After a six-month break, construction of the eye hospital's first building recommenced. We received financial support for continuing the work among others from the "Opération Espérance" foundation of the French Taizé Community.
The work of masonry and brick production is continuing.
It is with great pleasure that I inform our website readers and supporters that the hospital's construction has begun!
As a first step, we purchased a container that was placed on the construction site.
The container has been bought from the grant received from the Summa Artium whose assistance is gratefully acknowledged.
We are pleased to inform the readers of our website that our volunteers, the architect Nóra Bordás-Varga, designer of the hospital and the engineer József Geiger, have safely returned home from their assignment to the Congo. Thanks to the grant obtained though the National Cooperation Fund / NEA / tender, the most important initial step for the hospital construction project has been made possible, namely the design of the hospital and the acceptance of the plans by the authorities. The trip has surpassed all our expectations: the St. Raphael Ophthalmologic Centre has received its building permit!
Thanks are due to architect Nóra Bordás-Varga, who travelled to the Congo with meticulously prepared blueprints worked out to the minutest detail with highest professional skill; to engineer József Geiger for his part in the work through his construction experience gained in the Congo; to Pál Paulin, staff member of Arcade Studio Kft. for the for digitization and digital visualization of the plans that can also be seen on the relevant leaflets.
Last but not least, thanks to Ferenc Kocsis for the beautiful scale model that is a great success.
We are pleased to inform our supporters and readers of the website that our foundation has received two million HUF in support of the hospital construction project by way of tender from the National Cooperation Fund / NEA /.
As early as 2010, we had managed to buy three small plots of land with the support of the foundation that became the property of the St. Raphael Eye Care Centre. Excerpt from the film made on the occasion of János Beres' visit to Mbuji-Mayi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EhT5U-xOHA
The Centre functions in rented premises, and the space is inadequate for housing inpatients. In Kasai province with two ophthalmologists for its eight million inhabitants there is a huge demand for a well run eye hospital. The foundation's two volunteers, Nóra Bordás-Varga (designer of the hospital) and József Geiger (structural engineer) travelled to the Congo on 8 December for the ceremonial laying of the foundation stone and to take part in discussions with the authorities and the contractor.
The vacant lot...
The plan of the hospital (designer Nóra Bordás- Varga, visual design Pál Paulin)
The cross blessed by Astrik Várszegi, Abbot of Pannonhalma, will be placed into the foundation stone. The cross wrought from nails symbolizes Christ's suffering for our redemption. On this rock we aim to build a hospital, a chapel and a community house, so that the patients entering should attain physical and mental healing.
The inscription on the hospital: "Ephphatha, be opened" (Mark 7:34), refers to Jesus' healing miracles.
It is for this sweeping scheme that we appeal to you for your support in the form of prayers and donations.