Joint
Facility of Love
Smiles Care Home for the Elderly & Centre for children with disabilities
The
Smiles Foundation is recognised as a leading Charity in Romania with
over £3 million / $5 million invested in the since 2005 and more than 60
Romanian nationals now employed within all the significant and varied
projects, effecting and impacting the entire community.
Since
2001, Smiles has established its cornerstone ‘Family Care Project’
which now supports over 1,000 people, predominantly children living
in very poor conditions, through Food, Medical & Social support. Through
this cornerstone project, every other project within Smiles has been
established.
The family situations we have come to know so well have
made clear to the Smiles leadership and supporters that there is a
desperate need for some new facilities.
Firstly,
a Care Home for the Elderly who are in
need of daily support and an Assisted Living facility for those needing
less than 24/7 care, but are otherwise living alone and vulnerable to
the dangers and limitations of life in Romania.
Secondly, a Day Centre and Care Facility for Children with
Disabilities who have virtually no help or support from the Romanian
State. There are many children, some with minor disabilities that with
proper care and support could overcome the challenges of disability and
have a much more normal life than currently possible in Romania.
We already have elderly people asking us each week we visit them, is the
Nursing Home ready yet? We don’t like to keep telling them we haven’t
started building yet! They are desperate and waiting!
Estira
Domokosh at 82 lived in atrocious conditions with her mentally
challenged daughter Katalin, who also suffers epilepsy. They have now
been moved to emergency alternative accommodation but can’t stay
indefinitely. They need some special facilities. That is what Smiles
plans for the Joint Facility of Love in Salonta. A Facility with
very special features.
For the Care Home, we plan rooms for one to four people, each
room with en-suite toilet and basin. We’ll have special guest rooms for
visitors. We also plan a communal lounge, dining room, TV room, reading
room. We
would like to build a second floor providing 18 additional beds and
would then need an elevator between floors.
The
Centre for Children with Disabilities, will be
primarily a Day Centre but we plan bed rooms for over-night provision
with special guest rooms for visitors. The over-night care will be
important to provide rest-bite care for parents under pressure from 24/7
care of disabled children. A games room, Sensory room and hydrotherapy
pool are also in the plans.
Both facilities will have specialist care and trained loving staff to
provide quality supervision to
the highest standard possible.
Having initially considered a new construction in Cihei with a budget of
£493,500 / $789,600 we had been facing substantial increased costs and
revised building regulations as EU legislation begins to impose itself
in Romania. As a result we were facing an increased final budget heading
towards £750,000 ($1,125,000) which we felt was too much to invest in
the immediate future.
We had the opportunity in summer of 2010
to purchase a suitable building in need of renovation.
This would allow spreading of the work in line with available funds and
provide some other benefits such as a Town Centre location
with ‘retail’ facilities on the main street to help raise in-country
financial support. The building was eventually purchased by Smiles in
September 2010 for £300,000 ($450,000) and we anticipate up to £200,000
($300,000) on redesign and renovation work over the next 12 months,
subject to available funds.
We
have made a start, and with Smiles
Mission Trip teams in October 2010, the first 2 retail shops were
prepared and will open for Business on November 18th 2010. As
these units begin to make a surplus, all the funds will be directed into
the Renovation Work for the Joint Facility of Love.
This is another ‘God Sized Challenge’ but we have faced them before and
excited to be facing this one now. We need some very special people to
get involved who can help with raising funds or accessing grants or
corporate support for this urgently needed facility.
If you have ideas or interest in helping, contact our
Chief Executive - Kevin Hoy.
If you would like to help with a donation, please use the following
designations:
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UK - To help with..
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Purchase and Renovation costs for
the
Nursing Home:
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Purchase
& Renovation costs for
the
Center for Children with Disabilities |
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The
Nursing Home & Center for Children with Disabilities.
Where Most Needed::: |
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Support these projects
monthly £25 |
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US - To help with..
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Purchase and Renovation costs for
the Nursing Home: |
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Purchase
& Renovation costs for
the Center for Children with Disabilities: |
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The
Nursing Home & Center for Children with Disabilities. Where Most Needed::: |
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Support these projects monthly $50 |
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