Page 24 - DIVA_2_2008_No.33

liave tlie national Gennan national association, Tliere are aborit 12,500 a miitoi'ity becarise I'n'i not
associations-foiiy-seven for instance, obtains funds kniglits aiid dames around tlie involved directly with
altogether-wliich are fairly from tlie Gennan Govei'n- world. Most national associa- hru'i'iai'iitai'ian work; I serve in
independent, since they liave ment to am its liospitals or tions like tlie German, the the diploi'natic sei'vice.
tlieir own budgets and their otl'ier social welfare centres. Aristrian, tl'ie French, etc., However, we are all expected
owit projects. We have One could say tliat it depends have what tliey call assistance to conti'ibute on tlie luin'ianita-
foundations and iiiteniational on the corinti-y and the organizations. In Fraiice it is iian front. Most peol:ile do tl'ffs
organizations, the most national activities. called Les (Euvi'es ]iospitalM- work in their free time becari-
r visible one of whicli is res frarr,aises de l'Oidre de se they have their OWII

Malteser International, whicli Tlie Order itself l'ias otlier Malte, a sub-organization of careers, professions, etc.
is the Order's worldwide relief kinds of revenue. First of all, thc national association.
agency. Many of tl'ie national the 12,500 members-tlie Tliere, yori will fii'id hruidreds A vei'y iinpoitaiit point is that
associations are men'ibers of )affghts and dames aroruid the of people wlio are vohu'iteers according to its Constitution,
Malteser International. Thus, world-pay a yearly of the orgaiiization, but not - the Order carries out its
for instance, wlien you l'iave a contribution to the Order. necessai'ily inembers of the humanitaiiaii WOl'k "for the
natiiral disaster, like the recent Furthermore we have Order. sid<, the needy and refugees
floods in Mexico, tlie nationa) approximately 80,000 traiiied witliorit distinction of
organization would contact volruiteers in, as well as about Ainong the 12,500 members, religion, race, origin and age".
tl'ie Order for lielp. 13,000 professional staff, wlio tliere are aborit forty religious
work on the different projects men'ibers. For iiistance, tlie Q: Could you tell us a litt-
So Malteser Intei'national The Order is pi'imarily based Grand Master is chosen le bit more about the
itself worild not necessarily upon vohmtai'ism. Ainong the among tl'ie religioris Order's activities in the
become active on the spot as 13,000 employees the majoii- members, and they rmdertalce diplomatic field?
there already exists aii ty are medical persoiuiel - the monastic vows of poveity,
association in the cormhy, but doctors, mirses, etc. Malteser chastity and obedience, like We have bilateral relations

tl'iey worild help w'tli obtai- Inter-national is veiy profes- any other Catholic religioris with 100 states today. We
ning fiuids and assistance. sional, becarise when order. became a Penrianent
The Order itself worild carry disasters strike you need Obsei'ver to tlie United
out fund-raising to help the professionals who can act Q: Are the knights and Nations in 1994. Tliat, of
local organization overcome iminediately. dames part of the nobili- course, also gave LIS obsei'ver

the crisis. t,? status here iii Geneva and in
Tlie Oi'der has some real-esta- Vienna, wit)'i FAO in Rome,
In corinti'ies where we do not te properties. It also receives No, not necessarily! There are with '[JNESC0 in Pai'is. In
liave ai'iy associations, iiilieritances from persons different categoi'ies. For this way we work closely
Malteser Inteniational ii'iter- who leave their possessions to instance, in the United States lyith the United Nations.
venes directly and carries out tlie Order. The Order also lias wliere we have the higl'iest
the relief WOI'l(. It has a veiy a pliilatelic service that sells munber of members, they do For us, Geneva is very impor-

professional set rip aiid its stamps and coins. s'iot liave any tradition of tant because it is liere that
lieadquaiters are in Cologne nobility. The nobility concept most lunnanitarian organiza-
ii'i Germany. For large-scale projects we lias remained becarise of tions are based-{JNHCR,
seek contributions from, for Eriropean tradition. Over the WHO, IOM, ICRC, etc. It is
Q: How do you obtain the instance, the Eriropean cenhiries, it was maii'ily men evident that even wlien we
funds to do all this? Commission's Humanitarian from noble fainilies wlio WOI'l( with these organizations
Aid Office (ECHO) in joined the Order, but that has in the field, tlieir headquaiters

Funding is as vat-ied as oir Brussels, whicli lias the changed enoi'inously. Tlie are liere in Geneva.

activities. First of all, eacl'i biggest humanitai'ian bridget Order lias adapted itself to the
national association cai'ries in tlie world. One has to times, otliei'wise it worild not Q: You are a religious
out its own fund-raising. subinit tlie projects, and then have sui'vived. order. Do you have rela-
Donations, gifts, legacies and ECHO decides wl'iether or i'iot tions with the other reli-
tundraising cai'npaigns are the to provide tiuiding. We also Nowadays, you can say that gious organizations,
inain soirces of incoine. For work as an implementing you bave people from all such as Jewish or
instance, if yori walk on tlie paitner of specialised walks of life. Becarise it's a Muslim ones?
streets of Viei'uia or perliaps agencies iii projects in the Catholic Order, yori liave to
Paris on certain days, you will field. For instance, if we are live according to t)'ie rules of Ii'i the {TN tliere is no otlier
see people collectiiig n'ioney cooperating with {TNHCR in tlie Catliolic Cliirch. Wlien entity like orirs. For instance,
for the Order. Many socio- the field, tliey will use ris as joining, you con'unit yoirself tlie Organization of tlie
medical care centres and an iinplementiiig paitner, and to serve tlie Order. Most Islainic Conference is an
liospitaller establishments in a particrilar crisis they people peifoi'i'n tl'iis task by uiter-govenunental (X,"alllZa-
receive funding fi'on'i tl'ie would probably liave tlic fun- loolcing after those iii i'ieed, tion. We do liave veiy close
national health and social ding available. taking siclc people on links to the Holy See, becarise
security systems, together pilgrimages to Lourdes, orga- we are an Order of tlie
with subsidies froi'n govern- Q: You have a specific nizing suni'ner cai'nlis for the Catholic Cluircli and our
mcnts and foundations. The number of members? liaitdicapped, etc. l belong to Grand Master lias tlie ranlc of
22 2 2008 Diva

wwwdivainternaNonalch