Amigos do Figueira aim to humanize the hospital routines of hospitalized children
In addition to developing activities so that hospital routines are less exhausting for families, the program provides devices and supplies so that children hospitalized for chronic diseases can continue with the treatment at home
The program Amigos do Figueira, conceived in 2018 by Fiocruz’s Fundraising Office, was born to contribute in solidarity with the projects of the Núcleo de Apoio a Projetos Educacionais e Culturais (Napec) “Volta pra Casa” and “Novos Caminhos”. These projects are initiatives of the hospital pediatric ward of the Instituto Nacional de Saúde da Mulher, da Criança e do Adolescente Fernandes Figueira (IFF/Fiocruz) to increasingly humanize treatment for patients.
Attending children of all ages, with chronic and rare diseases, as well as their families, mostly made up of single mothers, Amigos do Figueira now has more than 500 current monthly donors.
Samara Lima, Fundraising Coordinator, says that the program is a network of love, which was born in order to strengthen and expand the hospital humanization actions carried out at IFF/Fiocruz. “Educational and cultural activities are promoted for the hospital, support is offered for home treatment with the necessary supplies and the payment of hospital equipment that can help promote the discharge of children undergoing treatment, and is offered handicraft training for the patients’ mothers who want to learn a new job for either income generation or therapeutic purposes”, she explains.
The IFF/Fiocruz already carried out some hospital humanization actions, but it was only through Amigos do Figueira that the structures were organized to enable the engagement of new donors, individuals and partner companies.
Achievements and challenges
Among the achievements conquered by the project, 12 children are being cared for at home, thanks to the rental of hospital equipment, more than 7,500 cans of special milk/formulas were purchased, more than 42 thousand consultations were carried out through Napec and 554 through Novos Caminhos, and 9 wheelchairs were donated.
Regarding the challenges, the biggest one is to serve the more than 500 families that need help. Today, attendance is only around 120 and the number is still low due to the increase in the price of inputs.
Another plan of the project is to have a physical space where mothers can hold therapeutic conversation circles, exchange experiences and offer active listening to each other, in addition to new training modalities for income generation focused on the area of beauty, such as manicure, depilation and hairdressing.
Currently, the program has the following action fronts:
Volta para casa (‘Coming home’): Living in a hospital is a difficult experience not only for children but also for the entire family. At the IFF/Fiocruz, there are routinely children with chronic illnesses who, even after being discharged, can’t go home because they depend on devices that their families can’t afford, which means that they remain for months or years in a bed hospital. This initiative helps to de-hospitalize these children, supporting their families with the installation and maintenance of home care in their homes.
Novos Caminhos (‘New ways’): With the mission of “taking care of those who care”, the project aims to help mothers and families of hospitalized children. This is because the mother often has to leave her job and dedicate herself fully to the child who is in the hospital, which has a very hard effect on the family and seriously compromises everyone’s financial support. To mitigate this impact, they train mothers in the production of handicrafts and develop sales channels for products.
Napec: In order to make the hospital environment more pleasant and cheerful, volunteers develop educational and cultural projects in the corridors and beds of IFF/Fiocruz. Volunteers dedicate themselves to telling stories to children, playing with them in the hospital playground, helping with school tutoring and bringing music to the wards.
Do you want to help?
You can support Amigos do Figueira by making a single or monthly donation through the website, in addition to the possibility of donations arising from solidarity birthdays and weddings, donations of resources, such as special milk/formula; wheelchairs, baby strollers and others, or donation via income tax (“IR que Transforma”) and encouraged donations from companies.
Follow Amigos do Figueira on social media: Facebook and Instagram.
