Together with Dr. Christian Gross and Dr. Christian Gruber from the Executive Board (who traveled at their own expense), we spent two weeks on a project trip to Bangladesh and India at the end of March 2024 to review the current status of our projects and discuss new requirements with our local partners on the ground.
Our main concern during our stay in Dhaka was to expand our medical project to include a mobile clinic. Many slum dwellers are unable to reach our medical center in the training center in Manda, which is located in Dhaka, a city of 20 million people, because the distances are too long and too expensive. We have therefore selected various locations in different slum areas to offer regular treatments. Our medical team consists of a nurse who takes care of the admission and preliminary examinations, a local doctor who treats the patients and a pharmacist who provides the necessary medication.
From fall 2024, we plan to send interested volunteer outreach doctors from Austria as additional team support. Treatments will cost the equivalent of around 25 cents, with pupils at our schools paying slightly less. Of course, patients who cannot afford the 25 cents are also treated – no one is sent away untreated. The team is on the road from Saturday to Thursday and treats up to 50 patients a day, mainly women, children and elderly people who would otherwise not be able to afford medical treatment.
In Bangladesh, Friday is a day off due to Muslim tradition. One of our mobile clinic locations is in the Korail slum, for example, where around 300,000 people live in precarious conditions.
During our visit, we also visited our schools. Due to the ongoing Ramadan, lessons are shortened. However, despite the fasting, the pupils are given a warm meal to take home with them.
At the time of our visit, numerous courses were taking place at the training center, including tailoring, electrician, hairdressing and computer courses. The computer courses are particularly popular, with a large number of participants. We had the honor of presenting the current graduates with their certificates and seeing many proud and happy faces.
I also had the opportunity to meet our scholarship holders in person. Some of them are currently attending college, others university. The teacher Raina from our school in Manda is responsible for the scholarship program and is the contact person for the girls – not only in school matters, but also in discussions with the families to ensure that the girls can complete their education. It was inspiring to see how the girls’ self-confidence and self-assurance grew as a result of their school education. They talked about their professional dreams and self-doubt – the exchange with each other really helps them to overcome the challenges.
All the pupils and teachers at our school in India were also very motivated. On site, we discussed the construction of a new fire escape.
During our visit to the ashram retirement home outside Kolkata, we talked about the need for renovation work and the addition of a kitchen and lounge. The residents are very grateful to have found such a peaceful place to spend their twilight years. In India, there are no state-run old people’s homes, and if the children cannot look after the elderly or are no longer there, the senior citizens often find themselves in emergency situations in their twilight years and become homeless. With us, they not only find a place to sleep, but also food, medical care and, above all, a supportive community.
Thank you once again to all our supporters, because without you, all these projects and the vital help for the people in our project countries would not be possible. Your generosity and donations make a significant difference to the lives of many people!
Best regards,
Isabella Röhrich
