Support to “La Grande Casa di Peter Pan”: a Home for Families of Children with Cancer

Project location: Italy, Rome
Project start date: June 2012 - Project end date: May 2013
Project number: 2012-020
Beneficiary: Associazione Peter Pan Onlus

 [2013-051 | 2015-025 |2017-011]

Many families travel away from home to get treatment for their children with cancer at Rome Bambino Gesù and Policlinico Umberto I hospitals. Peter Pan provides these family a "home-away from home"; in fact, Peter Pan not only provides a quiet and comfortable place to stay at no cost, but also provides help, assistance, warmth and various services offered by more than 200 volunteers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and by a wide solidarity network made of other organizations.

Thanks to Peter Pan Houses, children can be more easily cured with day-hospital system, so spending less time at the hospital, with enormous benefit for their psychological status and health. Moreover, in 2010 an agreement with Bambino Gesù Hospital was signed in order to provide some specific treatments directly at Peter Pan Houses, where appropriate, with great benefit for the children who avoid even going to the Hospital.
The first Peter Pan House was created in 2000 and since then other two Houses have been realized. Since the beginning, more than 500 families have been hosted repeatedly for treatments and follow up. About 80% of families staying at Peter Pan houses usually come from many different Italian regions, especially from the South, and 20% of them come from foreign Countries spread across the world.
In 2011, about 110 children with their families have been hosted, staying for few days or some months or even the whole year. Despite this, the Association couldn't satisfy all upcoming requests and, for this reason, has realized a bigger House, "La Grande Casa di Peter Pan".

"La Grande Casa di Peter Pan" is a big House made of three different adjacent buildings, able to host 33 different families, situated in Rome close to Bambin Gesù Hospital. Two of these buildings were already existing Peter Pan Houses, whereas the third one, about 1.100 m2, is a new one and is being restored (actually this new building is going to replace another one, situated far from the other two).
"La Grande Casa di Peter Pan" has been officially opened on November 16, 2011, at 80% of works done, after exactly 17 years the foundation of the Association. Restoration works are going to be completed by March 2012 but, due to some bureaucracy, electricity is not yet available and so necessary technical tests cannot be executed yet, before the real opening to families which is at the moment foreseen in May 2012.
After its actual opening to families, La Grande Casa di Peter Pan needs to be supported and maintained in order to be able to guarantee increased hospitality to families along the time. Basic maintenance includes costs for annual rent, utilities, dedicated staff, cleaning services, insurance, material purchase, on-going furniture and equipment maintenance.

This project received a grant from the Nando Peretti Foundation. The main objective of "La Grande Casa di Peter Pan" is to increase hospitality capacity by 30%, with 33 family rooms vs. the current 25 . This is going to drastically reduce current waiting lists, because a higher number of families is going to be hosted. Moreover, with this project all three Peter Pan Houses will be situated close each other, and this will allow in the medium term to improve quality of the service by creating synergies and better organization.

Peter Pan Onlus in an Italian no-profit organization born in 1994. It was founded by a group of parents of children with cancer who wanted to give to other families, living the same experience, a real help to cope with the disease.
In particular, since 2000, the organization has realized houses to give shelter and assistance to families who are not resident in Rome and come to the Capital to treat their children. In 2004, Peter Pan Association has received from Italian Republic President a very important recognition, the Gold Medal for merits in Public Health sector. Moreover, Peter Pan promotes the rights of children with cancer, helps to spread solidarity culture, supports research, participates to international cooperation projects and belongs to FIAGOP (Italian Confederation of Childhood Cancer Parents Organizations) and ICCCPO (International Confederation of Childhood Cancer Parents Organizations).

 The Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation has extended this grant through 2019 (fourth grant).


Associazione Peter Pan Onlus
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