In spring, Board members Dr. Christian Gross (Chairman) and Dr. Christian Gruber (Deputy Chairman) travelled to Bangladesh together with Deputy Managing Director Isabella Röhrich to see the progress of the projects for themselves. As always, the Board members paid for their flights out of their own pockets. They were able to see for themselves that the school projects with over 1,500 pupils continue to be run very successfully, they had the opportunity to meet the scholarship holders and exchange ideas with them, and in the training center they were able to get a good idea of the daily courses (including computer courses, cosmetics courses, electricians, tailors). Special attention was paid to the medical project. Above all, however, the new “mobile clinic” was discussed and launched. This is a project in which a medical team travels to a different poor area in Dhaka every day to visit people who cannot afford transportation to the existing clinic. In the summer, volunteer doctors from Austria started again to support the local team.
Dr Gruber and Ms Röhrich then flew to India to inspect our St. Francis Assisi School there and the projects of our partner organization Kamina Social Welfare Society. The old people’s home in the Kamina ashram with its 30 residents and the medical projects are always well attended. The St. Francis Assisi School with its almost 500 pupils is also always busy. The children from the surrounding poor neighborhoods continue to be very well cared for there. In the second half of 2024, a fire escape was built in the school to be prepared in case of an emergency.
In May, Austrian Doctors was a traditional charity partner at the “One Mile for a Smile” inclusion run. The information stand in the ice arena was well attended and the run was a crowning finale.
The first charity concert of the year took place on June 9 – star violinist Beni Schmid performed with his whole family at the Solitär. The title of the concert was “Sound of Family”. The audience was thrilled by the talent of the parents and their children – and there were plenty of opportunities for interesting conversations at the buffet.
The next project trip was due in September – Dr. Christian Gross and Isabella Röhrich first flew to Ethiopia with project partner Menschen für Menschen to gain an overview of the joint water project in Busa. When they were there, the houses for the guards at the extraction points had just been built and the laying of the pipes also started later in the year. The project is due to officially go into operation in mid-2025 and will then provide the approximately 30,000 inhabitants of Busa with a long-term and sustainable supply of clean water.
The trip then continued to Kenya, where the Eroret School was visited first. Where a year ago there was only dried-up steppe, the school’s vegetable field, irrigated by the solar well built in 2023, now shone bright green towards them. They were deeply impressed by all that had happened in just one year. They were also accompanied to Eroret School by architect Alexander Heilig, whose plans are being used to build the new boarding school. The background to this is that many children are unable to go to school because the journey is simply too far. To counteract this, a boarding school is being built. Construction work started at the end of 2024. Apart from the new projects, they found that the regular lessons are working well and the school is still very well attended.
In the second Austrian Doctors project, in Awasi, a lot of structural work was necessary to put the project back on a solid footing after the death of the founder and director, Rose Omina. The local team was very committed and in the end they had the impression that the new structure would work even better than the previous one. More than 60 children attend the preschool, the construction of the large hall has been completed and the first training sessions for the village community took place at the end of 2024.
The reforestation program in Awasi and at Eroret School also started in 2024. Trees were planted – from which future generations will benefit. Be it because the trees provide shade and thus have a positive impact on the microclimate, because they act as wind breakers or because they expand the menu as fruit trees.
On October 18, the Querschläger performed again for a charity concert – with 500 visitors, the Salzberghalle in Hallein was almost sold out. The atmosphere was, as always at these concerts, very exuberant, and the self-organized buffet did the rest to make the visitors happy. A team of almost 20 volunteers made it all possible.
In November, one event followed the next. On November 11, the film “Endstation Dhaka” by Iris Schweinöster and Joachim Bergauer celebrated its premiere – in the sold-out main auditorium at Das Kino Salzburg. Thanks to hastily placed folding chairs, even those who had decided to leave at short notice were able to marvel at this visually stunning work. All open questions were answered during the subsequent panel discussion and there was also the opportunity to talk to the Austrian Doctors over snacks.
On November 24, Erwin Steinhauer read “Der Vorzugsschüler” and “Die Büste des Kaisers” by Joseph Roth. He was accompanied by Andrej Serkov on the accordion. The Solitär was once again sold out to the last seat with 310 people, and Erwin Steinhauer managed to captivate everyone.
The following day, on November 25, a charity exhibition was opened at the Ropac Gallery in aid of Austrian Doctors. The works of art were provided by gallery owner Thaddaeus Ropac, and the entire proceeds from the sale went to Austrian Doctors. In total, the incredible sum of 158,000 euros was raised.
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.
A big thank you to you, dear supporters, because without you the work of Austrian Doctors would not be possible.
