Another Donation From Support E.V

SUPPORT e.V and the Bundeswehr hospital in Ulm have donated a shipment of 2500 100ml tubes with high protection sun cream. The consignment has arrived in Windhoek last week and will be shipped to Otavi and Mashare, a town in the Kavango region, where the 50 + SPF lotion will benefit the people that are living in these areas and are a ffected by albinism or suffering of leprosy.

Leprosy is a chronic disease of the peripheral nerv es and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract. The infamous skin lesions are the primary external sign of the malaise. Mashare alone hosts 152 patients suffering of this disease. Sun cream protects the skin damaged through the illness and offers welcome relieve to the sick. Further, an estimated 120 people affected with albinism that are also living around the Mashari area will benefit from Supports e.V’s donation as well.

Support e.V became aware of the need for sun cream for people affected by albinism during a visit of the town of Otavi. A small number of Albinos living around the Otavi area and it became apparent that little specialised services are available to them. In co-operation with the Ohorongo Otavi Community Trust an Albino Corner was set up, which supplies sun cream, hats and other protective aids free of charge to the Albinos living in and around Otavi. .

Together with the nurses of the Otavi health clinic , social worker Thiko Ndlovu tends to the Albinos and keeps records on the distribution of the consum ables handed out. According to her, only one of her clients shows signs of skin cancer. “Albinism is quite well understood by our community. All my clients know how important it is to always wear hats and use sun cream in order to protect them of the hot Namibian sun. Luckily skin cancer is thus currently not such a big problem here,” affirms Ndlovy.

Albinism is a generic disorder that results from in heritance of recessive gene alleles. The malaise ischaracterised by the complete absence or defect of an enzyme involved in the production of melanin. Due to the very light skin of the albinos, people affected are extremely susceptible to sun burn and skin cancer.

The albino corner is not the only initiative of the Ohorongo Otavi Community Trust and Suppert e.V. Other initiatives include the restoration of the local playground and the renovation of the Otavi health clinic. In addition, Support e.V donated modern hospital equipment to the Ministry of Health and Social Services. While a significant proportion of the donated equipment was send to Otavi to be used in the clinic, other equipment was send to the Ministry for distribution in hospitals over the country.

Support e.V. is a non profitable organisation based in Germany town Ulm that was found by a group of medical doctors, who made it their aim to support medical projects the developing world through financial and humanitarian means as well as through donations. The word "SUPPORT" is the abbreviation for the groups motto, sofortige und praktische Problemlosung vor Ort, which can be translated into immediate and practical problem solving on site. For more information on Support e.V. please visit the group's website: www.support-ulm.de

The Ohorong Otavi Community Trust was found by Ohorongo Cement in co-operation with the Otavi Town Council early 2009. The Trust adopted as mandate the improvement of the livelihood of the people living in Otavi.