Probitas Allocates over €200,000 to several NGOs for Healthcare and Educational Projects in Vulnerable Countries
The lines of support are related to a range of areas including ophthalmological care and eye examinations in Kenya and Senegal, improving the education of children and teens in Tangier suburbs, and provision of equipment and supplies to hospitals in Honduras and Bolivia.
Due to the lack of water and the semi-arid climate at the Turkana Region in Kenya, the population lives under unhygienic conditions that put them at risk of suffering blindness. As a result, there is a high prevalence of trachoma (42%) in children under 10.
In the face of this situation, the Probitas Foundation allocated €45,500 to the Emalaikat Foundation for the implementation of ophthalmological campaigns and meet the eye health needs of the Turkana population with the aim of reducing blindness. This aid will be used to buy medicines and surgical equipment and to cover the costs of transport and food for patients, gas and the transferring of patients to other healthcare centers for treatment. The program is aimed at the most vulnerable population, primarily children under 15 and women.
Another line of support is in response to the precarious situation of healthcare facilities and the difficult access to hospitals in the most vulnerable areas of Touba, Seidhou and Kedougou (Senegal), which lead Probitas to cooperate with the NGO GESTA to implement programs aiming to increase the quality of life and healthcare at these Senegal regions.
The project involves conducting eye exams for school children in these areas to detect untreated eye diseases. The Probitas support, €9,087.38, aims to provide microscopes and other necessary equipment. Yearly eye exams at schools are a fundamental tool for the early diagnosis of ophthalmological disorders. If untreated, these diseases can have a negative impact on the life of the person and on the community where he or she lives on social and economic terms.
Another line of action, to which the Foundation allocates €15,000 is the AICEED association, the local counterpart of the Casal dels Infants. This aid aims to promote and improve the educational level of children and teens from the outlying areas of Beni Makada in Tangiers using a comprehensive approach. These children are from vulnerable families and are at a high risk of early drop out from school. The aid provided by Probitas will be used to keep running training workshops for children at risk of social exclusion. The training seeks to improve the living conditions of teens, giving them an opportunity to enter the working world and foster a protective environment in the community with recreational activities.
In addition, Associació Compartir works in Tegucigalpa (Honduras) on programs to improve the overall health of people living in precarious conditions. These programs focus on preventing, diagnosing and treating health problems like dengue, hepatitis A, dermatitis, respiratory and sexually transmitted diseases and address sexual & reproductive health issues. The €32,222.22 provided by Probitas will be used for equipment, supplies and medical material, mental health education, and for raising-awareness activities.
Along the same lines as the previous projects, in Bolivia, Probitas Foundation provided €75,000 to fund the direct costs associated with building a new pavilion for women at the psychiatric institute of the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God, a pioneer in mental health in this country. The refurbishment of the pavilion will serve to care for more than 4,000 women a year suffering from various mental disorders.
