Association's Goals

Sometimes transplant is the only way to save a child suffering from irreversible liver damage.

The Centre Suisse du Foie de l'Enfant (CSFE) of the Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève (HUG's) is the only center in Switzerland that performs paediatric liver transplantation. The post-transplant survival rate of over 90% is one of the highest in Europe. Children who have liver disease come to Geneva for treatment from all over Switzerland. Transplants are often performed on very young children (50% are less than one year old); these young patients must feel supported and close to a family member during their hospitalization. APAEG assists families with comfortable apartments so parents, and sometimes brothers and sisters, can stay close to their hospitalized child. The relief of logistical difficulties is a real support offered by APAEG to families. A modest amount is charged for the apartment, and the rest of major costs are financed uniquely by private donations.

Support us

toddler-smilling We would like to highlight the apartment's management is not connected to the Hospital. Therefore, their existence and functioning are entirely taken care of by l'Association Pour l'aide à l'Enfant Greffé (APAEG), a non-profit association, financed only by donations. Donations can be made to CCP 17-631 233-3 of La Poste. Thank you for spreading the word!

The History of the APAEG

On June 2nd, 1990, Georgette & Eric Genton lost their life's treasure, their daughter Caroline, aged six and a half, after battling a very long illness. Due to the situation, they established a very frequent and close relationship with the paediatric unit at HUG, in particular, with doctors Claude LeCoultre and Dominique Belli, with whom they remained in contact. In 1992, Claude LeCoultre was appointed Professor, thereby, supporting the creation of the only Swiss paediatric liver transplantation center.

1992: The creation of the Paediatric Liver Transplantation Center

Such therapies always require long periods of hospitalization prior, during and, especially, after the transplant procedure. Thus, it is imperative the operated child receive emotional support and benefit from the presence of at least of one of his family members. It implied parents living outside the Geneva area from all around Switzerland, sometimes with limited financial conditions, would need to find suitable and affordable accommodation near the paediatric hospital. At first, Professor LeCoultre obtained from HUG's management two studios in an apartment building near the hospital.

Creation of the APAEG (first stage)

When the query related to the studios' administration aroused, Claude LeCoultre asked Georgette and Eric Genton for assistance and, in order to ensure the financing of this operation, in 1992, the Association pour l'Aide à l'Enfant Greffé (APAEG) was founded, with Claude LeCoultre as President, Eric Genton as Treasurer and Georgette Genton as Secretary. Since then, the accommodation of liver transplant children's families was ensured, although still precarious. Georgette and Eric Genton became the leaders of APAEG's activity. In this first stage of about five years, 2100 nights on those two studios were offered to the parents of sick children at the modest rate of 15 CHF per day. Since 1994, the apartments' management, their maintenance, the families' reception and guidance was guaranteed by Georgette Genton, as well as the accounting activities. The administration and representation of APAEG, as well as the fundraising initiatives were responsibilities of Eric Genton, all tasks were accomplished on a voluntary basis.

The Expansion: 1998

During this time, the improvements on surgical techniques and treatments lead to an increasing number of children from all over Switzerland coming to Geneva for treatment and/or transplantation. It, consequently, raised the number of nights the parents needed. Thus, the association was forced acknowledge their accommodation resources were becoming insufficient both in quantity and quality. Undeniably, the studios were too small to accommodate whole families, especially during weekends, when other relatives wished to join family members who remained at the bedside of the child in Geneva. As a result, at the end of 1998, our Committee decided to expand its activities trough the rental of larger apartments located in the immediate vicinity of the hospital, and, the improvement on supervision and reception services quality. Hence, in 1998, thanks to Eric Genton's professional activity, director of a Geneva real estate company, APAEG was able to rent three apartments: one on Rue Carouge, the two others on Rue Blanche, all near to the children's hospital. In addition, hospital staff's available time to support the families was constantly decreasing, so, in March 1st 1999, it was decided to create a part-time coordinator position to manage all aspects of the apartment's provision activities.

The renewal

Reasonably, Georgette Genton accepted to take on this position, then acting as Secretary of the Committee and coordinator. Her activities covered, all the details of APAEG's apartments management, from their installation to their maintenance, reception and orientation of the families, invoicing and accounting, in collaboration with the caretakers of the surgical service. Eric Genton remained treasurer and Vice-President with unchanged responsibilities, although still voluntary. All these activities required above all an exemplary availability, once the transplants are often unpredictable in advance. They were asked to welcome a family, sometimes late in the evening, on Sundays or even on Christmas Eve.