- The „Life for Newborns” fund is made available to NGOs with expertise in implementing projects in the healthcare sector
- The Vodafone Romania Foundation launches a public fundraising campaign for the modernization of as many neonatal departments and wards as possible
Bucharest, 20 May 2021 – The Vodafone Romania Foundation launches a financing line worth 5 million lei called „The Life for Newborns Fund” for the renovation, modernization and medical equipment of neonatology departments and wards in public hospitals across the country.To supplement the existing budget, in order to allow the project to cover as many healthcare facilities as possible, the Foundation is also announcing a public fundraising campaign. Thus, the initiative of the Vodafone Romania Foundation is addressed on the one hand to non-governmental organizations with expertise in carrying out projects in the healthcare field, that are called to send project proposals, and on the other hand to citizens and companies that can redirect income tax, respectively profit tax, but can also make donations via SMS.
The registration period for projects by NGOs is May 20 – July 9 CY After this period, the proposals will be evaluated by a jury composed of: Dr. Maria Stamatin, Head of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the Clinical Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology „Cuza Vodă” Iași, Dr. Monica Surdu, neonatologist, Department of Neonatal Intensive Care of the Emergency County Clinical Hospital „Sf. Andrei” Constanța, Dr. Cătălin Cîrstoveanu, Head of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the Emergency Clinical Hospital for Children „Marie Sklodowska Curie” Bucharest, Dana Pîrțoc, Executive Director of the Association for Community Relations, Dragoș Roșca, member of the Board of Directors of the Association for Community Relations and CEO of Delta Asset Invest, healthcare policy expert Vlad Mixich, journalist and blogger Vlad Petreanu, Irina Margareta Nistor, Honorary President of the Vodafone Romania Foundation, Livia Dumitrescu, member of the Board of Directors of the Vodafone Romania Foundation, Legal & Ethics Executive Director of Renault Romania, Mihnea Rădulescu, member of the Board of Directors of the Vodafone Romania Foundation, Director of Vodafone Business Unit, and Angela Galeța, Director of the Vodafone Romania Foundation. The winning projects will be announced on October 1 CY The full schedule of the funding round is available on the program’s website.
„Reducing infant mortality is one of the most pressing needs for which the Ministry of Health has committed to allocate funds through the National Recovery and Resilience Program, in the broader plan to digitize the healthcare sector. We appreciate the efforts made so far by the Vodafone Romania Foundation and other non-governmental entities for the renovation, modernization and endowment with medical equipment of the neonatology departments in the country. Investments and sustained involvement are still needed to bring all neonatology departments in Romanian public hospitals to European standards. The investments of the Ministry of Health will be directed to the level III neonatology departments, complementary to the projects announced by the Vodafone Romania Foundation and which are intended for level I and II departments and wards”, declared the Minister of Health, Ioana Mihăilă.
„It has been more than 8 years since the Vodafone Romania Foundation started the fight for a chance for life for the most vulnerable members of society. Furthermore, Romania has the highest infant mortality rate, almost double the average of the European Union countries. It is natural not to give up the fight and to aim to do more and involve more people. We have had extraordinary NGO partners in the two previous projects and we are convinced that together with donors and sponsors who will join our approach, with the civil society, with the authorities, with hospital administrators we can change the statistics and we can give to all those born prematurely or with severe medical conditions the chance to be treated in properly equipped hospital facilities”, said Angela Galeța, Director of the Vodafone Romania Foundation.
The public fundraising campaign takes place between May 2021 and December 2022. Donations can be made by accessing: this link or by SMS, by sending the text RITM to the short number 8845 for 2 EUR/month.
So far, the Vodafone Romania Foundation has directly invested 16 million lei in the construction and then in the extension of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the „Marie Sklodowska Curie” Hospital and in the modernization of the department with the same name within the County Emergency Clinical Hospital „Sf. Andrei” Constanța. Both departments were equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment, including two telemedicine solutions for remote monitoring of patients, secure real-life transmission of images and medical parameters and videoconferencing.
„At Vodafone, we have a clear commitment to ensure inclusion for all members of society, starting with the most vulnerable and from the first hours of life, which can be decisive for premature newborns or those with severe medical conditions. I saw one of the two major projects carried out by the Vodafone Romania Foundation, namely the renovation of the Neonatology Department of the Hospital in Constanța, growing from day one, with all the challenges related to such a project. I express my confidence that together we will be able to continue and reach as many neonatology departments as possible, to double the resources announced by the Foundation and with them the number of newborns saved”, said Murielle Lorilloux, CEO of Vodafone Romania.
The Vodafone Romania Foundation is a Romanian non-governmental charitable organisation, established in 1998, which operates separately and independently from the company’s business. Over more than 20 years of activity, the Vodafone Romania Foundation has funded 1,132 programs run by 730 NGOs throughout the country, in the fields of healthcare, education and social services. These projects had almost 3 million beneficiaries – children, young and old people, physically, socially or economically disadvantaged people. So far, the Vodafone Romania Foundation has invested 30 million euros in projects run by non-profit partner organisations. More details about the Foundation’s programs are available at https://fundatia-vodafone.ro, http://jurnaldebine.fundatia-vodafone.ro/ and www.facebook.com/fundatiavodafone.
