International Women's Day: Malteser International calls for more support for women worldwide

05 Mar 2008
Source: Malteser International - Germany
Malteser International
Website: http://www.malteser-international.org

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Cologne. On the occasion of the International Women's Day on 8 March 2008, Malteser International calls for a better integration of women in the development of social structures worldwide. Women have special responsibilities for themselves and their families, take care of the health and the education of their children, look after hygiene and nutrition. Nevertheless, they are still disadvantaged in many countries.

That is why Malteser International engages for women worldwide. The humanitarian relief service organises educational trainings for women and enables them with income generating measures to earn money for themselves and their families. Staff members of Malteser Interna-tional can see the positive effects of this support for example in Cambodia. Here, they train midwives and traditional birth attendants; during health education outreach activities for pregnant women and women of reproductive age, they inform them about nutrition, hygiene and other important subjects. Furthermore, the organisation supports health centres in very remote areas where the women can give birth with professional assistance, which clearly reduces the mother and the child mortality rates. "Women transfer their knowledge about health and hygiene to their whole family. That is why they are so important: They do not only help themselves, but they help the whole community," Sandra Harlass, programme coordinator of Malteser International and consultant for the provincial health authority in Cambodia, explains. d consultant for the provincial health authority in Cambodia, explains.

Malteser International has been working in Cambodia, a country still marked by almost 30 years of civil war and genocide, since 1993. While in the beginning, the organisation supported refugees, today it is working for the rehabilitation of the health system in remote regions. In addition to the above mentioned mother-child health programme, Malteser International, with financial support of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development Germany, is also building up a community-based health insurance system in Cambodia.

Malteser International asks for donations for its projects in Cambodia:

Donation Account 120 120 120 Bank für Sozialwirtschaft, Wörthstr. 15 - 17, D-50668 Köln Sort Code : 370 205 00 IBAN : DE49 3702 0500 0001 0258 01 BIC: BFSWDE33XXX Reference : "Women in Cambodia"