The Tony Hawks Centre, Moldova

Help Raise $150,000 For the Tony Hawks Centre, Chisinau

The Story

Picture the scene. I’m in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, half way through my bizarre quest to try and beat the entire Moldovan national football team at tennis. Every day I witness another example of the poverty and hardship that so many Moldovans have to undergo. It’s a country with huge economic difficulties, and one that the rest of the world seemed to have forgotten about. In its rush to reject communism and embrace the free market, huge swathes of the population have been forgotten about, and the safety net of any kind of social welfare seems to has more or less vanished.

People on the streets are looking gloomy and downhearted, and the feeling was starting to rub of on me. That was – until I decided to do something about it. I knew that I was going to return to Britain and write a book about my experiences and it seemed wrong to me that I should profit form this without giving anything back. One night, as I lay in bed, contemplating the plight of so many of the people, I decided that I would donate half the royalties from the book to a trust fund for Moldova.

Thankfully the book sold well enough for us to be able to do something constructive with the money. In August 2000 we opened The Hippocrates Children’s Centre (now called The Tony Hawks Centre), run by Diana Covalciuc, the doctor with whom I’d lodged during my Moldovan sojourn. By channeling the money through the charity Aid to Russia and the Republics (Now called Child Aid, www.childaidrr.org.uk ) who were experienced in aid in this part of the world, we were able to ensure that every penny went to the centre.

Mission

“To improve the health of children with chronic conditions who are living in socially vulnerable families”.

The centre accomplishes its mission by providing free consultations and medical rehabilitation services to children from birth up to the age of 15, who have chronic illnesses of the neuro-muscular, cardio-vascular or respiratory system, being previously diagnosed in a specialized medical institution.

One branch of this mission is teaching parents and caretakers of children with chronic conditions to help their child live a more comprehensive life and integrate into the society.” It definitely does this. I know because I’ve been to visit it four times now. Every year it gets better and I am so proud that such a daft bet with my mate Arthur. However, we are at a crossroads now. The need for the centre to grow is overwhelming. Moldovan politicians are waking up to the fact that this kind of healthcare should be provided by the state – but a walk around the Children’s Hospital in Chisinau will reveal just how much money needs to be spent elsewhere – and the government just doesn’t have the money.

Moldova faces yet more economic challenges as President Putin had announced that Russia will stop buying Moldovan wine – an action viewed by many to be a ‘punishment’ for Moldova looking towards Western Europe for its political allegiances) We need to move to larger premises. The cost of property in central Chisinau has soared in the last decade as Western businesses have moved in and inflated the prices. So we need to raise a substantial amount of money to purchase a building and convert it into the new enlarged care centre. In fact: WE NEED TO RAISE $150,000. Why not click on the link here and give £1? Or $1 – or whatever. If you’ve had some fun on the site – then this could be a little way of ‘giving something back.’

What We Do

Since the opening of the centre, 90 children (from the capital as well as from the entire republic) per year were provided services. These children received treatment for a range of illnesses, including: malformations of the central nervous system; cerebral motor infirmity; neuro-muscular disorders; scoliosis; bronchial asthma; chronic bronchitis; and congenital heart disease. Services provided to these children have included: physiotherapy, occupational therapy, electrotherapy, splinting, casting, orthosis, paediatric and other specialists’ services (such as orthopedist, neurologist, surgeon, dentist) when necessary

Physical therapy for children with locomotion disabilities

Empowering children through physical therapy at home