A huge thank you to all the helpers and sponsors that assisted with the 23rd Annual Budapest Burns Supper at the Corinthia Budapest. Many people, companies and organisations support us in different ways, both financially and with products or services. Without their generous assistance the Burns Supper would not be the event it is.

We raised HUF 11 million on the night, with a further HUF 2 million raised after the Burns Supper, a fantastic achievement by everyone involved. Together with reserves we will be looking to finance new projects in 2020 worth HUF 15 million.

Check out our gallery for all the photos of the evening!

SPONSOR OF THE YEAR

 

 

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 2020.

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]

The Péterfy Sándor Street Hospital, located in District 7, is one of Budapest’s oldest and largest hospitals in Budapest with nearly 1,600 beds, where patients can be treated for an array of ailments and conditions.

The RBIF has been working closely with the hospital for a number of years, focusing on improving and providing equipment on the neonatal wing, which treats and cares for newborn children, primarily premature babies.

The neonatal wing is run by Dr Gábor Baross who, with the support of his team, can deal with anything between 500 – 600 premature babies every year. Given the wing can only accommodate 20/30 babies at any one time, if one was to say the wing is running at capacity, it would be somewhat of an understatement. Dr Baross also explained that to compound this problem, it is getting harder and harder to recruit and retain skilled and qualified nurses.

What defines a premature baby in need of help from Dr Baross and his colleagues? A premature baby is anything weighing between 500 grams to 1 kilogram. A baby born under 500 grams has a 20/30% survival rate, and then only a 30% chance of being healthy. Depending on the diagnosis, the baby will then spend anything between 4 weeks to 4 months within the confines of an incubator. Dr Baross welcomes visits from the parents, but this needs to be managed carefully as there can be up to 5 incubators in 1 room, meaning circulation space can be at a premium.

In 2019 we donated a professional, electronic breast pump device and accessories for the hospital, providing further convenience for the mothers on the ward.

We asked Dr Baross why this was important:

Breast milk is the perfect source of nutrition for newborns and premature babies. It is particularly important for the very small and vulnerable babies to receive breast milk, and this gives them protection against infections and helps their development. These babies are often not able to suck the quantity of milk that they need, and they can sometimes be hampered by other factors, such as if they are ventilated. Using this equipment we can ensure that they receive the best nutrition, their mother’s breast milk.

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]

Following the generosity of the sponsors and the guests at the Burns Supper in 2019 and in cooperation with our long-time sponsor Budapest Airport, the RBIF sought a new project close to the airport.

Advice was given by medical adviser Professor Fekete, who recommended the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Hospital, situated in Budapest’s 10th district.

After consultations with hospital management and doctors, the RBIF provided two items, one being a NeoPuff battery-operated resuscitator. This small device helps to inflate a newborn’s lungs in a manner that regulates the pressure of the air being pumped into the lungs, avoiding potential lung damage caused by manually pumped air being pumped too vigorously. The second was an Atom Air Incubator – the department now has 3 incubators.

The department cares for approximately 200 babies each year, with between 15 and 20 babies on the ward at any one time. They are planning a renovation which should start in early 2020 and be completed within 3 months. The work will provide them with two wings within the department, one being for natural births, the other for C-section births. The respiratory device that they have just received means they now have two, one for each wing. Part of their renovation will include a mother and baby incubator room – up until now a baby needing that special care for the initial post-birth period was separated, in the most part, from his or her mother. This will no longer be the case.

Dr. Judit Jeager explained why these items were chosen:

The new incubator means that the hospital can place one at the entrance for cases when a mother feels that, for some reason, she is unable to care for her newborn, or perhaps that the baby would be better off being cared for by someone else. She can place her child in the incubator, safe in the knowledge that the baby will receive full medical attention. It is possible for the mother to change her mind within 60 days, if she feels that her earlier actions were a mistake, and be reunited with her baby. This system is used successfully at several hospitals throughout Hungary and here at the Bajcsy Hospital we would like to offer such an opportunity.

The NeoPuff resuscitator is an extremely safe way of resuscitating newborns. Prior to this, a manual “balloon-type” resuscitator was used, but as it is possible to set the air pressure on this piece of equipment, it is far safer to use.  We have used it several times and always with good results.

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]

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]

The 2018 Sponsor of the Year of the Robert Burns International Foundation was Budapest Airport. We talked to Kam Jandu, Chief Commercial Officer, to find out more about their CSR activities.

How important is corporate social responsibility to Budapest Airport?

It is fundamentally important to BUD for many reasons.  For example, being one of the largest single site employers in Hungary (supply chain wise, we have almost 11000 people), we have a huge responsibility towards society and in particular the local community where a sizeable chunk of our workforce comes from. Moreover, aviation is associated rightly or wrongly with environmental issues and of course noise related matters which is why we invest considerable time and energy with multiple stakeholders to both educate but also to listen to any concerns related to our sector.

You have been a long-standing supporter of the RBIF. What prompted you to partner up in the first place?

Kam Jandu, CCO, Budapest Airport

I was an invited guest one particular year to the Burns Supper and was pleasantly surprised by the occasion, calibre of guests, sense of community and above all the work of the foundation which was clear for all to see.

How does Budapest Airport benefit from its association with the RBIF?

In addition to bringing some aviation-related clients to the annual Burns Supper which is a wonderful evening in itself, we also found some great projects last year which talked to the ideas which are important for BUD from a CSR perspective, whilst still generating significantly to the RBIF. As the airport is located across districts 17 and 18 it is important for us to work with local causes in partnership with the RBIF. Two such projects in 2019 included a Children’s Home namely Gyöngyvirág and a children’s ward at the Bajcsy-Zsilinszky hospital.

What would you say to any other company that is considering sponsoring the RBIF and its activities?

I would wholeheartedly encourage it, because not only do you get considerable corporate benefit when helping a great cause, the level of personal satisfaction is also highly significant too.  We are proud of our association with RBIF and look forward to continuing to work with them on mutually beneficial contracts.