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.

Commitment for Malaria Patients and Undernourished Children

Esther Suchanek is working as a project assistant for Malteser International and currently writes a travel diary from the disaster region.

After visiting the project close to Sittwe, I went further north to Maungdaw, where Malteser International is supporting the people in very remote areas. During a trip, I had the opportunity to see some of the activities in the projects in person.

After a long journey, we arrive in Kha Moung Zeik. During the rainy season, it is especially hard to get here – since most of the "roads" are not passable by car, we are travelling by boat. Along the river, you can see the every day life of the people. In this part of Myanmar, very close to the border with Bangladesh, almost 95 percent of population are Muslims. They often don’t have good access to healthcare and education. Since 2004, Malteser International has been implementing a broad programme to improve the health situation of these people.

In Kha Moung Zeik, we visit a school, where Malteser International has constructed two rain water harvesting tanks, six latrines and two hand water pumps. The principal of the school tells us that before they had the water tanks, drinking water had to be supplied by villagers and that it was very difficult to have water in the dry season. Now, the students have clean water all year long. The hand water pumps were constructed to wash the hands after using the latrines. For the children, our visit is a very welcome change and distraction during the school day. Curiously, they look out of the classrooms. One teacher even interrupts his lesson to come outside with his pupils and to show us one of the rain water harvesting tanks and how they make use of it.

Our next stop is a "Mother Child center" (MCC) close to the school. Here, undernourished children between two and three years get one meal per day on six days of the week. The room is provided for free by a villager and two kindergarten teachers cook for the children. As "payment", they can also eat here with two of their children. Malteser International provides the money for the food and makes sure that the little ones and their families find their way to one of the 26 MCCs operated by Malteser International.

Once a month, Malteser International organizes growth monitoring sessions in the villages. If the children do not weigh enough for their height, staff members of Malteser International talk to the parents and offer them to send their child to a MCC. Surprisingly, not all parents agree to do so, because some mothers do not have time to accompany their child, others cannot or do not want to leave the house to go to a MCC.

We arrive just in time for lunch, about 25 children sit on the floor and eagerly spoon up their bowls. On the other side, some mothers and grandmothers are sitting around. Today, in addition to the two kindergarten teachers, a health educator from Malteser International came to talk to the women about balanced nutrition and its importance. The women listen attentively and we hope that they have the financial means to actually follow the advice's. But there is reason to be confident, because many of the little ones look already better than they looked when they came here for the first time. We say good-bye to the group and start our way home.

The pupils in Kha Moung Zeik are happy with their new rain water harvesting tank providing safe drinking water the whole year long. The outpatient department (small health center) and the attached malaria-unit operated by Malteser International are situated right next to the team compound. So our way leads right through the "waiting room" (on here, this means the whole area around the outpatient department) and pass the open windows of the treating room. The malaria unit is very busy, the patients have to be registered, then a drop of blood is taken which is then examined under a microscope by a laboratory technician. If the test is positive, the patients receive medicines or, in severe cases, are referred to a health center that is located at about six hours walking distance.

If the test is negative but if they still have pain, the patients go right next door to consult the doctor of Malteser International. Of the 80 patients tested so far today, the malaria test was positive in 50 percent of the cases. Malaria is a big risk factor in this region and the center of Malteser International is the only facility in this remote area where it is screened and where medicines are subscribed and handed out. The doctor next door mainly treats diarrhoeas and respiratory infections. He and one nurse work like on the assembly line: Every day, about 100 patients come to see them – there is no time for long breaks.

It’s been a long day, even for us, who were only visiting the projects. The staff members of Malteser International who work here day by day, trying to improve the situation of the people, are really admirable.

They don’t "just" do their job; you can see that they really like what they are doing and that they are committed to the people for whom they work. This evening they sit outside on the team compound and I can hear laughter and giggling. Until ten o’clock, when the generator is turned off and the only thing I hear are the sounds of the amazingly beautiful and lively nature in this remote region of Myanmar.

Esther Suchanek

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.

Interviews, stories and an arrest

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

Pictured Right: Community members are involved in the planning

A couple of weeks ago, a film crew were coming to our office in Galle. The idea was to produce a film that would showcase some of Malteser International’s water and sanitation projects in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka, as part of a number of activities to mark the UN’s International Year of Sanitation. So the Galle team (that’s what we call ourselves here in the Malteser International office in Galle) started planning which projects and which sites to take them to, and made the arrangements for the staff and beneficiaries to play a role in some of the scenes.


A young girl, Malcha, one of the students from our Child Friendly Schools Project, was invited to play the key role in the film that highlights different water supply, water quality and sanitation issues faced by the people in Sri Lanka. It was quite hectic organizing all the logistics, but we managed it nonetheless. And then they arrived…

This morning I take Martin Hilbert and Bianca Beyer, that is the whole film team, to Koggala to film some of the recently completed bio-sand filters, and later, Mushin and Pradeep from Malteser International’s WASH Habaraduwa Project will take them to Kathaluwa (an area about 20km east of Galle) and show elements of their water, sanitation and solid waste management project. All seems to be a normal day until the team that has been to Kathaluwa – on their way back to the office - stops at a railway bridge and starts to film (the material should be part of the film’s introductory scene). Waiting in the office, we suddenly get news that they have been arrested! A local resident has raised the alarm to the local police that some unknown persons are filming a strategic bridge – and given the current political climate has obviously caused some suspicion and concern. Fortunately the local police officer is very friendly about the incident, but explains that if the film crew wishs to take footage of such scenes again they shall inform the local authorities beforehand, and so avoid such an event happening again. So they return to the office with an interesting story to tell!

Another morning, another story to tell: We want to take the film crew to Hambantota District and see some Rain Water Harvesting (RWH) sites in Nakulugamuwa and Weeraketiya, so we leave early and start the two hour drive along the coast road.   

We arrive in Nakulugamuwa and begin filming Malcha – our main character for the film – next to a RWH tank as she describes what she learnt about water safety and how to maintain the tank. We then move onto a nearby well and watch some women collecting water and chatting, catching up with the latest gossip. Then the last stop in the village is the potter, Mrs. Piyadasa’s house at the top of the hill. It is interesting to see what things Martin and Bianca have to consider while shooting the film – things such as the position of the sun, sound, and how the light reflects in the faces of the people they are interviewing. The microphone is quite amusing – it is like a little grey shaggy dog!.

In Weeraketiya, we film some tank construction and I have a little fun helping the Piyasena family make some cement. Here Martin also films the interviews with Suranga from UNICEF, Nuwan from Lanka Rainwater Harvesting Forum, and myself – it’s quite strange talking to a camera and trying to make sure you summarise the important information in a short sentence. It takes a couple of takes, a few giggles, but we manage in the end!

After the long day we travel back to Galle. I really enjoyed the filming and showing not only the film crew, but some of our other project staff the new RWH sites and the families we are working with. I’m looking forward to seeing the final version of the film! And maybe, you also want to see it. In this case just send an e-mail with your address to info@malteser-international.org and we will provide you with a copy.