The warmth and colour of the rooms and the air of friendliness make the stay there bear likeness of the family home. In particular, the Swedish Karolinska Hospital was considered as an excellent model of the child-friendly hospital. It provided inspiration to the Foundation for launching the activity directed towards introducing colour to hospitals in Poland (see three photos on the right). Usually, white colour is subconsciously associated in the mind of children with some unpleasant and annoying sensations, such as pain, misery or illness. Understanding of that association by adults gave birth to the idea of the programme Butterfly Hospitals for Children. It has been created to help us overcome the reluctance of the youngest patients and make them take at least a little fancy of the place in which they often have to spend a good deal of the childhood. "A colour paint costs no more than the white" is the slogan we use in the campaign for introducing elements of the rainbow-coloured fairy-tale world into the child's hospitals. The first step was made by remodelling the day-room in the Ophthalmology Ward at the Child's Hospital in Warsaw (Nieklanska St.). This case may serve as a proof that one does not need much to change the attitude of children towards the places they associate with illness and pain. The conversion of a gloomy room into a fairyland dream required no more than a small group of goodwill people, less than three days of work, and an expenditure slightly exceeding 4000 PLN.

before	after

ATTENTION! A competition for hospitals

All Polish child's hospitals, in particular those with oncological wards, are encouraged to take part in the Butterfly Hospitals for Children programme. The Foundation would like to act as a means of contact for the people with talents in plastic arts and painting who know how to make their artistical visions fit the standards and specific requirements of the hospitals, for the people willing to give help in painting and arranging hospital interiors, and for manufacturers of paints, brushes, floor coverings, colour fabrics, and furniture that could make a change for the better.

We are fully aware of the fact that the health service in Poland has to deal with many problems of an apparently greater importance. Nevertheless, we do believe that there is a good chance to make a positive change in the children's attitude towards hospitals, to alleviate their subconcious resistance to and fear of the hospitalization and thus help to regain health. All this may be done if one combines the energy, skills and helpfulness of volunteers with the material and financial support provided by the Foundation to the best of its possibilities. We know by experience that not much needs to be done to raise a smile on the child's face, to divert the attention of sad and suffering children to some pleasurable feelings. Every action to protect the soundness of mind of sick children is almost as important as administration of drugs. Just for that reason we are appealing to the people who are willing to share their energy, ideas, talents, and time with kids, these most helpless human beings. Do your best to activate the local goodwill resources throughout the country. We are encouraging the business people to support, as much as they can do, the realization of our most recent programme by providing material and financial donations.

In the competition for the title of the most beatiful "butterfly hospital", the prize amounts to 50,000 PLN. According to the decision of the Foundation management, the winning hospital must have been an active participant in the programme and the quality of its achievement must be evidenced by supplying photos taken before and after the remodelling. The members of the appraising committee were selected especially for that task from among the most renowned artists in painting and plastic arts. Inventiveness, ingenuity, workmanship, and the cost of the job were used as the principal ranking criteria. The lower were the expenses and the greater advantage was gained over the competitors in the appearence of the remodelled rooms, the greater was the chance for winning. The results of the competition were disclosed on December 15, 2000, at our traditional meeting with the donors and friends of the Foundation.

Within the framework of the Butterfly Hospitals for Children programme, twenty-five hospitals were competing with each other for the name of the most beatiful "butterfly" health centre. Their achievements were judged by the committee which comprised:

1. Jolanta Kwaśniewska, the Foundress
2. Joanna Bąk, an artist in plastic arts
3. Edward Lutczyn, an illustrator
4. Zofia Wolska, an artist in sculpture, a member of the Foundation Council
5. Prof. A. Styka, Academy of Plastic Arts, Warsaw
6. Ewa Gadomska, Senior Nurse, Child's Hospital in Warsaw, Niekłanska Street
7. Danuta Majsak, Profit Holding, Cracow, a representative of the donors
8. Julia Jastrzębska, a seven-years-old child
9. Andrzej Pągowski, a graphic artist
10. Janusz Stanny, a plastic-arts artist
11. Małgorzata Dębek, co-ordinator of the programme, the Foundation
12. Teresa Gajewska, a pedagogue, the Foundation.

The committee decided to give three equivalent awards, 20,000 PLN each, to the following health centres:

1. the Communal Outpatients' Health Centre in Solec Kujawski (9 votes received);
2. the Railroad Outpatients Health Centre in Legnica (8 votes);
3. the Majkowski Memorial District Hospital in Kartuzy (6 votes)

Three hospitals, namely:

1. the Child's Clinic Hospital in Lublin (5 votes)
2. the District Hospital in Lębork (3 votes)
3. the District Hospital in Kościan (2 votes)

got distinctions and donations, 5000 PLN each, to continue the work in the Butterfly Hospitals programme.

The remaining 19 hospitals, which also had submitted the required documentation of their renovation work, were awarded with the Moulinex microwave ovens.

During the year following inauguration of our "butterfly" programme over 150 health-care-related institutions changed their appearance to become more children friendly. To our greatest satisfaction, the programme expands in ever-widening circles and successively encompasses next hospitals and health-care centres.

In 2001 , thirty-seven hospitals entered the second edition of the Butterfly Hospitals for Children programme and submitted their works to compete for the name of the most beautiful "butterfly" health-care institution. The competition committee, working in a similar make-up as before (Xymena Zaniewska was appointed to replace Dorota Majsak), decided to give five equivalent awards, 10,000 PLN each. The awards and the accompanying diploma were presented by Jolanta Kwaśniewska at the traditional Christmas-Eve meeting in the Presidential Palace on December 20, 2001.

The recipients of the awards were: