Health and Rehabilitation

Proficiency badges gained - how we trained Little Rescuers. Second edition of first aid workshops for children completed.

More than seventy little rescuers have left Warbud's headquarters in very good spirits. The prospective medical workers, regardless of their age, showed great courage and commitment during the First Aid workshop. Without any fear and resistance they fell into the hands of their fantastic instructor Ms Monika Misterska who taught them the five basic rules of lifesaving with her professional and sensitive approach. The children should be praised for their efforts in saving the lives of not only their colleagues but also of their persistent helpers - younger brothers, sisters or parents. The little rescuers were great in calling for help during staged situations, they were self-confident and concise while informing emergency services of the circumstances of the incidents. With the power of a superhero - on their own - they put their much heavier parents, in the lateral recovery position. They were also shown how to correctly press the chest and ventilate lungs during resuscitation. They were so busy that they soon experienced real fatigue - which rarely happens to children. In the bandaging class they used up more than 300 bandages. The oldest participants were fantastic in operating a defibrillator. They were extremely curious, cautiously followed the instructions given by the device and then pressed the magic button. The atmosphere was great.

This was the second edition of the workshop run by Warbud's Foundation. The title of this year's edition was "Rescue Holiday". The children learned how to safely behave on their holidays, how to save a colleague on a mountain trail, what to do when a colleague has a tick, how to see when someone is drowning and what to do when a knee is bleeding and there's no one around. The workshop was run by Warbud's health and safety personnel holding medical rescue worker licences. Thanks to their experience the children learned about the potential dangers on their holidays and how to react in life-threatening situations in their immediate environment. They have gained courage and willingness to act.

A Journey for Others
How much can we do for others by mobilising a bit and finding positive energy? In the period from 2 to 6 of July participants of the second edition of the charity event named "A Journey for Others 2016" travelled a distance of more than 1400 km. The event was organised under the auspices of our Foundation "Warbud - Warto pomagać". The main goal of that long-distance bicycle journey is to promote the idea of helping others and collect funds for Hania - a girl suffering from congenital immunological deficiency and complete respiratory failure, and Agata - this year's secondary school graduate suffering from idiopathic scoliosis who needs a portable respirator to breathe but the family cannot afford it. Another child waiting for help is nine-year-old Kamila raised by her grandmother. The honorary patron of the event "A Journey for Others 2016" was Mayor of Świnoujście, Mr Janusz Żmurkiewicz, a host and co-organiser of the celebration taking part at the finishing line in Świnoujście. The 6-day route led to Świnoujście from Ustrzyki Górne via the Masurian Lakes. There were three cycling enthusiasts sharing the common passion and work: Edwin Osiecki, Paweł Matczyński and Stanisław Wojtanek. In the last section they were met by the fourth participant, Filip Rorant from DKMS Foundation who rode the last 200 kilometres from Szczecinek to the finishing line in Świnoujście.
All the members of the cycling team unanimously said that the event was a fantastic example of how to connect a passion with helping others. Events like that give them power to act and overcome their own weaknesses. The participants of the cycling event also want to inspire others to help those in need.

Mother's Day
We have financially supported a Mother's Day celebration organised by Fundacja Dzieciom - "Zdążyć z Pomocą" (Childrens's Foundation - On Time With Help). Fundacja dzieciom takes care of ill and disabled children from all around Poland. It also supports mothers who devote all their time and all their efforts to take care of children who need special help. They also forget about themselves and their own needs.
The protégés of the Foundation are children who are not able to thank their Mothers for their everyday efforts, dedication and love and the Foundation wants to thank them on the children's behalf to make every mother feel exceptional. The celebration took place on 30 May 2016 in Syrena Theatre in Warsaw. The ceremony included among others a theatre performance entitled "Spider's Web" directed by Wojciech Malajkat, food, drinks and presents.

Aperio Association
We have financially supported the Association in its efforts for the education of autistic children and the young. The Association works at the Kindergarten and Primary School in the Centre for Disabled Children and Youth in Poznań. In addition to obtaining funds for educational equipment and accessories the association organizes summer and winter play centres and a number of educational events.

LIVERIADA 2014
The Association for Supporting Ill Children LIVER organized for its member families workshops called LIVERIADA 2014 which were financially supported by our Foundation. The weekend workshops were organized near the town of Rawa Mazowiecka. This was a unique chance for a meeting for families sharing similar problems and for old colleagues from hospital rooms. The workshops were a chance for the families to share their experiences and forget about their daily struggles with the illness. It was also a good time to relax. Another attraction for the participants was also a course in cooking special meals recommended for patients with liver diseases. There were special activities for children during the day and in the evening a children's ball was organized and billiards and bowling games. One of the participants of the workshop was a popular Polish actor Andrzej Grabowski.

Lift for Ronald McDonald Home
Cracow is the first place in Poland in which a free hotel for children with cancer is being built. The facility is situated at the University Children's Hospital in Cracow's district of Prokocim which is now being built by Warbud. The Foundation provided funds for the purchase of a lift which is needed in the Home.
In autumn 2015 first families with their children treated in the Cracow hospital will have an opportunity to stay in the free of charge "Home away from home" run by Ronald McDonald Foundation. The Home is a modern family hotel with floor area of 1300 m² and 20 guest rooms also adapted for the needs of the disabled. However, the most important thing it offers is the support to the parents and their children in the hard times of illness. The family home atmosphere and the feeling of security will definitely help the children in their treatment and hospital stay. Support is also provided by professional staff and volunteers.
The Ronald McDonald Foundation initiative has also been supported by the Jagiellonian University - Collegium Medicum and the staff of University Children's Hospital.

Fighting leukemia
In Poland one person is diagnosed every hour with leukaemia - a form of blood cancer. For many patients the only chance for survival is bone marrow transplant from an unrelated donor. Warbud foundation "Warbud - warto pomagać" together with DKMS Foundation decided to support the idea of creation of the largest possible database of bone marrow donors and to invite Warbud employees to join the programme. In order to make it easier for them to register and make registration short, we organised bone marrow donor days in our head office. Registration involves collecting preliminary medical history information, filling in a form with personal data and taking a sample by a candidate from the interior of the cheek compartment using a special cotton swab. The meeting was attended by representatives of DKMS Foundation who discussed all the details concerning the registration process and further steps connected with a donation of stem cells to a leukaemia patient. The action was a real success - 66 Warbud SA employees declared their readiness to become donors!

I run for Kacper
This project aims to promote the idea of active charity and obtain funds for prosthesis and rehabilitation of a several year old Kacper as well as to include other parents in the active work for their own children. The originator of the action is Kacper’s father, who is actively involved in challenging running events: The Łódź Marathon “I Run for Health” (VI.2011), 33rd Warsaw Marathon (IX.2011) and 12th Poznan Marathon (X.2011). In addition to his participation in marathons, Kacper’s das is also planning to take part in the "Run Warsaw" and "Independence Run" events. The foundation "Warbud - Warto pomagać" is a sponsor of the 2011 edition.

A Group of Special Education Institutions in Legnica
Financial assistance in the purchase of rehabilitation equipment and teaching aids for the pupils. The specific objective of education is to equip disabled students with knowledge and skills enabling communication with the environment, gaining independence and resourcefulness in life and preparation for professional life.

Holy Family Gynaecology and Obstetrics Hospital in Warsaw
Each year we sponsor training and art programs from the ‘999’ series. Part of the proceeds from this project is intended for the purchase of medical equipment for patients of the hospital on ul. Madalińskiego.

Children's Theatre
A stay in a hospital is an extremely difficult experience for a child. The small patient is deprived of contact with his loved ones, he meets persons he does not know and is often subjected to painful treatment. In the case of prolonged hospitalization there are also problems of hospital life monotony and separation from peers. Meetings with the song and theater are often the only cheerful elements in a hospital. The main objective of this project is to provide children with fun and entertainment.

Disability is not a curse
A large pool of foundation money is intended for the rehabilitation of disabled children. Each year we financed treatment and rehabilitation of more than 100 children. We understand that every long-term illness leads to a worsening of material situation of the family. This involves spending money on treatment and rehabilitation services and reduces household budgets due to a limitation of parents or guardians’ professional activities. We believe that disability is not a curse. Rehabilitation is expensive but it gives great results and chances for independence. While the foundation has been operating for a relatively short period of time, we get a lot of feedback, thanks and photos documenting the small successes which are big steps on the way to overcome disabilities. We keep our fingers crossed for our persistent protegees!

Special kindergartens
We financially support kindergartens which conduct specialized treatment and rehabilitation for children with multiple disabilities. The fact that little children can stay in institutions providing them with professional care is a huge relief for parents and an opportunity for getting involved in their professional lives.

Helping Filip
Fundraising appeals for the operation and rehabilitation of Philip - a blind Warsaw University student who fell under an oncoming underground train - were first published in mid September 2008. The young man, who was in a very serious condition with head injuries and crushed legs, was taken to one of Warsaw's hospitals where his life was saved. Doctors stated stat it was necessary to amputate his right leg. It was necessary to use methods of treatment unavailable in Poland in order to save it. Swiss doctors undertook a series of operations but their cost turned out to surpass the financial capabilities of the victim’s family and friends.
Philip is active not only in the student society, he also takes part in a number of projects under the aegis of the Polish Association of the Blind. He tries inform the public of the problems of the blind, he draws attention to the unsuitability of various places in Warsaw for their needs.
We keep our fingers crossed for the success of the therapy and do hope that after rehabilitation Philip will be able to continue his activities and pursue his passions.

Dreams come true
Special attention should be paid to our cooperation with the “Mam marzenie (I have a Dream)” Foundation.
Polish Foundation “Mam marzenie” being part of a worldwide initiative, has fulfilled the dreams of over 3 000 young patients.
Children have various dreams. They spend lots of time in hospitals and need contact with the outside world, with their peers and families, therefore a laptop with an Internet connection is one of their most common desires. They also dream of travelling and meetings with famous people. We are glad that we could help at least some of them make their dreams come true. Our Foundation has among others sponsored a trip to Paris, a visit to the German Legoland, purchase of computer equipment, home cinema and a DVD player.

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