A project to build the “House of Hope”, a humanitarian initiative of the “Light of Hope” Foundation, has been launched in Mostar. The house is intended for oncology patients who come for treatment from other cities and cantons, and will provide them with accommodation and support during therapy near the Oncology Center. The project aims to make the stay of patients easier during treatment, reduce the financial burden of travel, and provide additional support with health care.
Maja Memić from Mostar has beaten cancer twice, and today she guides other women through the most difficult struggle of their lives. Therefore, as she tells us, she fully understands how much the “House of Hope” will mean for oncology patients.
“There was no radiotherapy in Mostar yet, there was chemotherapy, but for the first 18 days I was driving every day and going by bus to radiotherapy in Sarajevo and back. So, it is incredibly tiring for the patient and this is truly a bright spot and I am glad that people recognize this, that such a facility is found in Mostar,” says Maja Memić, president of the “Novi pogled” Association.
“House of Hope” is primarily intended for oncology patients who come from distant places, as well as their family members or companions who want to be with their loved ones during treatment. In the House, they will be able to receive psychological support, counseling, a place to rest, and connect with each other and exchange experiences with people who are going through similar life challenges.
“This house will have neither name nor surname, religion nor nationality nor anything that divides people in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It will only have the needs of those who came to Mostar for treatment and who are simply fighting for their own lives,” said Antonela Vučić, head of the “Light of Hope” Foundation.
The location is across the street from the Oncology Clinic of the Mostar University Clinical Hospital and is spacious enough. The “House of Hope” will have an area of 350 square meters and will contain six separate apartments and one large common living room, designed to provide patients with a comfortable and functional space during their stay.
“And inside each apartment there is a toilet that is suitable for people with disabilities and two beds that can be separated or joined, depending on the needs of the patient. Those beds are sized so that they can be like regular or hospital beds,” says project manager Mario Vukoja.
The conceptual project “House of Hope” has been completed. Now they are working on collecting bids, creating cost estimates and the main project. In about twenty days, a month at the latest, the filling of part of the plot will begin, when the actual construction of the house will begin. The project is realized exclusively with the help of donations and community support, and the building will be built as a prefabricated house, in order to speed up construction and reduce costs.
