Annual report 2005 Malteser International - Ordine di Malta

“We want to build aid bridges”
Interview with Ingo Radtke, Secretary General of Malteser International
Disasters in recent times have shown
how heavily dependent the different
regions of the world are upon one
another. How is Malteser International
approaching this challenge?
Building on the experiences of all
relief agencies worldwide, Malteser
International is now the sole organ
responsible for international humanitarian
aid from the Order of Malta, combining
aid from the 46 states in which the Order
is present. Our relief is implemented
worldwide – in the spirit of the Order of
Malta, for the good of those in need and
for the glory of God.
What is your ideal vision of aid?
We want to build ‘aid bridges’. In terms
of humanitarian aid, this means: one pillar
of the bridge is here and one is in the
recipient country. We represent the pillar
here, with our many thousands of helpers.
With great commitment from volunteers
and donations that are the expression
of living solidarity with the victims.
Thanks to extensive human and financial
resources, on behalf of our sponsors we
create conditions for efficient aid where
it is needed the most. The second pillar is
in the country receiving aid. It is largely
composed of local people.
Are people in these areas capable of
fulfilling requirements themselves
then?
Oh yes! We find this every time we
provide aid: local people are absolutely
partners at eye-level during these disasters;
they are not beggars in need of alms. This
is why it is crucial that equal weight is
distributed between these two pillars for
‘aid bridges’. They are intended not to
create dependencies, but rather to bring
people together.
Is today’s focus still on major disasters
as it was right from the start?
We were and remain active in many
crises. We have been working in the
Congo since 1994, focussing on the
terrible consequences of the genocide in
Rwanda. Other focal points include aid in
the Balkans after the Dayton Agreement,
in Honduras after hurricane Mitch, aid
during and after the war in Kosovo, after
floods in Mozambique and earthquakes in
El Salvador, India and Iran and our most
recent efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq as
well as in areas hit by the tsunami.
So a lot of your work is carried out in
front of TV cameras and amongst a
flurry of flashbulbs?
No, not really. Our work doesn’t end
with a few efforts after disasters that
have received heavy media coverage. We
believe a crucial aspect of our work is
the forgotten crises. The real dramas are
played out beyond the reach of cameras.
For example, who realises that more
people have died as the result of hunger
and war in the Congo in the last few years
than during the tsunami that was labelled
the ‘disaster of the millennium’? We are
professionals who focus on the longterm.
How would you sum up the provision
of aid today?
We should not limit ourselves to acute
emergency aid. It is not enough to pull
a drowning man from the water and
then leave him to it with a few pieces
of advice. Only once the ruined hut has
been rebuilt and the means for existence
destroyed by the flood have been reestablished
will our aid have reached its
primary objective, namely helping people
to help themselves. We must be willing
and able to be present 365 days a year and
to accompany those affected by disaster
until they are able to take control of their
own lives again. Our ‘aid bridges’ are just
what is required here.
Interview by Sebastian Sigler
8 I N T E R V I E W