The Inaugural Fundraising Gala Event
The evening of December 7th 2006 was a truly moving moment for many who have journeyed with us from the time Rachel House was a mere dream. On that evening, the dream was passionately shared by 510 guests who attended the event; and in that moment, we knew that we were one step closer to bringing the vision that “no child should die alone” to reality.
A “Call to Action” by the ex Chairman of Unilever Indonesia, Mr. Nihal Kaviratne, reiterated clearly the purpose for the evening which was to seek support for a private partnership to build an in-patient hospice for children in Indonesia, where palliative care will be provided to children ravaged by cancer and AIDS. And that, as Mr. Kaviratne said in his speech, “rather than being abandoned, such children should be given hope and the will to live. From this small beginning, it is our hope that one day, as community and support awareness grows, children with HIV can be encouraged to lead purposeful lives, and meet death when it comes with dignity.”
Mr. Kaviratne closed his speech by urging all who were present that evening to pledge their support for the cause and make a difference. “I have no doubt that you share a collective urge to do some good and make a difference. Your presence here tonight is proof of this. If you are willing then, let us together lay the small foundation stone of Rachel House, let us support its community of dedicated workers, let us learn from its birth and study its growth, let us help them add life to the remaining days in the lives of these children”
The evening raised over USD 300,000. Our grateful thanks go to our corporate sponsors Piaget, The Time Place, Coutts Private Bank, Metro, Moët Henessy, Tod’s, Leo Design and Art Explore. And to our faithful supporter and media partner, Prestige Indonesia and DestinAsian Group, without whom the evening would not have been possible. And to our wonderfully generous donors, we are humbled by the show of faith and confidence bestowed upon us.
The journey has just begun. The team at Rachel House will commit to keep our intentions and vision clear at all times: that we are here to serve the community that needs our help so that no child should die alone, unloved and uncared for.
We were truly blessed to have the wonderful support from everyone on our inaugural fundraising evening. We would like to invite all to travel this journey with us, in the quest for a better world – not just for some of us, but for all of us.
Administration Office
On January 15th 2007, the Rachel House administration team moved to Graha Indramas in the Slipi area. We are grateful to Jimmy Masrin, a member of the Board of Trustees (“Pembina”) for the generous assistance he and his team have given us.
Project Manager
In late March, we will be adding to our team a Project and Operational Manager who will oversee the setting up of our first hospice in Jakarta. Anil Sharma is currently in the UK visiting hospice facilities such as Helen House and Rachel House.
Land in Cibubur
We are finalizing the purchase of a property to build a 60-bed in-patient hospice facility. We hope to soon be able to announce the good news when the purchase is completed and the construction plans begun.
Invitation to participate and contribute
As we set up our administration office and begin to prepare our first hospice, we continue to seek assistance from our friends and family for donations of office furniture and equipment, such as desks, chairs, computers and printers to allow us to channel as much of the funds donated to us to the care of the children.
| A list of the furniture and equipment currently needed (click here). We will update this list from time to time as needs are filled. |
Finally, we are planning to have our first 10-bed hospice facility ready for operation by the 2nd quarter of this year. Our biggest challenge continues to be finding a home for this facility. We would like to take the opportunity now to seek your assistance, and your generosity, should you know of or own a property that is perhaps available for us to rent for a period of time to allow us to begin our operations.
It is an exciting time in Rachel House’s journey. We remain grateful for our friends’ and family support and your faith in us.
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