EFCNI Award

The EFCNI award ceremony has become a time-honoured tradition at the Parent Organisations Summit (POS). It is an opportunity to appreciate the inspirational work of the parent- and patient organisations in our network. Each year, the winners are nominated and selected by an internal jury and do not know of their nomination or award until the corresponding evening.

We proudly present the winners of 2023:

Early birds (Ranni ptashky) for organising digital FINE (Family and Infant Neurodevelopmental Education) trainings in Ukraine

Malíček, for establishing psychologic peer support for NICU parents

Miracle Babies Foundation, for developing the educational, informative Nurture programme on preterm birth and thorough long-term follow-up

The EFCNI award ceremony has become a time-honoured tradition at the Parent Summit. It is an opportunity to appreciate the great work of the parent- and patient organisations in our network. The pandemic has affected and influenced all of us and this year’s awarded projects were all related to the pandemic. It seems that this crisis acted as a catalyst for finding solutions and gave us the attitude: Now more than ever!

This year, also due to our long break between summits, we had the honour to celebrate the work of four instead of three organisations:

• SOS Préma for developing the newborn charter for parents and healthcare professionals to support and promote the best possible development for hospitalised newborns in France
• Asociația Română pentru Nou-născuții Îndelung Spitalizați (ARNIS) and for organising and implementing FINE (Family and Infant Neurodevelopmental Education) trainings online in Romania
• Melletted a helyem Egyesület
  for organising and implementing FINE (Family and Infant Neurodevelopmental Education) trainings online in  Hungary during the pandemic
• Irish Neonatal Health Alliance (INHA) for their powerful campaign “15 minutes is not okay”, addressing the harsh separation policies in Ireland implemented in NICUs during the pandemic

Traditionally the first evening of the Parent Organisation Summit is reserved for our award ceremony. None of the winners know beforehand that they were chosen. So, when Silke Mader, Nicole Thiele and Aurelia Aubenstein entered the stage to give the laudatory speeches the room was filled with anticipation. Our four awaredees were visibly moved by the appreciation of their work! What unites all four of them is, that they know how to move obstacles and achieve amazing results. We truly admire your dedication and strength! Keep up the good work.

İlknur Okay received the award for the parent organisation El Bebek Gül Bebek in Turkey. The main focus of El Bebek Gül Bebek is implementing zero separation policy in all NICUS around the country. Moreover, the parent organization aims to improve the psychological well-being of women and girls, for which it successfully developed a psycho-training for mothers and nurses.  İlknur, the organization’s co-founder, even changed her career and became a psychologist after having worked for 22 years as a foreign trade specialist in order to better run the project.

Fabiana Bacchini from the Canadian Premature Babies Foundation was presented with the EFCNI Award for the amazing work the organization is doing in Canada. Ever since it was founded in 2012 the organisation kept in close contact with EFCNI and realised projects with impact. CPBF wants to empower families of premature babies, so they feel confident to care for their prematurely born child. In order to this, the organisation produces reliable and consistent information material, offers peer support and makes sure that parents know where to turn for help.

Corina Croitoru (Asociatia Unu si Unu) and Diana Gamulescu (Asociatia Prematurilor) were each awarded for their achievements in Romania. Although the country faces a lot of social and economic challenges, two strong parent organisations –  Asociatia Unu si Unu and Asociatia Prematurilor do their best to improve the situation for preterm born babies and their families. While Corina Croitoru (Asociatia Unu si Unu) aims to implement family centred care in every intensive care unit, Diana Gamulescu’s (Asociatia Prematurilor) goal is to raise a wide awareness for the European Standards of Care for Newborn Health in Romania.