SANNI News
Dear friends of SANNI Foundation
Thank you very much for your loyal support, which enabled us to further expand our activities in India and in Myanmar in 2022. In November, I traveled to India. Our St. John’s project in the south of India is developing splendidly and has become a well-functioning, beautiful, large facility, with 250 people employed. The hospital we finance, and our supermarket are financially independent, which emphasizes the sustainability of the institution.
This is only possible because of your valuable help! Read in this newsletter how SANNI Foundation has developed in the last year and what we are planning for the new year.
Thank you again – we wish you and your loved ones the very best for 2023!
Yours sincerely,
Susanne Schroff
Our activities in India
After an interruption of 2.5 years, I was finally able to travel to India again. The cheerfulness and optimism of the people of St. John’s was, as always, very contagious! Many of these people have had a very hard life so far but they still express their gratitude.
The 380 sponsored children supported by us performed Bollywood-style dances (some of the children never get tired!). I was also able to see for myself the success of our women’s empowerment program, which we plan on expanding this year.
To cite a few numbers: 100,000 people were treated in our general hospital, with the economically better off people subsidizing the poorer ones. 3450 patients received their dialysis. 450 leprosy patients were treated free of charge and 11 reconstructive surgeries were performed on leprosy patients.
are operating at an excellent level: women who are financially underprivileged are learning a nursing profession or being trained to be entrepreneurs in the areas of mushroom cultivation, chicken and goat breeding.
To date, over 550 Indian youth have graduated from the sponsorship program healthy and educated and are now self-sufficient.
All our programs are designed to enable the supported people to become self-sufficient.
Our new project in Delhi
We have started a new project in a slum area in Delhi. There, 150 children who would otherwise not receive an education, are motivated and supported to go to school. In addition, their families receive food and medicine.
How is the situation in Myanmar?
The people of Myanmar have been in an extremely difficult situation since the military coup in February 2021 and the violence that followed. The poor have been hit the hardest. Access to health care has deteriorated. Many hospitals are only partially functional, and the violence has made transporting patients even more difficult.
Despite the crisis – or perhaps because of it – we have decided to further expand our aid with our local partner MAM (Medical Action Myanmar). Dr. NiNi Tun and Dr. Frank Smithuis and their team work tirelessly to help the underprivileged, even under the most difficult conditions. Many people fled the armed conflict and moved to forests, monasteries and churches. Others lost their income and had no financial means to feed their families. MAM supported 125,334 people with much-needed food and blankets since the start of the crisis.
MAM doctors were able to provide 1.45 million consultations in 2022. Following the massive COVID 19 outbreak in July 2021, the number of severely ill COVID patients decreased in 2022, but we observed a significant increase in malaria and tuberculosis (TB) cases. Patients with suspected TB did not want to go to the city for diagnosis due to fear of COVID and violence. Patients delayed referral, got more complications, and transmitted TB in the community. In 2023, we expect twice as many cases as in previous years. This is a very serious trend. To counter this, we have introduced mobile TB teams to diagnose TB in remote communities.
The dilemma of working in Myanmar
NGOs. Among other things, it prohibits them from having contact with opposition groups. The opposition, in turn, argue that NGOs should not have contact with the military regime. This puts NGOs in a very difficult position. The population lives in areas under the control of the military and in areas under the control of the opposition. To reach the people, we need access. Under either area, it may be necessary to contact the area’s authority figures to ensure the safety of staff and patients. Health services are severely weakened, and medical needs are greater than ever throughout the country. The situation is life-threatening, especially for the poor. We believe it is critical to continue to provide medical and emergency assistance. Leaving Myanmar at this time would mean additional suffering for the population.
About us
The SANNI Foundation is a charitable trust that aims to provide people in need in India and Myanmar. We focus on the fight against extreme poverty, the education of children and youth, healthcare and the empowerment of women. 100% of your donation reach those in need because SchroffInvest covers all administration costs and the foundation board members are volunteers. Would you like to learn more about the foundation? Visit us at www.sanni-foundation.com or contact us by e-mail.
