Portraits of Our Help: Holiday Edition

Throughout 2007, Malteser International has published remarkable stories of how we help people and communities in the countries where we work to rebuild and revitalize. We've met incredible people doing great work and making great strides and doing great services to help others. We've packaged these stories together for the holiday version of our On the SPOT newsletter.

These new Portraits of Our Help offer heartwarming and inspirational stories from people working in India, Dr Congo, Myanmar, Pakistan, India... everywhere where we help provide relief efforts and rebuilding projects. Download our On The Spot Christmas Edition to read our stories.

Malteser International Extends Aid in Eastern DR Congo

Today, Malteser International has started the targeted identification of internally displaced persons (IDPs) who in recent weeks have been the victims of traumatic ex-periences in Eastern DR Congo. 

“Raped women, people who have been forced to witness massacre or execution, and families who have been violently torn apart it is important that these people are able to have a contact person available to them, so that they can process their terrible experiences and be able to better endure their current situation,” says Dennis Mueller, Congo expert at Malteser International. 

Malteser International staff members, who have received special psychological training, will visit the camps and will specifically focus their attentions on seeking out trauma patients. For further care, the patients will be brought to the SOSAME Centre, one of the specialist trauma treatment clinics in Bukavu. 

Since the renewal of the conflict, 34 people have already been referred to the care centre supported by Malteser International. Given this level of need, Dennis Mueller expects that the visits to the camps will produce a similar number of new patients. 

“We hope to be able to help as many of these people as possible,” he says. 

In addition to this psychological and psychosocial support, Malteser International is assisting the internally displaced persons with food distributions. In January, the organization will begin the second food distribution to over 30,000 internally displaced persons. A total of 513 tons of flour, rice, vegetables, oil and salt will be distributed to the people which is enough to keep them from starvation for another month. The food supplies will be financed through the United Nation’s World Food Programme (WFP).

In order to build on the relief efforts in Eastern Congo, Malteser International is in urgent need of donations. Donate to support the relief efforts.

World AIDS Day: HIV Prevention in India

Today is World AIDS Day, a day for individuals and organizations worldwide to bring attention to the global AIDS epidemic. The Order of Malta Worldwide Relief -- Malteser International Americas commemorates the 20th anniversary of this historic day with three new stories this week that describe how Malteser International promotes HIV prevention in the countries where we work. Today’s story focuses on our work in India with HIV prevention and against discrimination of people living with AIDS.

2.5 million in India people are infected with HIV, primarily in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. Since the disease is most commonly contracted in India through heterosexual contact, an unusually high percentage of infected people here are women (38%).

One such woman, Helen Marie, only discovered she was HIV positive when her husband died of AIDS. She soon faced discrimination even from her family who was unwilling to associate with her.

Negative attitudes about HIV and AIDS in India are largely fueled by ignorance about the ways people can become infected. Discrimination often results in social isolation and economic hardship when people in their community sometimes become unwilling to hire them in their businesses, or forbid their children to play with the children of HIV infected neighbors.

The task of educating the public about the disease and fighting stigma is a large one. People like Pazhania Pillai, a local artist who has written over 80 songs about HIV/AIDS, have used their creativity to inform their community. Pillai remarks, "With my songs, I want to make sure that the healthy people show solidarity with the infected persons."

Malteser International works with the Center for Social Reconstruction (CSR), an Indian relief organization, in order to support AIDS victims and inform healthy people about the disease. CSR employees advise AIDS patients about their rights and conduct educational campaigns to fight stigma and discourage further infection.

There is a long way to go, but the efforts of CSR and passionate people like Pazhania Pillai are encouraging signs of progress.