Projects 2019 – Hódmezővásárhely/Makó

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The RBIF’s SME Sponsorship Scheme is not just about helping small and medium-sized companies take part in our fundraising and donation activities, it’s also about building relationships.

This is why the RBIF once again made the journey down to southern Hungary this year to develop our contacts with the doctors and staff at the Hódmezővásárhely Hospital in Csongrád county. Our donation last year helped the hospital here along with its partner institution in Makó, and this year was no different.

Stuart McAlister of Inter Relocation Kft. was keen to get involved once more in the SME Sponsorship Scheme following the successes enjoyed in previous years, and he too was pleased with the outcome of this year’s donation.

I’m delighted to confirm that for a second year, Inter Relocation has been able to contribute to the development of the hospitals in Makó and Hódmezővásárhely. The equipment we have co-sponsored, together with the Robert Burns International Foundation, will help to monitor and stabilise new-born babies in a critical condition, making the incredible work the doctors and nurses do at the two hospitals a little easier.

Having consulted with Dr Ferenc Papp, consultant physician and head of department at the paediatric unit in Hódmezővásárhely, we purchased a Neopuff resuscitation device along with two pulse oximeters, one for each hospital, using the donation from Inter Relocation doubled by the funds raised at the 2019 Burns Supper.

During our visit to the hospital, Dr Papp explained that the design of this portable resuscitation device makes it much easier to use, even for extended periods, and there is no danger of supplying too much or too little oxygen or exerting too much pressure, which can happen with purely manual devices. All in all, it ensures safer and more reliable treatment in what are very difficult situations.

Medical Director for the two hospitals Dr Katalin Havasi: We are extremely grateful that the Robert Burns International Foundation has again given its selfless support to helping the newborns in our hospital grow and get better, thereby enabling us to provide the highest level of care that we can to all of the little ones in need of help.

The SME Sponsorship Scheme is an ideal way for companies to start a CSR programme or perhaps expand an existing one, and we at the RBIF are happy to help. We are happy that Inter Relocation will be back again in 2020 to keep their commitment going.

We’re grateful for the opportunity to give a little back in this way and plan to continue our cooperation with these hospitals in 2020.”, added Stuart McAlister

Make sure you like the RBIF Facebook page or follow us on Instagram or Twitter to be sure of hearing all the details about all of our projects and events. You can also sign up to our mailing list here.

 

 

The Robert Burns International Foundation (RBIF) is supported by the British Ambassador to Hungary and the Hungarian Ambassador to the UK. The Honorary President of the foundation is Sir Alex Ferguson, former manager of Manchester United football club. In the last 20 years the organisation has raised several hundred thousand euros to help sick and underprivileged children.

Contact: [email protected]

Projects 2019 – Szent Rafael Hospital, Zalaegerszeg

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The Szent Rafael Hospital in Zalaegerszeg not only functions as a health-care institution for the 60,000 people who live in this town situated in the south-west of Hungary in Zala county. It is also the main hospital for the surrounding area, and accepts patients from throughout western Hungary, and even from across Hungary’s borders.

The reason for its extensive reach is the expertise that the doctors and nurses offer at Szent Rafael Hospital. They are able to treat certain patients that other hospitals cannot. This is one of the reasons why the Robert Burns International Foundation chose to continue supporting this Zala hospital, again as part of the SME Sponsorship Scheme in collaboration with FirstMed Center and CEO Dennis Diokno, following the success of the initial project in 2018.

This year, the hospital asked that we fund sensor kits for their ventilator machines, and looking at the photos, it was initially difficult to understand how something so small could be so expensive. But looks can be deceptive, as these kits play a very important role. When connected to a ventilator machine, they monitor the level of carbon dioxide coming from the patient.

“The quantity of carbon dioxide measured in the air exhaled by mechanically-ventilated children is an objective indicator – from a non-invasive procedure – of the effectiveness of the ventilation. We did not use to have such devices at our disposal”, said Dr László Gárdos, head of department.

Why is this important? Sudden changes in CO2 elimination usually imply a change in cardiorespiratory function, and can help in the early detection of respiratory events, such as hypoventilation, or signal that a breathing tube has become disconnected, even though this isn’t evident on the outside. It goes without saying that this contributes hugely to preventing potentially irreversible patient injury. The different sizes of sensor kit enable the doctors and nurses to use them for a wide range of paediatric needs.

“The capnography devices are instrumental in ensuring the successful ventilation of seriously ill children (in intensive care) and of new-borns in a critical condition (Perinatal Intensive Care Centre)”, added Dr. Gárdos.

Alongside Dr László Gárdos the RBIF was welcomed again by Dr Gabriella Halász, Director of the Hospital. They very much value the help that the guests of the Burns Supper give every year, as this is equipment that the hospital would otherwise have to do without, with the associated impact then on the standard of health care that they can provide, so a big thank you to all those who supported the Burns Supper in 2019! We look forward to continuing our partnership with the Szent Rafael Hospital in 2020.

 

Make sure you like the RBIF Facebook page or follow us on Instagram or Twitter to be sure of hearing all the details about all of our projects and events. You can also sign up to our mailing list here.

 

 

The Robert Burns International Foundation (RBIF) is supported by the British Ambassador to Hungary and the Hungarian Ambassador to the UK. The Honorary President of the foundation is Sir Alex Ferguson, former manager of Manchester United football club. In the last 20 years the organisation has raised several hundred thousand euros to help sick and underprivileged children.

Contact: [email protected]

Projects 2019 – SOTE 2nd Dept. of Paediatrics, Budapest

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The Robert Burns International Foundation has donated equipment to the 2nd Department of Paediatrics at Semmelweis University in Tűzoltó utca every year since the Foundation was established in 1998.

We support other hospitals as well but why have we given continuous annual support to this hospital? The main reason is that the Tűzoltó utca hospital is the principal children’s hospital not just in Budapest but for the whole of Hungary. Children needing special treatment are often transferred here from other hospitals. So it has frequently made sense to help ensure this hospital has the equipment needed to offer the best available support for sick children in Hungary.

On  14 November  2019, Lesley Anne Füzes, Douglas Arnott, András Moldovan and David Thompson representing the Foundation visited the hospital to meet our medical advisor, Professor György Fekete, and senior members of the medical staff of the hospital, to discuss their future needs for equipment and also to see the 2 pieces of equipment purchased by the hospital in 2019 with funds donated by the Foundation.

We were given a demonstration of the EZ Gel Documentation System made by Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc. This machine reads and analyses DNA samples taken from patients and produces images and reports. These enable medical staff to review the quality of samples before subjecting them to further analysis. This not only speeds up the analysis of samples but also improves efficiency and reduces cost and waste because samples which are weak can be discarded instead of being subjected to further expensive test processes (before this machine was purchased, there was no way to assess whether a particular sample might produce useful insights before incurring these extra costs).

Prof. György Fekete: the reagents for the later steps in the process are very costly, so it is much more economical to repeat the first, rather inexpensive step than have to repeat the entire sequence of examinations.

The second piece of equipment we saw is a mobile linear probe, an instrument which is used in conjunction with an ultrasound machine. This is a small unit, about the size of a hand microphone, which is easily portable and has extensive capabilities.

Prof. György Fekete: this equipment is mostly used in the Intensive Care unit of the hospital for quick ultrasounds of any child illness.

Its small size and weight make it easier to bring the probe to the child’s bedside (rather than require the child to leave its bed and go to be tested elsewhere) which aids efficiency. It also provides the child patient with a comparatively non-frightening, non-invasive experience as the probe is rolled over his or her stomach.

Make sure you like the RBIF Facebook page or follow us on Instagram or Twitter to be sure of hearing all the details about all of our projects and events. You can also sign up to our mailing list here.

 

 

The Robert Burns International Foundation (RBIF) is supported by the British Ambassador to Hungary and the Hungarian Ambassador to the UK. The Honorary President of the foundation is Sir Alex Ferguson, former manager of Manchester United football club. In the last 20 years the organisation has raised several hundred thousand euros to help sick and underprivileged children.

Contact: [email protected]

Projects 2019 – Gyöngyvirág Children’s Home, Budapest

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Various electronic devices including TVs, washing machines, microwave ovens, fridges, irons, vacuum cleaners and reading lamps as well as new beds and a sofa were all part of the package the Gyöngyvirág Children’s Home was able to purchase in 2019 using the donation provided by the Robert Burns International Foundation. 

The Gyöngyvirág Children’s Home is indeed, as the name suggests, a home for up to 40 children between 3 and 18 years of age who, for various reasons, cannot live an ordinary family life. Some are orphans, but the majority are children who have had to leave their parents by order of the law. Most only see their natural parents a few times a year – they are looked after by a handful of dedicated care workers who provide physical and mental support for them day and night, working in shifts.

At the Gyöngyvirág Home the children live in 4 apartments, each catering for 8-12 persons: shared bedrooms, a common kitchen, living room and bathrooms. The Home is part of the state-run network of the Social and Children’s Protection Directorate and all workers’ salaries and other operational costs are handled centrally. However, central budgets are typically limited to provide for the bare minimum. In addition, the centralised administration often makes life complicated and their procurement process is typically very lengthy, sometimes leaving the home with broken equipment for years.

No wonder the Home’s dedicated staff, represented by Anett Nyúzó and Zsanett Diószegi, two special ladies, were extremely delighted to receive the donation from the RBIF.

“Thanks to your support we are in such a fortunate situation that we don’t need to cheer up frustrated colleagues when some equipment breaks down by saying it will ‘eventually’ be replaced – rather, we now have enough replacements on stock. When our colleagues are relaxed and happy as the technical conditions are fully provided, they can provide better care of the children as well. And that is the most important for us!”

The Children’s Home has for some years received support from Budapest Airport, RBIF’s 2019 Sponsor of the Year. The Airport’s donation in previous years included money collected from passengers at the airport terminal, as well as voluntary contributions of staff to special events, e.g. showcasing the special airport technical rescue equipment in the Home’s garden for Children’s Day, as well as delivering personalised Christmas gifts to the children assembled from individual donations of airport workers. As a follow up to this cooperation, the RBIF with our sponsors decided to provide a substantial contribution that the Home has never received before, helping to equip the Home after a recently completed renovation.

Make sure you like the RBIF Facebook page or follow us on Instagram or Twitter to be sure of hearing all the details about all of our projects and events. You can also sign up to our mailing list here.

The Robert Burns International Foundation (RBIF) is supported by the British Ambassador to Hungary and the Hungarian Ambassador to the UK. The Honorary President of the foundation is Sir Alex Ferguson, former manager of Manchester United football club. In the last 20 years the organisation has raised several hundred thousand euros to help sick and underprivileged children.

Contact: [email protected]

2019 Annual BBQ

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On 1 September 2019 the RBIF held its second annual BBQ at the Chefparade Country venue in Etyek, just 30 minutes outside Budapest.

In glorious sunshine, the RBIF returned to the beautiful location in the wine-village of Etyek for a fun family day, but also to raise money for the Bethesda Children’s Hospital in Budapest.

Second charity RBIF BBQ event

The BBQ was a great success with the guests spanning the generations, who were able to relax in the sun or the shade with a glass of beer or a glass of wine from the local winery, the Etyeki Kúria, before Paul Mizener and his team of chefs at Chefparade got the BBQ lunch underway.

Fillet steak, BBQ spare ribs, pulled pork, roast chicken and chili con carne were all on the menu, followed by brownies to finish off.

Playful afternoon

Whilst all this was going on the kids were able to run around and play in the huge area beside the BBQ, with football, sack races, croquet, frisbees and all sorts of other games on offer. Keller & Mayer also brought a variety of board games to keep the young ones occupied.

The event couldn’t have been the success it was without the support of the sponsors below, a big thank you to all of them.

Hungary’s fastest-growing online expat portal and the RBIF’s media partner, Expat Press Hungary Magazine, was also at the event.

We look forward to seeing you all next year!

Just click on the photo below to view all the pictures from the BBQ:

photos: Pelle Zoltán

UPS Hungary helps RBIF avoid infamy

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Organising a Burns Supper takes a bit of coordination, making sure that all the elements that make up a successful event are planned, arranged and delivered on time to celebrate the birthday of Scotland’s most famous bard.

In the 22 years that the RBIF has held Budapest’s biggest Burns Supper for charity, many things now thankfully run like clockwork, helped by the familiarity of the event location at the Corinthia Hotel, the home of the Burns Supper since 2004.

Yet changes are necessary from time to time, and this year it gives us an opportunity to highlight the logistics behind one of the most important parts of the Burns Supper.

Just a few days before submitting the annual order for our haggis and cheese in early January 2019 we still did not know how we were going to get it to Budapest. Some 140kg of product is not something you can just stick in a suitcase and hope the check-in staff at the airport are sympathetic to your cause. Clearly, we needed help.

And fortunately we got it, all thanks to Jim Kearney, Country Partner at UPS for Hungary, Greece, Romania and Slovenia. After explaining our predicament to Jim, he asked for a little time to discuss the details with his colleagues at UPS Scotland, but we had no reason to worry.

What followed was very slick and professional handling of our logistical problem. Every year we order in excess of 100kg of award-winning haggis from Cockburns Butchers in Dingwall, right in the north of Scotland. This year our 30-40kg of cheese came from Royal Deeside via I.J. Mellis in Edinburgh. So it’s not a simple A to B job either, even more so when it leaves the UK, as shown by the map.

But Jim and his colleague Scott Fowler in Scotland, along with their respective teams, were up to the task. Within 36 hours everything was delivered safe and sound to the Corinthia Hotel in central Budapest, and we all breathed a collective sigh of relief. UPS had saved the RBIF from the infamy of organising a Burns Supper without any haggis, all in the spirit of charity and helping sick and underprivileged children in Hungary.

Just click on the photos to track the route of the haggis and cheese through Europe. We hope you all enjoyed sampling them at the Burns Supper, and a huge thanks to UPS for their voluntary support.

 

Make sure you like the RBIF Facebook page or follow us on Instagram or Twitter to keep up to date with all the RBIF will be doing throughout 2019.

2019 Budapest Burns Supper

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A huge thank you to everyone that attended the Annual Budapest Burns Supper on 26 January 2019. The 22nd annual event was held as ever in the Grand Ballroom of the Corinthia Hotel Budapest.

As a Burns Supper there are many traditional elements, such as the Address to the Haggis, performed by the lead piper Rab Tait in his own inimitable way. Guests are also treated to Scotland’s national dish of haggis, neeps and tatties as a starter, with many asking for more! This year, UPS stepped up to bring over 140 kg of haggis and cheese from Scotland to Budapest for the Burns Supper.

The entertainment this year was a veritable mix of Scottish and Hungarian culture. First of all we heard the wonderful voice of Rebecka Johnston, singing some traditional Scottish folk songs. Then we had the amazingly talented Alison Ewan, a Scottish fiddler who flew out specifically to be with us at the Burns Supper. After Alison played for us she was joined on stage by a Hungarian fiddler and the rest of the Corinthia’s resident band for a truly delightful international performance.

The Budapest Burns Suppers have been growing and growing, and have been sell-outs in the last few years. The superb venue provides a great setting for some serious fundraising in the course of the evening, which was helped this year by our auction, which we took online for the very first time, and this led to some great competition for the great prizes on offer.

Overall we raised just short of HUF 14 million, which will be donated to the 2nd Department of Paediatrics in Tűzoltó utca, the Péterfy Children’s Hospital, and other projects to be announced over the coming months by the Robert Burns International Foundation.

Sponsor of the Year was Budapest Airport, a huge thanks to them, but the event can never be held without the support of our other major sponsors too:

Nevis Sponsors: FirstMed Centers, BP
Saltire Sponsors: BlackRock, Woodbrook Wealth, Generali Insurance
Thistle Sponsors: Provident, CBRE
Auction/raffle sponsor: Qatar Airways

You can find the photos from the Burns Supper in our gallery, but also take a look at the video below which really captures the atmosphere at the event, and we are grateful to Péter Thoman at Inter-PR for his voluntary help in recording all the great photo and video memories.

The organisers would also like to thank WhiskyNet, Arran Distillery, CocaCola, Heineken, Diageo, Zwack, Miko Coffee, Szentkirályi-Kékkúti Water  and Vylyan Wineries, as well as all those who helped with the raffle and the auction.

Make sure you like the RBIF Facebook page or follow us on Instagram or Twitter to be sure of hearing all the details about next year’s event in good time, and to find out what projects the RBIF will be supporting throughout 2019.

The Robert Burns International Foundation (RBIF) is supported by the British Ambassador to Hungary and the Hungarian Ambassador to the UK. The Honorary President of the foundation is Sir Alex Ferguson, former manager of Manchester United football club. In the last 20 years the organisation has raised several hundred thousand euros to help sick and underprivileged children.

Contact: [email protected]

New Year’s Honours 2019: Douglas Arnott to receive British Empire Medal

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The Chairman of the Robert Burns International Foundation, owner of EDMF Language Services Kft. and long-term Hungary resident Douglas Arnott has been awarded a British Empire Medal in the UK’s New Year’s Honours for services to charity and UK-Hungary relations.

The list of recipients is announced every year at the end of December. This year the British Empire Medal was awarded to a total of 358 people. Apart from those living in the British Isles only four people received this prominent award, including Douglas, who has been working at the RBIF helping sick and underprivileged children for seven years, five of which as Chairman.

Proficient in four languages, including Hungarian, Douglas graduated from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland with an honours degree in translation and interpreting, before settling in Hungary and establishing EDMF. For more than seven years he has been involved in the RBIF’s charitable activities, for which he was recognised with a BEM in the New Year’s Honours List.

The announcement of the award at the end of last year will be followed by the medal presentation this year along with a garden party at Buckingham Palace for the award winners.

About the British Empire Medal:

This high-level honour was established in 1917 as part of the Order of the British Empire and is awarded for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Queen. Between 1993 and 2012 the BEM was not awarded to subjects of the United Kingdom, although it continued to be presented in some Commonwealth countries. The awarding of the British Empire Medal to subjects of the United Kingdom was resumed in 2012 to coincide with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. The final decision on the medal awards is made by Queen Elisabeth II herself.

♦️Gilly McArthur (@gillymcarthur) által megosztott bejegyzés,

2018 Projects: Hódmezővásárhely/Makó

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In recent years the RBIF has been intensifying its activities beyond the boundaries of the capital Budapest, and 2018 was no exception.

As part of the SME Sponsorship Scheme, and as ever with the medical advice from Professor György Fekete, former director of the 2nd Department of Paediatrics at SOTE II in Budapest, we got in contact with Ferenc Papp, consultant physician and head of department at the paediatric unit in Hódmezővásárhely in southern Hungary.

Having teamed up with the RBIF in 2017, the staff at Inter Relocation Kft. again demonstrated their willingness to get involved with this ever-growing scheme organised by the RBIF. Such was the donation provided by Inter Relocation, and doubled by funds raised at the 2018 Burns Supper, that we were able to buy not just two but in fact three infusion pumps.

During our visit to the hospital in Makó in December 2018, where one of the pumps is already in use, Dr Papp explained that “the pump enables IV fluids and also medicines to be dosed very accurately compared to gravity-based drips”, which really enhances the standard of care. Until the RBIF donation was handed over, the hospital in Makó did not have any such infusion pump. The other two pumps are now also being used in Hódmezővásárhely.

In Makó, the RBIF represented by Chairman Douglas Arnott was accompanied by HM Ambassador Iain Lindsay, Honorary Patron of the RBIF, and Stuart McAlister, Managing Director at Inter Relocation Kft.

Stuart revealed he was delighted Inter Relocation were able to continue their involvement in the SME Scheme:

“Our sponsorship of individual projects, under the stewardship of the RBIF, plays a key role in Inter Relocation’s CSR program. It is incredible that we can make a clear and measurable difference to a hospital in need, by investing in key equipment. I was honoured to have the chance to meet with the staff of the hospital in Makó and to learn first-hand how our donation makes a difference to the staff of the paediatric department, and the children they treat there.”

2018 Projects: Zalaegerszeg

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Very early one cold December morning, when it was still dark, we hit the road to Zalaegerszeg in western Hungary, a place hitherto notable to me only for the unpronouncability of its name. 

I’ve since nailed the pronunciation (I had plenty of time in the car).  Anyway, I was undertaking a day of calls and public engagements on behalf of the Embassy in Zala.  And the most important event I took part in, as a member of the RBIF Curatorium, was the handover of a donation of a bronchoscope to the Zala County Szent Rafael hospital’s paediatric department with Dougie Arnott (Chairman) and Dennis Diokno of FirstMed.  This donation was enabled through our SME Sponsorship Scheme, with FirstMed teaming up with RBIF in this instance to double the value of the donation.

We were lucky enough to be given a tour of the Paediatrics Department by Dr László Gárdos, Head of Department.  There was a festive feel as, on 6 December, all the doctors and nurses were dressed in Santa hats for St Nicholas.  It was touching to meet some patients and their parents, and to witness the serenity and dedication of the staff.  Seeing the newborns was of course a particular joy.  We also saw the helipad of which the hospital was very proud – but sadly (or perhaps happily) no helicopters in sight.

Dr Gárdos received the bronchoscope on behalf of the hospital.  They have not, until now, had their own bronchoscope and he explained how it will help them diagnose a multitude of breathing problems much more easily and treat airway blockages when, for example, babies or children ingest small objects.

Dr Gabriella Halász, President of the Hospital, said it was a huge honour to receive the equipment.  In fact, I felt humbled by the whole occasion and thought, on the contrary, the honour was ours.

Caitlin Jones
Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy
Curatorium Member