make a small playground in front of the house.

 

 

The house is almost completely ready. But there is still work to be done in the attic (walls between rooms, heating, etc.), and the children cannot live in this house right now, because concrete dust is extremely hazardous for them.

 

 

Actually, it was very difficult to find such a house, because several requirements were to be met: closeness to the hospital, certain engineering and technical details, environmental characteristics of the house itself and of the surrounding places. Therefore, it took more than six months to choose a suitable house.

 

 

We whole-heartedly thank all who have helped:
- Our dear friends from the Aiutateci a Salvare i Bambini Onlus association (Italy), who raised most of the sum required for buying this cottage (250 000 euro).
- The MIEL real estate agency, its managers and staff, who helped us very much in our search for this house and preparation of the necessary documents.
- The FORA bank, its managers and staff, who helped us in this difficult purchase, including exchange and cashing of foreign currency.
- Alexander M. and Natalia V. for consultations and help in preparing all the documents.

 

 

We hope that several months of comfortable life in the fresh air will not only allow the children to complete their treatment successfully but also give them some joy and rest after all the pain and suffering.