This campaign has now closed

Providing a full package of home education and entertainments' technology for terminally ill children at Demelza Child, the children's hospice in Eltham, London

100%
Categories

  • Education/Training/Employment Education/​Training/​Employment
  • Health/Wellbeing Health/​Wellbeing
  • Beneficiaries

    • Children (3-18) Children (3-18)
    • Young People (18-30) Young People (18-30)

    Situation

    Today, technology surrounds us and plays an important part of the way we live our lives; for children, even more so. They take to the newest gadget like ducks to water when it comes to playing, learning, discovering and talking to their friends. That is why we know it is especially important to provide our services for life-limited children. Lifelites is the only charity in the UK aiming to maintain a fully serviced package of education and entertainments’ technology to every children’s hospice in the country. We take all the costs and time that is needed to look after this complex equipment away from the hospices, in order that their staff and funds can be concentrated on caring for the children and their families. This is a brand new children’s hospice site and we are very keen to add them to our network. Whereas, for most children, growing up involves going to school, making friends and playing sport; these activities are all too often out of the reach of children with cancer and other life-threatening conditions. Through the power of technology and high tech entertainments, Lifelites is striving to give children in hospices the chance to spend quality time with their families, the means to keep in contact with their school and friends, and simply to enjoy themselves away from the constant reality of their illness. Children with terminal illnesses are not only charged with shorter lives, but are also faced with a condition which necessarily restricts their ability to experience the world around them in the same way as other kids. By providing computers with Internet access, our aim is to open up the opportunities these children can have to see as much of the world as they can, and to give them the best possible experience they can have during their short lives. Touch screen computers, special keyboards and mice devices mean that any child, whatever their ability, can have the same chance to use the equipment provided by Lifelites. Computer games, wide screen TVs with Sky and digital cameras (to make a lasting record of their visit to the hospice) all go together to make up the package we provide. In addition, we maintain a Wide Area Network (WAN) to keep these already vulnerable children safe while they surf the Web, and we train the hospice staff so they can help the children to get the best use our of our equipment. Without Lifelites, the children we serve would not have the ability to surf the wonders of the World Wide Web, play teccy games with their brothers and sisters, talk to their friends on line, do their homework on a computer like their mates do, or relax with their family in front of their favourite programme during their visit to the hospice. As you can imagine, it requires a substantial commitment from Lifelites to maintain the network. Every second counts for the children we serve, so the technology and the specialist staff to keep the equipment in good working order at all times, means that we have on-going costs of £7,000 per annum for this project We have also committed to sustaining what we do and replacing the equipment when it wears out – as technology has a habit of doing - around every four years which will cost us on average around £20,000 for this site.

    Solution

    100%
    Categories

  • Education/Training/Employment Education/​Training/​Employment
  • Health/Wellbeing Health/​Wellbeing
  • Beneficiaries

    • Children (3-18) Children (3-18)
    • Young People (18-30) Young People (18-30)