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.

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.

New floods in India: Malteser International extends emergency relief for flood victims

"All streets here are flooded; in panic, the people escape onto dams", Annette Wächter-Schneider, Senior Desk Officer for India at Malteser International, currently travelling in the disaster region, reports.

Uttar Pradesh/Cologne. The federal state Uttar Pradesh in northern India is flooded: After further heavy monsoon rains, more than 500,000 m³ of water have been discharged from the overfull dams in neighbouring Nepal.

“All streets here are flooded; in panic, the people escape onto dams”, Annette Wächter-Schneider, Senior Desk Officer for India at Malteser International, currently travelling in the disaster region, reports. Already in 2007, devastating floods had afflicted Uttar Pradesh. “Four weeks ago, we handed out boats to the population - only with these, the people can find refuge on the dams”, Wächter-Schneider says. “As daily labourers, they live from hand to mouth and have no stockpiles. They are now urgently in need of food and further assistance”, the expert underlines.

In the neighbouring federal state Bihar, Malteser International has already been assisting the flood victims on the border with Nepal during the past weeks. In the mid of August, a dam of the river Kosi in Nepal broke and lead to severe floods, amongst others in India. Millions of the poorest people in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and the neighbouring regions are affected by the floods. One of the causes is the heaviest monsoon rain since years. 

Together with the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, Malteser International has already provided around 165,000 Euro for the emergency relief.

You can help with a donation to Malteser International Americas. 

View current photos on our online database at: http://php.malteser.de/cpg133/thumbnails.php?album=245

Help Us Provide Aid for India's Flood Victims

Intense flooding in India near the Nepal border has created an urgent need for resources. 10,000 to 15,000 families in the district of Basantpur alone are holding out on the remaining dams since nearly three weeks. The expert describes the situation of the survivors as “atrocious”, the people affected by the floods are frustrated: “No help has reached these people up to now, they are living in bare misery under branches of trees and plastic bags. Many of them grieve for family members.” Furthermore, the people in the camp are threatened by the outbreak of diseases. "The water supply is absolutely insufficient. The people are suffering from diarrhea.”

Malteser International will bring water disinfection items, water cans as well as cookware, plastic sheets and tools for the building of emergency shelter to the needy as soon as possible.

For its emergency relief in Bihar, Malteser International urgently calls for donations! You can make a tax-deductible donation to the Order of Malta Worldwide Relief--Malteser International America to support our efforts.