Fathers of Hope

How does the programme work?

A leukaemia diagnosis changes the life of the whole family, not only the child. During treatment, fathers work hard to be at their child's side, to give the family strength and to keep daily responsibilities going, and in doing so they often push their own emotional needs into the background. Fathers of Hope starts from the simple fact that fathers, too, need to be understood, supported and part of a community.

The overall aim of the project is to develop supportive work around the emotional, social and solidarity needs of fathers of children fighting leukaemia, to make their contribution to family life visible, and to build a culture of solidarity that supports the well-being of children and their families. To that end, safe spaces will be created where fathers can share their experiences, solidarity between fathers will be strengthened, their involvement in their child's care and treatment will be supported, and those who need it will be referred to psychosocial support services.

The primary target group is fathers of children with leukaemia who are in treatment, have completed treatment or are in follow-up. Mothers and other family members, foundation volunteers, psychologists and social workers, donors and corporate social responsibility partners form the secondary target group. Participation is voluntary, and different family structures, living conditions and needs are taken into account.

The project is run by the foundation's relevant units and grounded in a needs analysis. In the first phase the needs of the target group are assessed, the scope of activities is defined and the implementation team is formed. Activities can be supported by online meetings alongside face-to-face gatherings; timing and accessibility are planned around families' daily responsibilities. Participant feedback is collected regularly and the programme is improved accordingly.

By the end of the project we expect supportive spaces where fathers can share their needs, stronger social bonds between fathers, families better informed about psychosocial support mechanisms, and greater public awareness of families fighting leukaemia. Impact will be assessed through quantitative and qualitative indicators such as the number of participating fathers, the number of meetings and events held, participant satisfaction and the change in perceived solidarity and support.

Fathers of Hope is intended to grow into a long-term family support programme rather than remain a one-off event. Regular father meetings, a growing volunteer solidarity network and annual reviews of results are planned, and the experience of the first year is expected to extend the project into models that can be applied in other regions.

Which costs are covered?

How is an application assessed?

• 01

  Hope Meetings

  Regular gatherings where fathers share their experiences, feelings and needs, with selected sessions facilitated by specialists.

• 02

  A Father's Story

  Stories of fathers who wish to take part, turned into written, photo or video content in their own words and with their consent.

• 03

  Father to Father

  A solidarity network, coordinated by the foundation, in which fathers learn from one another and build mutual support.

• 04

  Hope Together

  Social gatherings, creative workshops and family events that fathers attend with their children and families, planned around each child's health.

• 05

  Awareness Campaign

  Social media content, short films and interviews telling fathers' stories, always with permission and with children's privacy protected.

• 06

  Identifying Needs

  Voluntary surveys, interviews and event evaluations to identify fathers' priority needs and feed them into future programmes.