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.

On The SPOT: August Newsletter

This month, Order of Malta Worldwide Relief - Malteser International Americas pays tribute to two colleagues who recently passed. We mourn the loss of Dr. Yohannes Ligiam and Anne Broquet, two extraordinary individuals who made their life's work in helping others. We extend our condolences to their friends and families.

You can pay tribute to our colleagues -- or to your own family and friends -- by making an honor and/or memorial gift to Malteser International Americas. You can also notify friends and family of your gift with one of our eCards.    

Be sure to visit our social network pages on MySpace and Razoo, as well as our YouTube channel. Finally, you can help us today by forwarding this email to a friend and by making a donation to help support our efforts. Your support helps us continue our work to relieve suffering and make a difference in people's lives.

Dr.Yohannes Ligiam during an HIV/AIDS sensibilisation campaign

Malteser International Mourns the Loss of Dr. Yohannes Ligiam

Malteser International mourns the sudden and unexpected death of its highly esteemed staff member Dr. Yohannes Ligiam. Dr. Ligiam had been working as a HIV/AIDS-Project Manager for Malteser International in Wa/Myanmar. He died of a sudden heart attack on July 14 while on his way from his hotel to an internet cafe. He was 56.

Dr. Ligiam was a dedicated colleague who committed his life and work to helping others. His thoughts were always on the people he assisted and his co-workers. His death has hit us all unexpectedly. We will never forget Dr. Ligiam. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, his colleagues and friends. We will commemorate him.

Anne Broquet discussing with a monk in Sri Lanka

Malteser International Pays Tribute to Anne Broquet 

Malteser International is grieving for its colleague and friend of "Ordre de Malte France", the relief service of the French Association of the Order of Malta. Anne Broquet died on July 16 in Paris after a long illness. She was 60. Broquet's last deployments took her to Sri Lanka and India for the emergency relief after tsunami.

With Anne Broquet, Malteser International does not only lose a highly esteemed colleague and important team member, but also a very close friend and convincing example of Christian faith and living. Our thoughts and prayers are with her and her family.

AFRICA

Testing for sleeping sickness in Yei South Sudan

Sudan: Health Care Now in Prisons

Malteser International is working on behalf of local health authorities to assure health education in prisons of Yei in South Sudan. Beginning in July, in cooperation with representatives of the health authority, Malteser International organized health education and training for about 100 prisoners and prison staff and informed them about frequent diseases like tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, sleeping sickness and leprosy. Treatment of these diseases and the visit of other prisons in Yei are planned in cooperation with the local hospital.

Sudan: Raising Awareness for Malaria Season 

Malteser International conducted malaria awareness-building sessions in June for 225 community health volunteers in North Darfur. These volunteers received comprehensive training to educate in their respective villages on malaria prevention and control: the destruction of breeding sites for anopheles mosquitoes; identification of symptoms; and the importance of seeking malaria treatment promptly. The goal is to improve awareness and knowledge and also to promote community participation on malaria prevention.

These community health volunteers also throw light on the danger of malaria for pregnant women and the benefit of sleeping under long -lasting mosquito nets. During the peak of the malaria season, Malteser International distributes mosquito nets to all pregnant women coming to the health centre for pre-natal care.

Malteser International realized measures of compound sanitation in all supported health facilities by installing water tanks, building incinerators and planting a total of 80 desert trees.

Uganda: Community-Based Health Teams in Kaberamaido

In June 2008, Malteser International started a new flood relief project following the severe floods in September, 2007. We aim to build awareness for the community-based health system in the district of Kaberamaido. Citizens will be taught the dangers of an outbreak of epidemics, for example, after flood disasters. The health situation in Kaberamaido remains critical after being severely affected by the floods last year. 

ASIA

During the computer software training in Aceh Besar

Indonesia: Implementation of Health Information System Reaches New Level

Since 2005, Malteser International has been supporting the public health authority of the district Aceh with the implementation of a computer-based health information system, where all the relevant data of patients are saved. After the tsunami, such a system was urgently needed. The software training for the staff in the health centers will be completed in the end of July. A new phase of the project is beginning: more and more specialized staff from the local foundation Air Putih will assure the sustainable use of the programs in the health centers. 

Myanmar: Relief for the Survivors of Cyclone Nargis; Proceeds Basic Health Care and WASH Activities on Middle Island

In addition to the relief measures in Labutta in the severely affected Irrawaddy Delta, Malteser International now also takes care of health care and water supply for about 62,000 people in the northern part of Middle Island, located about 40 kilometers from Labutta. After cyclone Nargis hit the coast of Myanmar this past May, the government of Myanmar requested medical teams of the International Hospital Yangon provide assistance to the population of Middle Island. The International Hospital is now handing over four health centers on Middle Island, providing medicines, staff and equipment.

Four medical teams -- consisting of  five doctors, seven nurses and one pharmacist -- distribute insecticides to prevent an outbreak of infectious diseases like dengue or malaria. "The insecticide will be put in all cisterns and water tanks because dengue and malaria are transmitted by mosquitoes breeding in the water", Dr. Marie Theres Benner, Senior Health Coordinator of Malteser International reports from Yangon. In the worst case, the diseases lead to death if no medical support is given. The insecticide avoids the breeding of the mosquito larvae and minimizes the number of infections. "Before the start of the campaign, we have trained the health workers in the use and handling of the insecticides. We have informed the people living here on Middle Island how they can protect themselves against infections and how they can identify them in an early stage," Dr. Benner explains. Malteser International will build 75 rain water harvesting tanks as well as 2,000 fly proof latrines and rehabilitate 100 water sources on Middle Island that have been flooded by sea water during the disaster.

The hospital on Middle Island has been completely destroyed by the cyclone

Families on the island who have lost all their belongings during the cyclone receive cookware, soap, plastic sheets, rain coats and other urgently needed relief items. Malteser International trains community health workers in order to enable them to inform their communities about infectious diseases and how to avoid them. 

In Labutta, a heavily destroyed coastal town in the Irrawaddy Delta, the aid measures of Malteser International still go on. Staff members provide medical care for 16,000 internally displaced persons and 24,000 inhabitants. Malteser International is also supplying about 100,000 people in Labutta and its outskirts with safe drinking water. More than 15,000 mosquito nets and 2,700 "family kits" with cookware, hygiene articles and water cans have been distributed to the neediest families. 

Visit our website for more information or to make a donation to our Myanmar fund.

Women during the CEFE Training

Vietnam: Business training for the Poorest Women in Hoa Quy

Malteser International is using business skills training to respond to an alarming situation for many women in Hoa Quy in the district Ngu Hanh Son. These women suffer from a lack of almost everything required in daily life and are not able to comply with the basic needs of their families. In this training, named Competency-based Economies through Formation of Enterprise (CEFE) training (http://www.cefe.net/) the women get basic economic knowledge and learn selling skills. After the training, they are able to set up a small business, earn money and thus sustain their families. The project is financed by the German consulate in Ho Chi Minh City.

Rehabilitation of health facilities in Kashmir

Pakistan: New project supports disaster prevention

Malteser International will begin comprehensive measures for disaster prevention in areas that are regularly threatened by forces of nature like Azad Jammu and Kashmir in Pakistan. Due to the geographic conditions, these regions suffer regular earthquakes and other natural forces. Long-dated disaster prevention is necessary as the effects of the October 2005, which killed an estimated 73,000 people.

Serving the vulnerable communities in Sri Lanka with simple but highly efficient technologies

Suzanna Lipscombe’s sixth report for the Malteser International Lent Campaign 2008: “40 Euros for Sri Lanka”

Today, I visited the Southern Province with two of my colleagues, Kelvin and Lasantha. They're working on the Child Friendly Schools project which involves the participatory selection and design of water and sanitation facilities for 43 schools. As soon as we walked up to the school, the children were already waiting with anticipation for the mornings events. Today, theyre taking the next step in the project cycle with the health and hygiene lessons, focusing on household water treatment methods.

They arrive equipped with their plastic bottles for the SODIS (Solar Water Disinfection) method, a kettle for boiling, and want to demonstrate the use of the ceramic water filters that had already been supplied to the school. Most schools in Sri Lanka use the dug well as their main source of water, which face a high risk of contamination, and therefore it is vital to run such a hygiene promotion project, particularly with children. Today’s lesson involves the Malteser International health and hygiene promoters, and the school teachers also take part as facilitators. The focus is to get the children involved in a participatory activity to understand how water can become contaminated and how it can be treated to get safe for drinking again.

The lesson begins with a group discussion about how water can become contaminated. The teachers use different picture cards to identify the good and bad practices in the home and around the well. Some onlookers stand outside the classroom – they are also interested in being part of the sessions! And of course they can. The children show their understanding of the different water treatment methods.

One such method is SODIS, which uses the suns rays to disinfect drinking water. So the children begin to clean out the plastic bottles and follow the instructions to place drinking water in the sun for six hours. They now know that after this period of direct penetration of UV rays the water will be safe to drink. Gayanthika, one of the girls from 10th grade, already knows why it is important to treat the drinking water: “There can be harmful germs in the water so we know it is a good idea to treat it before we drink.”

So it’s been a busy day for us in Galle! I hope we will be able to continue with these activities in Sri Lanka, as not only is it fun and rewarding to work with children on such water, sanitation and hygiene projects, but it is also important since they are the future generations who will continue to practice what they learn here and share these messages with their families when they go home from school. These messages and the work carried out by Malteser International in Sri Lanka (and elsewhere around the world) is incredibly important and this should be continued not only with the children, but also with the teachers, schools, Ministry of Health and local partners such as LRWHF to build their capacity so they can sustain the good work for many years to come.

This is also true for the RWH project as many more families in the remote rural areas will need such a tank to provide drinking water and alleviate the difficulties they face in finding water. It is a simple, yet highly effective technology that will continue to gain popularity if we maintain this progress and momentum. We have only touched the tip of the iceberg and with your help we will be able to further develop our projects and serve these vulnerable communities in Sri Lanka!

Simple methods for safe water

How already children in Sri Lanka learn to keep their water clean

Suzanna Lipscombe’s sixth report for the Malteser International Lent Campaign 2008: “40 Euros for Sri Lanka”:

Pictured right: A family happily shows their rainwater harvesting tank.

Today, my colleagues Subhanie, Lalanga, Wasanthi from the Water Safety Plan team,  Fernando and I go to Peelahena, a small community in Mulatiyana Division of Matara District.  We want to give the community training on hygiene and show them how to maintain their Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) Tanks...Our messages are conveyed through colourful drawings and interaction with the community.

When we arrive at the village, the crowds are already waiting! They are all keen to learn more about their new RWH tank. There is always a strong attendance level, both by the men and women and the children are also very attentive – they must like the drawings! One young girl, Maleeka, has already followed one of our training sessions and is proud to explain to the other children the advantages of the new tanks: “The tank gets filled when it rains. We keep this lid open as the roof and gutter can contaminate the first part of the rain. When we are sure that the roof and the gutters are thoroughly washed we close this lid and allow the water to go to the tank.”. But she even knows more about the complex system: “There is a basket inside the filter. That basket has pebbles and charcoal and holes to get water filtered to the tank so that we can get filtered water from the tank. The covering lid on the tank is used as an entrance for cleaning purposes and that lid must be kept sealed. Otherwise insects will enter the tank.”

We provide guidance on how often to clean the guttering and the inside of the tank, the importance of keeping the roof free of leaves and debris, and which elements can influence the overall quality of the water collected. The key message is the use of the “first flush”.  Debris, dust, droppings and dirt washed from the roof during the first rainfall after a dry spell can reduce the quality of the collected water. To divert this ‘first flush’ the guttering along the side of the roof is designed to channel water towards a downpipe with a removable plug at its base. The plug is inserted after about 15 minutes of rainfall, allowing ‘clean’ rainwater to then pass through to the tank via a bucket of filter media

Subhanie, Lalanga and Wasanthi then introduce the beneficiaries to the H2S testing kit (that shows if the water is safe for drinking), and the different household water treatment methods and safe hygiene practices that aim to ensure that their new water supply and its quality are kept safe. The audience observe how the small bottle changes colour when mixed with a sample of rainwater, and although it takes a while before you can be sure of the result, early indications show that it is safe to drink.
I am sitting next to a young mother. One of her friends has been late and so, the young lady proudly shares her new knowledge: “We can get to know about the water from the test, where it is safe to drink or not. Actually it is very simple. And we can get the results of this test within two days.” This is an important step in encouraging acceptance amongst the community that RWH is a valuable alternative water source for them.

For any development project to be sustainable, an organisation needs to involve the community in all stages of planning and implementation, and include training in operation and maintenance of the new system. This way you encourage the beneficiaries to feel more ownership and therefore responsibility over their new tank, which will ultimately encourage its long term use and maintenance.

The workshop finishes after about an hour and a half, and one of the villagers kindly offers us a thambili (king coconut) in thanks for the presentation.