Annual report 2005 Malteser International - Ordine di Malta
Annual report 2005 Malteser International - Ordine di Malta
Annual report 2005 Malteser International - Ordine di Malta
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E<strong>di</strong>torial<br />
Dear Friends and Supporters of <strong>Malteser</strong> <strong>International</strong>,<br />
dear Readers,<br />
Nicolas de Cock<br />
de Rameyen<br />
President<br />
<strong>2005</strong> was a year full of dramatic events: in January, the devastating effect of the tsunami in Asia<br />
was revealed. From ‘Katrina’ through ‘Stan’ to ‘Wilma’, several severe hurricanes swept in across<br />
the Gulf of Mexico during late summer. Thousands suffered in appalling drought con<strong>di</strong>tions in Mali<br />
and Niger. The <strong>di</strong>sastrous earthquake that hit Pakistan and In<strong>di</strong>a at the beginning of October was<br />
the last in a list of events that made <strong>2005</strong> a year of <strong>di</strong>saster. 88,000 people <strong>di</strong>ed in the rubble. Three<br />
million were rendered homeless.<br />
In a world growing closer together every day, the need for aid is prevalent more than ever. Therefore,<br />
<strong>Malteser</strong> <strong>International</strong>, the Order of <strong>Malta</strong>’s relief service for worldwide humanitarian aid, was<br />
founded on 24 June to take up the challenge to help those in <strong>di</strong>stress worldwide. With <strong>Malteser</strong><br />
<strong>International</strong>, we combine the forces of the Order and reinforce the network of its 46 associations in<br />
order to increase the efficiency of our aid on a lasting basis.<br />
Ingo Radtke<br />
Secretary General<br />
The year <strong>2005</strong> with its sequence of natural <strong>di</strong>sasters was the first practical test for <strong>Malteser</strong><br />
<strong>International</strong>. In the face of these <strong>di</strong>sasters, worldwide cooperation and sympathy was also<br />
overwhelming. Our thanks go to the many donors, sponsors and supporters, as well as numerous<br />
volunteers and full-time employees. They enabled the provision of professional aid for all people<br />
in <strong>di</strong>re need, not only those in Asia, New Orleans, Mali or Pakistan, but also in many other crisis<br />
areas around the world that were not in the focus of television cameras. For we must not forget, for<br />
example, that over 200,000 people have <strong>di</strong>ed in Darfur in Western Sudan since 1993, that civil wars<br />
in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in Uganda have forced over four million people to flee<br />
their homes and that millions of people in the Sahel are threatened by extreme famine every year.<br />
We are pleased to be able to offer you an overview of our work in this annual <strong>report</strong>. With around<br />
200 projects in over 40 countries in Africa, Asia, America and Europe, more than 100 international<br />
and 800 local employees ensure that our aid reaches over seven million people worldwide.<br />
Many people have contributed to what <strong>Malteser</strong> <strong>International</strong> has achieved so far and what it intends<br />
to achieve in the coming years. Our work is far from over. We provide concrete help, aiming to give<br />
people courage for the future. Therefore, we would like to thank you for all you have done and ask<br />
you to continue to accompany and support us on our journey!<br />
<strong>Malteser</strong> <strong>International</strong> – help right on the spot – worldwide.<br />
Thanks for your support!<br />
Cologne, August 2006<br />
Nicolas de Cock de Rameyen<br />
President<br />
Ingo Radtke<br />
Secretary General<br />
E D I T O R I A L<br />
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