Charities for Michaelmas 2004
Sobell House Hospice
Sir Michael Sobell House is the Hospice at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford, and is the palliative care unit attached to the Oxford Cancer Centre. Originally opened in 1975, it was through the generosity of Sir Michael Sobell who both provided major financial support and gave much needed encouragement, that the scheme to build a Hospice came to fruition. Care and support are offered at the Hospice to people with cancer and other life-threatening conditions, and also to their families and others close to them. "Our aim is to offer psychological, social and spiritual care to those facing illness, death and bereavement. In partnership with all those involved, we focus on quality of life, respecting the uniqueness of each person who comes to the Hospice. We seek to contribute to the development of palliative care through education and research" Currently 70 members of staff are assisted by some 200 volunteers and during last year the Hospice was involved with:
- Over 3000 home care visits
- 2,858 day centre visits
- Over 500 patients admitted
- 341 families receiving help from the Bereavement Service
- 150 patients visiting the Lymphoedema clinic
The Gatehouse
The Gatehouse is a shelter providing food, shelter and company to Oxford's homeless and poorly housed population; it is open to anyone who is 25 or over. It is on St. MichaelÕs Street and is run almost entirely by volunteers.
Oxford Development Abroad
Oxford Development Abroad is a registered charity entirely run by Oxford students. It organises and trains student volunteers to undertake projects in some of the poorest countries of the developing world. It also aims to raise awareness of development issues here in Britain. It is an organisation that holds community-based sustainable development at its heart. The projects are wholly initiated by the host community and carried out in conjunction with NGOs based in the placement country. The charity generally supports health and education projects as these are deemed to be the most important by the people in the local area. This summer we are fundraising for projects in Nepal and Uganda. ODA is a student charity that harnesses the energy and enthusiasm of students in Oxford to assist in development projects in the developing world. This summer volunteers are being sent to Nepal and Uganda to work within local communities. They select and train student volunteers to work on 4 and 6 week placements that run in the Easter and summer holidays respectively. The projects cover a diverse range of geographical areas and development issues and benefit both the local people and the students involved.
The Anthony Nolan Trust
Founded in 1974 as the first Register of volunteers willing to donate bone marrow in circumstances where a match cannot be found within a patientÕs family, The Anthony Nolan Trust now holds one of the largest databases of unrelated donors in the world. The Trust owes its existence to the determination of Shirley Nolan, who established the Register in an attempt to save the life of her son, Anthony; a little boy born in 1971 suffering a rare bone marrow disease which left his immune system unable to fight infection.
The Streets Ahead
The Streets Ahead is a UK based charity set-up to help the street children of Rwanda, many of whom are orphans from the genocide. The children lead desperate lives, scavenging for food and sleeping wherever they can, with many turning to petty theft and solvent abuse. They are amongst the most marginalized groups living in Rwanda today. The aim of the project is to provide an environment where the children can be safe, be fed, have a place to wash themselves and their clothes, receive basic medical care and learn the basic numeracy, literacy and "life" skills that they need. The centres strive to create an atmosphere where the children become confidence enough to move off the street permanently.