In October 2023 news came from Romania that the Ministry of Education had passed a ground breaking law, making structural money available for hospital education in Romania for the first time.
Congratulations dear friends from Romania on your new law for hospital education in Romania – it took a while, but the result is impressive. I have great admiration for everyone who has contributed to this beautiful law. Sometimes we thought we were ready and then everything turned out differently. But with perseverance and tenacity you made it. Making a law is not as easy as falling of a chair, it takes a lot of time and it requires patience. And patience is not a flower that grows in every garden!
Patience is a flower that grows
It takes a while for flowers to bloom, after we plant the seeds,
We have to give them loving care, like every flower needs . . .
They don’t just push up through the sod, and blossom overnight,
But when they do burst through in bloom, that make a lovely sight!
Sometimes it’s that way with us, too, some things take time, we find
So just be patient and keep faith, till this is all behind!
I greatly admire the help Romania received for years from the Belgian organization NoNa (No NameChild). For no fewer than 23 years they were very active in supporting the St. Faustina hospital school and in advocating for the new law for hospital education in Romania. The beautiful HOPE Congress 2014 in Bucharest was an important event in this regard. A seed was planted there which later came to fruition.
I also have great admiration for Michel Kleuters, the HOPE Ambassador, who has been committed to turning all hospital teachers in Romania into a team since 2012. Because unity is power. That was also quite a challenge for everyone.
It makes me sad that Fotinica Gliga did not live to see the new law come into effect in Romania. Hospital education owes a lot to Fotinica. She was the head and the heart of Romanian collaboration for the new law. Let us remain inspired by the spirit of Fotinica and honour her in that way.
My advice to all of you – stay united and join forces to make this new law a great success for Romania’s students with medical or mental health needs. Because it is for them that we get out of bed every morning…. Shakespeare once wrote: “Defer no time, delays have dangerous ends.” (Henry 6, Part 1). And that is completely true. Fortunately, delays sometimes also work well. And that brings me to another quote from Shakespeare: “All’s well, that ends well.”
I wish you all a bright future for hospital education in Romania and all the best.
Kind regards
Jan Haverkate
(President of HOPE)
