NGO expands project of donation-funded children’s hospital in Bucharest, opens fundraising campaign for second building

Local NGO Dăruiește Viață opened the fundraising campaign for the second building of the Marie Curie children’s hospital in Bucharest.

After erecting a pediatric oncology hospital, the association decided to expand the project and completely refurbish the Marie Curie children’s hospital to provide high treatment standards for all children admitted here, regardless of the pathology.

This entails constructing a new building of similar size and capacity as the recently erected one: 12,000 sqm, nine levels, and a total of 187 beds. All the other medical specialties of the Marie Curie hospital would move here. Meanwhile, the current HQ of the Marie Curie hospital would be refurbished to host accommodation places for parents, study halls, a cafeteria, and more. The master plan of the project is currently under design to identify the stages needed for this transformation.

The fundraising campaign hopes to attract at least 100,000 new supporters by the end of the year, individual donors and companies.

The ad of the campaign was shot before the start of the pandemic, and Metallica offered the NGO the rights to its piece The Unforgiven. In 2019, the heavy metal band donated EUR 250,000 to the projectof the pediatric oncology hospital. Papaya Advertising was tasked with the concept and the delivery.

“#NoiFacemUnSpital (We Build A Hospital) is the largest social involvement project in Romania at this point- more than 350,000 people and 4,000 companies lent a hand to the construction of the hospital. We have already erected the first building, we are working on the installations and the interior, so that it can be functional by the end of next year. Here, children with cancer will receive multidisciplinary treatment, at Western European treatment standards. But, when fighting ruthless diseases, all children need strong allies. This is why we decided to expand the project by adding a new building, to offer all children admitted to the Marie Curie Hospital access to the same standard of treatment,” Oana Gheorghiu, a founder of Dăruiește Viață, explained.

Besides raising funds, the campaign also plans to change the perceptions on the act of donating and involvement in social causes.

Donations can be made on the NGO’s website, over text message or bank transfer, or by purchasing gifts on the Dăruiește Viață website. Companies can redirect 20% of their profit/revenue tax to the project.

Dăruiește Viață Association was established in 2012 by Carmen Uscatu and Oana Gheorghiu to further their volunteer work with cancer patients in Romania. Since its inception, it offered cancer patients help in the relation with the authorities; it modernized the oncology departments of several hospitals in the country (Brașov, Timișoara, Cluj, Bucharest); it built 20 sterile chambers; and kicked off the largest social involvement project of the past years – the construction of the first national hospital for pediatric oncology and trauma.