Fairmed
| Fairmed Foundation | |
|---|---|
|
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| legal form | Foundation, endowment |
| founding | 1959 |
| founder | Friends of Emmaus Bern |
| Seat | Bern |
| motto | Health for the poorest |
| Action space | Countries of the south |
| Website | www.fairmed.ch |
Fairmed is a Swiss non-profit organization to fight poverty-related diseases. Between 2000 and 2009, Fairmed was called Leprahilfe Emmaus Switzerland , is a sub-foundation of the umbrella organization Swiss Emmaus Association and is based in Bern . Fairmed provides medical help in countries in the south with a focus on African and Asian countries, especially Cameroon and India .
The foundation works with government structures and private service providers and bears the ZEWO seal of approval for donation-collecting organizations in Switzerland.
history
Development worker Marcel Farine was active in his social commitment for the Emmaus movement in Bern. This was created in 1956 following a lecture by Abbé Pierre in a Bern cellar. It was from here that the movement's "scouts" moved out, including to the old town, to support those in need. One of the organizers was Farine, who presided over the Friends of Emmaus group. In 1958 he invited the members of the various Emmaus groups and communities to Geneva and founded "Emmaus Switzerland" with them, which he headed for 32 years. In 1959 the National Committee for Lepers was set up , which as a branch of the Swiss Emmaus Association and a little later as an independent institution, supported the first projects in Cameroon, India and Tanganyika . Farine's encounters with Raoul Follereau and Abbé Pierre laid the foundation for the final social direction of his life and the clarification of the fundamental goals of his mission. At the request of these two socially committed personalities, he became the founding president of the International Association of Leprosy Aid Organizations ILEP (1966) and Emmaus International (1969). In 1980 he worked with friends he met in India to develop a program for the needy, which is now registered in that country as the Emmaus Community Fund (ECOMWEL).
By 1964, leprosy centers in 28 countries were supported in their construction. In 1966, Leper Aid, together with other organizations, founded the International Association of Leprosy Aid Organizations (ILEP). In the 1970s, the organization built two leprosy hospitals in the southern Indian cities of Hubli and Palamaner .
Since significant successes have been achieved in the fight against leprosy, especially since the 1980s, the organization expanded its fields of activity to include other diseases such as Buruli and tuberculosis . For example, a Burulispital was established in Cameroon in 2002. Accordingly, in 2009 the organization changed its name from Leprosy Aid Emmaus Switzerland to Fairmed .
Focus
One of the main goals is to strengthen those structures in the health system that are geared towards the poorest sections of the population. The organization assumes a holistic approach to health . This means that diseases are not viewed in isolation, but in relation to people's economic and social situation. For example, if a person suffering from leprosy does not have access to special shoes, there is a high risk that they will injure their feet, which will make it difficult or impossible for them to earn a living. In addition to medical treatment, Fairmed also strengthens prevention and maintains social projects.
The foundation supports the health of the poorest sections of the population through:
- Medical treatment and rehabilitation
- Strengthen basic health care
- Work in rural areas and in the neighborhoods of urban slums
- Support for government health programs
- Social and professional reintegration after illness
- Organization of self-help through microcredits and health insurances
- Protection against malnutrition