A place of hope for the Batswana
Medical help in the Kalahari Desert, South Africa
Banished to the desert
Cut off from civilisation, the 50,000 inhabitants of the Moshaweng Valley in the District of Kagalagadi (North Cape province in South Africa) – but particularly the children – urgently need our help.
Victims of the apartheid regime at the time, the Batswana, a Bantu people, were forcibly relocated from their homeland well over 40 years ago. They were driven from their villages in the area around Kimberley so that it could be used as military exercise grounds. For the last generation they have lived in the Kalahari Desert in South Africa, an official depressed area, without the prospect of returning to their homelands.
In the desert there is no means of earning a living, nor is there an appropriate infrastructure. The unemployment rate is 90 percent and the sparse vegetation does not provide adequate food. The inhabitants live under extremely simple conditions, which we cannot envisage. On top of this, infectious diseases are rife and kill around 20% of the population who live there, because the closest hospital with the medical care which could save them is 70 km away. However, many people cannot afford the bus fare to the hospital.
Apart from medical help, education is a priority task in order to secure the children’s future. (See promotion of education in the Kalahari Desert.) The primary objective of the medical help provided by the Peter Ustinov Foundation is the long-term improvement in the health situation of the local people affected. Only then will the Batswana be able to take control of their own lives.
Support from the Peter Ustinov Foundation
After several site visits with appropriate experts and consultation with the population, the Peter Ustinov Foundation decided to start the “Health Centre” project. This urgently required centre – a place of hope – has been built by the charity German Caritas and operated locally by CWD (Catholic Welfare and Development) in the Moshaweng Valley. It is not only intended for the treatment of patients but also for the provision of all-round prevention services.
In November 2009 the work of the centre was included in a pilot trial. A doctor now works here with four regional employees. In addition to this, it has also been possible to purchase an ambulance for emergencies.
The Peter Ustinov Foundation in Germany is cooperating in this pilot project for the first time with Sir Peter Ustinov’s Swiss foundation. We are working together to collect the funds required.
The Peter Ustinov Foundation becomes involved in this and further projects to benefit children in need and their families. Please join us in our humanitarian project and give children a future with hope.
Account for donations in Switzerland:
Fondation Sir Peter Ustinov, Crédit Suisse, Account: 434081-71-2, IBAN: CH37 0483 5043 4081 7100 2, Crédit Suisse 8070 Zürich, Reference: Kalahari Moshaweng Health Centre
Donations account 901 801 301 Bank code 250 100 30 Deutsche Postbank AG
