Review of the year 2023: At the end of 2022, Austrian Doctors took over a scholarship program in which particularly brilliant female students from our schools in Dhaka are given the opportunity to attend secondary school. If they also complete this successfully, the scholarship holders will even have the opportunity to graduate from university. The former sponsors have withdrawn, and so Austrian Doctors has taken on the responsibility of ensuring the continuation of this important project.
At the beginning of 2023, our training center in Dhaka finally opened its doors. After years of delays due to the coronavirus pandemic, the first courses started in February. Graduates from our schools and other young people from the surrounding area had the opportunity to attend computer courses, training as seamstresses, training to run a small beauty salon, etc. at our Training Center for the first time.
February also saw the start of our medical project, which is also based at the Training Center. Two local doctors were employed to treat patients from very poor backgrounds five days a week. In order to make access as low-threshold as possible, a visit to the doctor, including the necessary medication from our in-house pharmacy (with medication from wholesalers), costs the equivalent of just 20 cents. This makes it affordable even for really poor people. Anyone who cannot afford this will still be treated by us.
In February, Severin Schwaiger, Managing Director of Austrian Doctors, went on a project trip to Bangladesh together with Salzburg photographer Joachim Bergauer and filmmaker Iris Schweinöster to see for himself. In addition to visits to the training center and schools in Bangladesh (with almost 1,700 children), a project visit to Kolkata, India, was also on the agenda. At the St. Francis Assisi School there with over 500 pupils and at the partner organization Kamina with medical projects, it was possible to gain a good impression of the necessity and good management of our projects.
Joachim Bergauer made his photos available free of charge to realize the joint photo book “Endstation Dhaka”, which was published in August 2023. It can be ordered from Austrian Doctors for a voluntary donation.
Long-time employee Samira Keck left Austrian Doctors in spring 2023 and Isabella Röhrich has been employed as Deputy Managing Director since August 2023.
Austrian Doctors was already traditionally represented at the running festival in the city of Mozart with an information stand and with its own group of runners at the One Mile for a Smile integration run. In the fall, Austrian Doctors was also a charity partner at the 10k run in Salzburg.
In Kenya, a solar-powered well was built at the Eroret School, which has over 300 pupils (see cover photo) and can not only feed the school, but also the surrounding houses and the residents’ livestock. The boreholes are more than 200 meters deep and the water pressure is excellent – thus ensuring sustainable access. An irrigation farming project is planned for 2024. The water will be piped directly to the school’s fields. This will make the school much more independent in terms of school meals, and the children can be taught practical gardening skills.
In Austrian Doctors’ second Kenyan project, the preschool and community center in Awasi, operations also went well. Over 60 pre-school children attended the nursery school, and a community hall was built with funding from the state of Salzburg, where other NGOs will hold training courses for the local population in the future.
The water project in Busa, Ethiopia, which is being implemented in cooperation with Menschen für Menschen, is making progress. The drilling has been completed and the two boreholes will be able to supply the water supply system of the small town of Busa with 30,000 inhabitants with 30 liters per second.
On September 23, the world-famous tenor Michael Schade, accompanied by Ethel Merhaut and Bela Koreny, gave a benefit concert for the Austrian Doctors. The Solitär in Salzburg was sold out and the atmosphere was excellent.
A project trip to Bangladesh planned for November was postponed at short notice due to political unrest and will be rescheduled for March 2024.
As in previous years, Austrian Doctors was once again able to run a stand at the charity Christmas market in Salzburg this year. With home-made mulled wine and punch as well as something to eat, many people got in the mood for Christmas at the stand.
That was our brief review of 2023. As you can see, we have achieved a lot. A big thank you to all of you – because it is your support that makes our work possible!
