Patron Mr. Mervyn Lobo Chief Editor: Dr. Ali Murtaza Sub Editor: Ms. Sharon Braganza Advisory Board: Dr. Mutaher Zia, Mr. Savio. Pereira, Mr. Francis D'Souza & Mr. Nisar Malik Photographs by: Mr. Nisar Malik, Mr. Francis Shehzad, Mr. Muhammad Akhtar, Ms. Rabia Riaz & Ms. Sharon Braganza Published By MALC Communication Desk NEWSLETTER ISSUE # 34 | JUNE 2020 @® www.malc.org.pk EDITORIAL ‘As we all learn to live with the Coronavirus, we see that the partial easing of restrictions in the country has led to many organizations resuming operations while strictly following SOPs or adopt virtual methods. Having crossed 209,000 cases, with over 4,000 lives claimed, a majority of the population stil take it lightly due to conspiracy theories and misinformation surrounding. the virus. ‘Around 75% of the country's total 65 million labour force is unregistered (according to labour unions). Daily wage workers and urban slum dwellers are the worst hit from the economic impact of the outbreak. Uncertainty continues to prevail in these times, as a breadwinner is not able to find work and restore his/her income, let alone afford two-meals a day. Majority of. the people also lack basic documents required to avail services from the government. Reaching out to the most vulnerable population i.e. people affected with disabilities, malnour- ished mothers and children during this pandemic has been made possible through concerted efforts. As the whole world deals with the virus, the inflow of zakat, support from our long- standing partners and benefactors has shown how we all stand in solidarity in these times, which enables us to continue serving underprivileged communities by providing free of charge services for Leprosy, Tuberculosis & Blindness Control, Maternal Child Health Care and Com- munity Based Inclusive Development of People with Disabilities, while at the same time ensur- ing needy people meet their nutritional requirements and strengthen their immunity. Leprosy /TB technicians trained at MALC are playing their role in the fight against COVID-19 across the country. From the hilly terrains of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir to the plains of Sindh and Balochistan, these dedicated field workers are not only involved in raising aware- ness for the disease but also providing timely referral to any suspected case they come across. WITS W Date aes Chere tenner Pres eee ea | eat ea— COVID-19 PREVENTION MEASURES JUNE 2020 MALC has adopted various preventive measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 by following SOPs for continuation of services to mar- ginalized communities, while at the same time not jeopardizing the staff and community members’ health. Everyone entering the remises are required to wear masks, sanitize their hands and their temperature screened; people depicting symptoms of COVID-19 are immediately counselled to self-quarantine or obtain necessary medical assistance. MALC vehicles, OPD areas, wards and depart- ments are sprayed with disinfectants dai are conduted by maintaining 6 feet physci VIRTUAL OPD TB OPD in collaboration with DAHW, Germany With the increasing trend of Coronavirus cases in Paki- stan and keeping in view social distancing measures, MALC has started virtual OPD services for people af- fected by TB in collaboration with Deutsche Lepra- und Tuberkulosehilfe eV. (DAHW), Germany, in order to reduce transmission among health workers and com- ‘munity members, while ensuring people affected by TB receive continuous treatment during the pandemic. People who have TB are usually more vulnerable to other infections including the novel Coronavirus due to pre-existing lung damage. They are at a higher risk of developing complications from COVID-19. TB claims ‘over 70,000 lives every year in Pakistan. Last year MALC treated nearly 9,000 people affected with TB. Mother and Child Health Care OPD in collaboration with Ruth Pfau Stiftung, Germany Inadequate nutrition among mothers during pregnan- Vis one of the main reasons of malnutrition among children leading to stunting. In Pakistan, 38% of chil- dren under five years of age are stunted. MALC is reaching out to malnourished mothers and children in rural Sindh and Karachi by providing primary Mother and Child Health Care services free of charge. As Coro- navirus cases surge, MALC has started virtual MCHC (PD services in collaboration with Ruth Pfau Stiftung, Germany, to reduce COVID-19 transmission, while en- suring continuity of services to marginalized people during the pandemic. Frequently touched surfaces/ objects are also disinfected multiple times in a day. Meetings distance with a small number of participants or through video conferencing.JUNE 2020 N FOOD ASSISTANCE TO NEEDY INDIVIDUALS ee ae ete ey eee (Sah) ace tie Var err toe vel eid Depa the gover Ga erate aoa vn aT fone InPacay an reac ousold tas to 7 ro iirc crnisn re, rege caltrnr lboure, treo heced passenger voice divers, cc Even Caritas Austria Sankt ten MALC in collaboration with Missio Austria, has started distribution of food hampers from May - July, 2020 to needy patients in Karachi who have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The beneficia- ries include: people with disabilities, severely malnourished mothers & children and patients affected by Leprosy and Tuberculosis. In order to ensure needy patients continue to receive essential nutri- tents during their course of treatment in this pandemic, MALC in collab- oration with its longstanding partner Caritas St. Pélten, Austria, has started distribution of food hampers in Karachi from May - December, 2020. The beneficiaries include: people affected by Leprosy & Tubercu: losis, severely malnourished mothers & children and people with dis- abilities. His fate changed in the City of Lights: Javed’s story Wen floods hit rural Sindh n 2020, Javed being fll of ambitions, feo Kaach alongwith his mother thd Younger serase wes faschated bout what the ey had wo fe but Iie ide know that ono Be cron grny woud change ise; ett his both legs parle He use to have severe pan DERE conc the wosvoor and couldnt stand without a suppor. Being the breadwinner of his fai, he z eee rer and vould ests aged nother began varow fompeopl ‘order to have food on the table. Ths sight would hurt Javed and make him teary as he was determined ‘to support his family again. So he began selling daal sev (a snack) on a pushcart to school children. His ‘earnings weren’t enough and his condition didn’t permit him to push the cart further to other schools/ market areas. When he was spotted by MALC Team, he was provided with a commode in his washroom and physiotherapy services. This led to an improvement inhis condition and gradually he was able to stand without any support and move around easily. He was also supported with an ice crusher ma- chine and ice box; in this way he had a lot more to offer the children, especially during the scorching heat when one craves for something cold; Javed was seen selling gola gandas (snow cones), “It gives me immense joy when | see children enjoying my hand made gola gandas” said Javed with all smiles. His earnings significantly improved and around the year there was a steady flow of income but the Coronavirus outbreak ed to the Government's decision to close schools. With the dates of re-opening constantly being extended, Javed is finding it difficult to earn a meagre amount to feed his family. He was one of the many people with disabilities supported with a food hamper consisting of essential items. The food hamper is expected to last his family around 15 days. Reported by Muhurmad Ali, CBID ManagerFOOD ASSISTANCE TO NEEDY PATIENTS & AWARENESS ON COVID-19 PREVENTION IN TANDO JAN MUHUMMAD. On behalf of the beneficiaries, MALC expresses its gratitude to Asso- ciation Christophorus Verein, Switzerland, who have been support ing MALC’s work over the years of serving the destitute, especially ex- tending their additional support during a time when the entire globe is dealing with the same issue. Malnourished mothers & children and people with disabilities often have underlying health conditions that make them more susceptible to serious illness or death if they con tract COVID-19. MALC distributed food hampers to needy malnour ished mothers & children and people with disabilities; they were also provided with awareness on prevention of COVID-19. It is due to the constant support of Austrian friends of MALC that MALC is able to reach out to underprivileged communities in rural Sindh. Nutrition and disability are intimately linked; malnutrition can directly cause or contribute to disability. With large family sizes often ranging between 8 to 12 members per family and scarce financial re- sources, people with disabilities and malnourished mothers/ children are unable to obtain the required nutritional needs and are often ne- glected. inaccessible or expensive transport further restricts them from obtaining services. Food hampers consisting of essential items to meet their nutritional requirements during this pandemic were provided to them on June 29, 2020. The distribution phase will be RECOVERING FROM COVID-19 Continued in the next quarter for needy people. porns eer Tae eee eae are cere ade fever The effect of the antined myself and CO MOe tt eater while the nasal ister would travel over 5 kms dally one-way) to take care of my children while my Cede sin Canada started crying bittery, When eae ee aoe cena eer ema playing, seemed all deserted because of me. Parents would restrict their children from Po name that have COVID-19; was the talk of the town and cod ue ea my door for using the elevator. A vagabond came forward Geen. een eee te or er es persistently Which ultimately led to me fainting in the washroom. Once | recovered, | remember telling my wife that “no matter € don't take me to the hospital as | have heard people not returning back to their loved one ees ather be taken from home.” | was already so drained from the vomiting, that | got severe diarrhea for another 3 days | felt that my end was near. Mi constantly there by my side taking care of me; | switched back to my reguiar det ever eater Beets en ret ete ce eee ork today is because of her untiring obliged to all my colleagues, friends and neighbours who checked up on me through phone cals and conducted prayer meetings for my speedy recovery, and the support ofthe organization in bearing my test expenses and providing extended leave. My advice to everyone is See Reported by: Sharon Braganza, Assistant Manager IPD OPENING CEREMONY OF LEPROSY REFRESHER TRAINING ‘The National Training Institute for Leprosy at MALC, Karachi, organized an opening cer emony for the Leprosy Refresher Training on 27" June, 2020. The selected Leprosy Technicians in Karachi will be able to refresh their knowledge and skills by gaining hhands-on-experience through a 15 day training at MALC Hospital OPD & Training De- partment, while at the same time keep their Leprosy skills up to date. Dr. Ali Murtaza, Director Training ~ MALC gave an orientation to the trainees and motivated them to make the best use of their training experience. Mr. Mervyn Lobo, CEO ~ MAIC, in his speech stressed on the importance of constantly developing oneself by watching, lis tening and learning and not forgetting MALC’s identity ie. Leprosy, even though MALC later added additional disciplines such as Blindness, Tuberculosis, Community Based Inclusive Development of People with Disabilities and Mother & Child Healthcare, keeping in view the dire needs of the marginalized population.