August 2011

Dear Sponsors

I hope all of you are feeling well. We had a very bad time. After the war thousands of people were homeless; we have to fight against the epidemic of cholera and typhoid. There were also many cases of scurvy.

Worst of all were the people with AIDS or tuberculoses. For weeks no medicines were available for them and they died at our ambulatory. The kids outside suffered with malnourishments and had enormous blood deficiency. Thanks to our help many of them are feeling better again. The country is recovering slowly; the streets are being repaired. But it will take substantial time – 10 year’s negligence can’t be wiped out from one day to other. During the months of May, June and July each month 3200 people received consultations in our social service. These people urgently needed help.

he people are penniless and are suffering from trauma of the war. For this reason we are supplying them with medicines free of charge. Can you imagine: poor, indescribably poor people knocking at our doors? Can you imagine: penniless people having no roof over their head and not having anything to eat?

Gemima

Gemima is a small 3 years old girl, who was brought to us by her father. He told us that she fell in hot water. Her back, buttock, legs and feet showed burnings of high degree. She was in coma. We couldn’t bring her to the hospital for high degree of burning, as this was looted during the war and was closed. We brought her in my room in the ambulatory. She could only lie on her stomach; each movement, each caring was a torture for her. We were shocked to realise that she not only suffered from the burning, but also had a broken arm, a big bump on her head and few of her teeth were missing.

I took the father on the side and enquired about who cared for her. He told that her mother is dead since one year and a young girlfriend cared for her. I asked him if Gemima had ever complained. He said that she cried a lot when he wanted to go to look for a job and didn’t want to stay alone with the aunt. He never thought it to be serious and he explained to her that he had to go, otherwise they will have nothing to eat. I asked him if he never thought that she was mistreated. He started crying so profusely that I also had to shed tears. He told me that Gemima never told him anything about it. I explained to him that mishandled children never dare to tell about it being afraid of further punishments.

We were not wrong: the “aunt” dashed the child on the wall, shoved her, broke her teeth and poured hot water at her back. She called her a witch and wanted to kill her. I suggested him to part from his girl-friend and to report her to the police. He threw the girl-friend away and fetched her mother from the village, so that she could care for Gemima at our ambulatory by day and night. After four months Gemima could stand again and walk a bit. Now she can dance with others. Although now she feels better, her mental wounds will remain on top of her physical damages.

The Kiosk

At last another of our project took form: we build a kiosk.

I can imagine the surprises in your faces: why a kiosk? Did Lotti go mad and start to sell cigarettes, chewing gums and newspapers in a place, where most of the people can’t even read? No, here kiosk is a small snack shop, where people can consume simple menus.

It was essential to build a kiosk; as many of our Aids patients were not served any food in our locality because of their illness and remained hungry. Now they can eat and drink in the kiosk. I as well as our personals can also eat there, being at least sure that everything is clean. One of our AIDS-mother, who prepares the food, is clean and cooks well. Now we can provide subsidised food to the hungry people. Two ladies got work in the kiosk. Many of our neighbours, who were sceptical and were afraid to eat in an AIDS-centre, have now realised that you can’t be infected there. More and more people are coming to the kiosk. This kiosk gives us enormous satisfaction. It gives us enormous joy to see cheerful and happy people.

Our children here have longer summer holidays than in Switzerland. The holiday time is difficult for all of us, as during this rainy season 50 kids have to spend all day long in a limited space. So you have to come out with an idea to keep them busy. So once again we rented an old and rusted bus, prepared a picnic and went with the kids to the crocodile farm, which lies about 60 km away. The day was a wonderful adventure: the kids were happy as they never saw a crocodile or a snake before. They said repeatedly that they were so lucky to live with us.

We thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for all your help. Only because of you we can keep the children alive and provide them hope and a future. I wish you all the best

Yours

Lotti Latrous.

May 2011

Dear Sponsors

We hope that this News Letter will find you in good health.

As usual my husband Aziz came to Abidjan by middle of January to help us for five weeks. As we are located very near to the ocean all metal objects rust, so they needed to be repaired. Further some of the rooms and walls had to be painted. Also the complete roof of the hospice had to be replaced, as there were various holes and when it rained the patient’s got wet in their beds.

PHOTO 1 UND 2 The complete roof of the hospice being replaced

For once Aziz’s attention was not fixed to our buildings but to the road of our slum leading to the main road. This was in such a desolate condition that no car could use it any more. On top there were such enormous holes that the water couldn’t flow off creating huge pools, which not only created breeding grounds for Malaria-mosquitoes and frogs but also for bacilli. People placed cement blocks and stones in the water to avoid standing ankle dip in the dirty water. Aziz organised dozens of trucks bringing earth and gravels, which were then distributed all over the road and rammed down by the young people, so that it was navigable again. This made all the people of the slum happy.

Truck filling the huge hole in the street with sand (on the left). After having rammed down all the sand, the street is navigable again (on the right)

Now to the topic, which interests you most: the civil war in the Ivory Coast. Shooting took place in many localities; our doctors couldn’t come to work as it was too dangerous for them to leave their localities. I requested Aziz to return back one week earlier, so that our three kids, who saw from the television what was happening with us, at least had the assurance that their father is in safety. It was not easy to convince him, but I managed. He flew back to Switzerland on 21st February knowing that Marie-Odile, the French nurse, who helps us regularly and substitutes me, will be coming two days later.

The first lot of refugees knocked at our doors hardly before Marie-Odelie arrived. We helped wherever we could by providing clothes, some money, shelter and rice. Our local sponsor, who sponsors one ton of rice every month all the year round, spontaneously sent further 3 tons on my request. I am greatly thankful to him for this gesture.

At last beginning from 28th March the new president Alassane Ouattara started to conquer city after city starting from the north. With proverbial speed his army stood at the entrance of Abidjan on 31st March. That was the time, when I booked my flight to Switzerland as I ought to have a medical check-up after the complicated operation I had last year. At first I refused to leave Adjouffou at that very critical moment. But there really exits someone with a harder head than me. She said to me that she came to substitute me and if I don’t trust her, then….. I flew, even though my heart bled. It helped me in my decision to know that since weeks we had build up reserves in our stores for the case of war. We stored rice, mace, onions, eggs, tomato pastes, sardine doses, baby-milk powder for our babies and milk powders for the others. Medicines worth of thousand Francs were also brought to Espoir 2. We also got dozens of charcoal sacks as gas was not available any more and we had to cook in the open fire. We also reserved petrol. Not only ourselves but the whole of Adjouffou were extremely lucky that since last year we have our own drinking water from the well we dug.

Water taps

On 30.03.2011 the army of Alassane Ouattara gave the old President Gbagbo the ultimatum of few hours to denounce his position making place for the democratically elected new president. The ultimatum ran out at 22.00 hours of the night from 30th to 31st without being followed; so the soldiers started their attack. I was very much afraid for Marie-Odile, the kids and our personals. I cursed myself that I left. For going back it was too late. The airport was closed and Air France had cancelled all the flights. Marie-Odile could reach me per e-mail and wrote that she is in the ambulatory and a curfew has been imposed. Moreover she is well supported by the personals and I ought to stay where I was. Already next day the situation escalated and shooting took place all over the city. Now it was our personals, who urgently urged Marie-Odile to leave our centres. They explained that to have a white lady with them not only brought danger to them but also to the patients and the children. Marie-Odile was fetched by the French army and brought to a camp. On 3rd of April she could telephone me. She reported that about 2000 people, mostly foreigners were in the military camp. She also had contact with our guard Monsieur Doumbia, who insured her that everything was ok, as far possible in such a situation.

Gbagbo was arrested on 11th of April. Marie-Odile telephoned me again, she didn’t want to talk about the victory of Ouattara but about something else, which she urgently wanted get “rid of her mind”. She found a 2-years old boy, who was alone in the camp. No one knew where he came from or where his parents were. She said that she was determined to take him to the orphanage. I had to silently laugh in my mind. Two days later again I got a call and she informed me that now she will leave the military camp and go back to Adjouffou and the mother of the young boy has turned up. Hopefully I can return soon. I should not speculate about how the city looks like. Hundreds of dead bodies are lying everywhere; there is danger for epidemie; everything has been destroyed and plundered. Now is the time to help to build up the country and to provide the citizens a respectful life. I thank you heartily for your trust, help and sympathy for us.

God bless you,

Lotti Latrous

Remarks from the Board of Trustees

On 28th April Lotti Latrous flew back to Abidjan. Luckily her centres of Hopes escaped any damage, nothing was stolen nor destroyed. Day after day people from other localities, which were destroyed, are coming to her; they require food and medicine. Many have to be urgently hospitalised, but most of them passed away a few days late, as they were very weak. Lotti Latrous is now busy to get the whole thing moving again. It will take a long time as the whole infrastructure has been destroyed, the administrative bodies are not functioning and there is scarcity in the supply of food and medicines. The people have no work, so they have no money for buying food, which anyhow are not available most of the time. For Lotti and her personals there is more to do than any other time. You will be informed more about it in the next News Letter. The Board of Trustees takes this opportunity to thank you sincerely for your trust in us.

Tiziana Baenniger- Guidi, Vice President.

January 2011

WISH YOU A HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM THE DEPTH OF MY HEART

Dear Sponsors

I hope that you had nice festive days. I heard that once again you had a real white Christmas.

Since last month we are living in the uncertainty of not knowing what will happen tomorrow. Two presidents are quarrelling with other - each for his own right to be the president. None of them wants to give up, as he thinks he himself is right. The atmosphere is very worrying; we are living from one day to the other, without being able to make any plan for the future. The news is frightening; but what makes us most worried is the international press, whom we can follow in internet. Their reports put our friends and families worrying to death for us. I am being advised more and more to leave the country as the people worry about us. But I am here, where I want to be - at home. I shall stay here.

Those who know Africa – know that at the end something totally can happen than one had expected. We are praying that a solution can be found resulting in an amicable end. We will surely not give up our hope. At Adjouffou the atmosphere is very quite. For sometime we had night curfew and everyone had to stay at home, which was sometime difficult, as here usually most of the activities take place just up to midnight, an atmosphere, which I love and miss.

Due to street fighting and burning tires, sometime our employees can’t come to work, so we are not able to work every day since December. Sometime we can’t open our ambulatory mainly because the doctors are missing. In case of an emergency I take the patient to the public hospital and pay for the treatment, but quite often the personals are also missing there.

Since the unrest started we are distributing more food stuff, especially rice. Additional to the one ton rice, which we distributed monthly up to now, I have purchased an extra ton, which I shall distribute to the hungry people of Adjouffou. As if the situation of the people in the slums were not bad enough, additionally the problem of hunger has come. The mothers don’t know what to feed their kids and come to us to get food stuffs. Luckily we got lots of milk tubes and chocolate powder from Nestlé, which we distribute, bringing joys to the kids or as they say “At last our Christmas present again is a glass of milk”.

Milk! What you can drink everyday in Switzerland, is a luxury here. I am happy and thankful that we could dig the well, due to which at least everyone has enough drinking water. What a colossal joy - to open a water tap and get clean drink water.

The kids in the orphanage are well; they are privileged compared with the kids from the slums. They have enough to eat; they have shoes, clothes, medicines, affection and on top of that they can go to school. I say they are privileged, whereby all the children of the world should have the right to have a carefree childhood. For Christmas we arranged a lunch for the children of the slum. One NGO, whom we know well, arranged everything and the happiness was indescribable. We helped financially and sponsored the food. At least once in their life time hundreds of children could eat as much they like still they were bursting.

This year we had a very generous budget, enough even to arrange a festival. It was just like last year – I ordered various delicious foods, quite different from what we usually eat. One gentleman from Lebanon prepared for us four Mechouis – it was just delicious. All our patients, personal and the kids were happy and celebrated- with Coca Cola and Fanta. For dessert everyone got an apple; usually we share an apple, as they have to be imported and are very expensive.

Also this year our youngsters did without a present; with the money they saved they could give hundreds of food-packets to the slum dwellers. I am proud of the youngsters. They have learnt not only through Lary’s death (I shall tell about him later) that giving makes one happier than receiving. This makes me highly satisfied, as I know many egoistical individuals. The children have to learn that life is a blessing; their blessing is to have all the things they posses - what others can only dream about and the motto of Christmas is not to get presents but to give presents to others.

We bought new Flip Flops for all the kids and hanged them to the big tree in our courtyard: it was surely one of the nicest Christmas tree. We danced and sang. The kids, they were more than eighty, blew soap bubbles. The happiness was boundless. There was also a little theatre group – who made us love. The thoughts of war, mass graves, and murders in the slum were forgotten for few hours.

Our special Christmas Tree

Now to Lary – an almost seventeen year old boy, who was quite dear to me. He suffered from an illness, which caused paralysis – a bit more each and every day. He came to us full of wounds. Each time the changing of the dressings was a horror. His will power to live and his patience to bear the sufferings were a lesson for life to us all. The other youngsters, from our orphanage spoiled him, made the days bearable for him and gave him company up to the end. It was a relief that he passed away. Just before his death our night nurse Monsieur Koné also passed away. He had AIDS; actually he was feeling quite well. He had been working three nights a week since many years. As he himself was HIV positive, he was very loving to all the patients and inspired them often by saying repeatedly: “You can make it. Look at me – once I was lying in this bed and now I am working”. Last September his glands on neck were swollen. Dr. Henri Chenal, whom we contacted for help made a biopsy and he found out that he had an advanced cancer. Monsieur Koné got weaker and weaker and at the end he weighed only 35 kilo. The doctors were of the opinion that he has to get stronger before he can be treated with chemotherapy. We put him in our hospital, where he passed away after few days under enormous pain. Our personals and the patients were shocked, as everything happened so quickly. When Lary heard about his death he cried bitterly. He couldn’t understand that such a noble soul, one who was always so loving to all the patients and cared for them for hours has to go. I think if I didn’t have a strong faith I would have also asked - WHY? Muslims have a saying for such moments – don’t lament, God knows what He is doing.

Mr. Koné,

Before I finish the letter I like to tell you about the kids, who are born with deformities. Here those kids are often taken as rebirth of evil spirits and many of them are killed. Also the mothers of these kids are deserted and are named as witches. Often I saw that kids were not there any more and to my query their mothers answered that they have died. These are the realities of Africa, what is difficult to understand. In Switzerland there are thousands of possibilities to take care of such kids, what is not the case here. But it is not difficult to help such kids and their mothers – we are planning to star such a programme. I shall tell you more about it in the next newsletter.

Yes, Africa is difficult, the life here is a constant struggle and only the strongest can survive. I THANK you from the depth of my heart in the name of the mothers and kids here for your help us to stand against the ignorance and injustice that we are allowed to help. I wish you dear sponsors a Happy New Year; good health, harmony
and love.

Yours
Lotti Latrous

Adjouffou , September 2010

Dear Sponsors

At last I am here again, in Adjouffou. Here, where my heart beats differently, where I feel my soul and where I get peace of mind. You are thinking that I was in holiday. Totally wrong. I was in the hospital in Lausanne. It was diagnosed that I had a tumour in my bladder, but then the biopsy showed that it was only a non-malignant tumour, but it has to be removed. The time for all the tests and clarifications and the operation that followed took quite long. During this time I missed Adjouffou terribly. But I was happy that during my absence my friends Marie Odlie and Silvia could take over my place. I was also very thankful for the assistance of my husband, children and my friends, for whom at last I had some time. I was also thankful for the excellent doctors and nurses and also for all the high technology. All these helped me to get better. I was also happy that I was in the right time at the right place. When I started to feel the pain I was in Switzerland; was I at time here in Adjouffou I would have died.

Due to Internet, lying in bed at the hospital I was always connected with Adjouffou, so I knew every day what was going on down there – what made life easier for me in that difficult time. It cheered me up when I got good news and made me sad when I came to know that one of our patient have died. I experienced once again, this time personally that we can decide many things ourselves, but nothing works if we are not in good health. Our body can dictate whatever he likes without taking notice of what we like or not – we just have to accept it. Photo: Lotti in the hospital with a clown-nose. Smiling is really the best medicine. At long last when I got down in Abidjan from the plane I smelled again of Africa. I couldn’t wait till I got out of the custom clearance and sat in the car driving towards Adjoffou.

As soon I reached there - in the mean time it was 10 o’clock at night, I immediately went to the hospice - Centre of Hope Two - to greet all the patients, especially the children, although by then most of them were sleeping. Our dear granddad Mr. Keita was still awake. He was in bed squatted. His body was hot and he was coughing. I noticed that he has lost at least 10 kilo and he looked miserable. I knew it immediately that he had Tuberculosis. My heart cried out. No, not him, no, please not. I knew that it will be almost impossible to get him cured at his age. After few tests and x-rays during the next few days it was clear that unfortunately my assumption was correct. As of immediate effect he was neither allowed to come to the courtyard or take kids on his lap and tell them stories. We have to put him under quarantine in our small room of the TB-patients. I knew that he was not afraid of dying. He told me many times that he had a good, eventful life and the last five years he spent with us was wonderful. He said to me that now he can go – an old paralysed man for the last five years.

 I always have to shed tears when I see how grateful people here are for whatever little they receive, compared with us in Europe, having so much excess and still being unhappy. He spent not even a day in the quarantine, Monsieur Keita passed away on 30th August. He departed being contented and peaceful, just like he lived all his life. He was thankful for everything as well as thankful that he can go. We will never forget him.

Assana, Fusseni and others

Now back to the kids, whom I saw sleeping during my night visit; next morning I saw them in very good conditions: well-fed, happy, healthy – if we are allowed to say so about the HIV-positive kids - they stood being contented and singing in front of me. The best result we reached with our twins – two years ago they were brought to us – Assana and his brother Fusseni, six months old weighing only two kilo – looking like skeleton. When we see them today being tubby and whooping with joy toddling and babbling in front of us then we thank our luck that we found them in time. Their nannies adore them and thanks to them that they are alive. A picture says more than thousands words – does not your heart jumps up with joy when you see them both in pre and post photo?

Assana and Fusseni - pre and post. Only food, care, love and patience have brought this result.

LARY Lary was eighteen years old - a young and healthy man until he became paralysed. He can only move his head and his right hand. He can still smile and from this we can see if he is happy or sad. His mother sold everything she had – Fridge, Television, Radio and even the Gas cylinder, she used for cooking, so that she could afford to take him to the very best specialist. She was left with nothing else than just a straw mat on the naked floor for her paralysed son, what abraded his body. She had no more nappies and Lary was always much dirtied.

 Then one day she came to know about us and brought him to us. We also made all the efforts running from pillar to post and came to know that he will never be able to walk again and he will die, which he also knew. He read all the religious books – the Bible, the Koran, and the Thorax to find the answer to the question – WHY ME? No one can provide him an answer to this – we can provide him only the dignity he deserves. We engaged a teacher so that he can get the lessons he missed. We give him a lot of love and care. His various wounds require two hours of treatment by two nurses. He sleeps in my old room in the Centre of Hope Two. All the youngsters are always around him and spoil him.

 Often I have a feeling that he is like a king having just a bed instead of a thorn. A slumer – in Africa we don’t talk about a rapper but of a slumer – teaches him how to write a text. His mother comes to visit him every day. He gets his favourite dish and Swiss milk chocolate, which he likes so much. I often speak with him about God and the world. He trusts me and asks me questions as he knows that I shall answer him truthfully. A priest comes to him now and then. We like to prepare him for the time of his passing away, so that when time comes he can go quietly and in peace. This is not easy when you are only 18. His illness is called syringomyelia, which is a rare illness of the backbone marrow and at present time is not curable.

Photo of Lary Lary and his friends together - up to the very end.

Dear sponsors I thank you in the name of all our patients and children for all your help. Thanks to you and only due to you everything is easier. Together we can manage everything and ONLY together. God bless you.

Heartily
Lotti Latrous

June 2010

Dear Sponsorsclass="txtlegende">The Water Tank

I hope that all of you are well; I am happy to inform you that considering the general circumstances in Adjouffou all the children and the people are keeping well. A wonderful thing has happened – after six very hot, dry and dreadful months, at last we have Water. Drinking Water! We were able to build a well. It was a difficult birth, as the ground water is contaminated so we had to drill up to a depth of 25 meters.

I shall never forget the moment when at last a jet of clear water shot up. All the people of our locality celebrated, sang, danced and wept with joy; it was an unbelievable emotional moment, considering that all the ladies had to go hundreds of meters every day in search of water – not gold. Everyone should have the basic right to get Water, which is neither an item of luxury or affluence.

A tank with a capacity of 5000 liter as well as an enormous filter has been installed. Now people within reach of our hospice can come to us once a day to fetch water and that without having to pay for it.

Drilling machine

At last water again!

With the assistance of my husband we could also build an office room, where our youngsters get their computer lessons. Unfortunately our older kids must forget their dreams to become policeman, sailors or professional soldiers. Time and again I have to dispel their illusions. Moussa, one of our oldest kid, who was allowed to go home wanted to be a sailor so that he can discover the world. I had the right connections to help him in his dream coming true, but he has AIDS. This four letters word destroys all their dreams. What remains for the one, who is young has a good school leaving certificate and has all the future in front of him, but can’t carry on heavy physical work and not necessarily wants to become either a hairdresser or a dressmaker – but must live with such a big handicap? “Madam Lotti we want to become computer specialist!” That is the solution – so we build a small office room. We had to get laptops, which cost a fortune here. I turned to my friends - the International Red Cross donated us three, the Swiss Embassy added one on top. What about a teacher? A young lady with AIDS, who is a computer specialist, was looking for a job – so once again we were fortunate.

I know that always the right kind of people come to us in the right time. The young lady was employed; she cried from joy. She has started her classes with enthusiasm coming from deep of her heart. Once again it proved that when someone wants to do something good, he can also achieve it. We could also open a small library. Some kids from Canada, England and the Ivory Coast organised festivals on our behalf and collected 1500 Euro. With this money they brought books for us – so at long last my children are nor only getting all the essentials for living but are also coming in contact with culture, music and books and all these without us having to spend almost anything. After reaching home Moussa wrote me – “Madame Lotti, I feel so thankful to you in my heart– as you change the ugly young ducks to swans; in your eyes one day we will become someone important and honest. You teach us to have courage to accept our lives”. Thanks Moussa, I know that you read the story of the swan and the duck in one of our books, otherwise you wouldn’t have known what a swan is.

Kids at the class

What a fun to read

Frank, Patrique und Aime-Joel (f.l.t.r.)

The young ones are getting on well. They have enough to eat; they are contented, happy and radiate from life. Our young Frank with heart diseases, who came to us 8 years ago with disfigured legs, emaciated and mortally ill and the doctors predicted that he will neither be able to walk nor to speak, is now a lively boy like all the others.

He can walk, he plays football, and he shouts and defends himself when others want to catch him by surprise during play. As he has learned quite a few bad words – I know that he has been accepted in the school. Is it not so that such words are learnt only at school?

Our luxury vehicle on the way to school

As he and the other young kids couldn’t walk to school because of the long distance, I had to get a special wheel barrow made for them. We engaged a chauffeur, an unemployed man with family. So the kids are transported like kings twice a day. This they enjoy so much that they even want to go to school when they have a school-free day.

One can achieve so much having so little; one has to have faith, a bit of imagination, courage and conviction and has to remain a bit of a child in heart and love the world – then all the doors will open for him. I have help from Marie Odile, a qualified nurse, who loves our work from the depth of her heart. Our work became also her - since last ten years she spends two months every year with us and feels that this is a privilege for her.

Marie-Odile (r.)

BEING PART OF IT – yes, part of what? Being part of helping our kids and fellow people - by providing them hope, dream, love and respect and also helping them to stay alive. All these with the feeling of an unlimited happiness and thankfulness in the heart and soul. In the middle of poverty and dirt and without having any luxury and often without any electricity and water. STILL in spite of all these we are happy, as we are “being part of” – we need this back breaking work to live. And you, dear sponsors, you also are “being part of “- without your help nothing could have been achieved. You also being part of - as nothing could have been done without you. We thank you all from the bottom of our hearts. You are helping to hold on to a world - to a wonderful, human place full of love and happiness. Without your help it will sink into dirt. I hope from the deep of my heart that this knowledge makes you also happy. God bless you. I wish you a nice summer till the next Newsletter. Thanking you

Mme. Lotti

Lotti's Letter October 2009

I hope you are all well and you didn’t suffer much from the summer heat.

We had a bad summer. The monsoon and the rainy season were so severe that the whole locality was flooded and the small slums on the slopes were washed away. Thousands of people were rendered homeless and lost what ever little they possessed. Their possession was not much, may be a straw mat, some clothes, few plates, some photos – but even those were lost in mud. Some even died, especially children, who could not cope with the flood and were drowned in their own courtyard. It was worst in Adjouffou. You could move around only with four wheel driven cars. To protect our feet we had to walk around the slums with plastic sandals. We had to wade through knee deep water to fetch people from their huts. The people had to be sheltered either in the churches, mosques or in our centres. We couldn’t take many due to scarcity of place. First of all each family received a hot meal and some dry clothes. Our orphans were astonished to see what was going on outside our centres. Next we had to find new housing for these families and arrange for payments of rents. As a deposit we had to pay 4 months rents even before one could move in. We took over these costs as we didn’t want to leave these people to their wretched fates. One woman told me that the rain was a blessing for her as without that she could never leave her desolated hut and moved to a new housing. Her new housing is a wooden hut without electricity and water; but it is situated in a safer and dry place. Even heavy rain can’t damage the hut and on top of it, it will stay dry. The nightmare of wet mattresses, wet clothes and thoroughly wet hut is gone and she is happy about it.

Photos No. 1
People had to be rescued from these huts. Everything was flooded, even little kids were drowned.

MOUSSA, ISSOUF and the others
We have a major problem at the orphanage: shortage of space. Many young children and babies came to us in the last few weeks. Without our help they would have died. We were overcrowded and I had to find a solution; we can’t accommodate 60 children when we have space for only 50. As at times of difficulties I asked my friend and advisor Monsieur Konaté:
“I have so many kids, must I let the older ones go?” He looked at me with his kind eyes and his face glowed with a smile. “Madame Lotti I advised you many times that you must give back the older kids to their families, they don’t belong to you”. “Yes, I know that, but I like to help them as long as possible; can’t you understand that?” “I understand, but they have been here six to seven years. They are Africans; on top of your upbringing they have also to get to know their own; their grandparents have to teach them their own culture and traditions. They are of good health but are torn between two worlds, let them go -----“.

With heavy heart I contacted the fathers, aunts or the remaining members of their families. They all came and they understood us. They were thankful for what has become of the kids and they agreed to take them back to the family. Every family gets 50 CHF per month to make sure that they get fed and can go to school. I want to have them with me every Saturday. Then they get their pocket money; but most of all I want to see them. Moussa was brought home by Aziz, my husband. As I saw the photos of his new dwelling I cried in my heart – one desolate room without having any thing – no bed, no stool, nothing at all. Luckily we already gave him a mattress and the missing furniture was ordered at the carpenter. His aunt is now looking after him. She cooks for him and takes care of him. He can take his own medicines. His father guides him to become an adult. All these youngsters are well; they are with their families. Although they have less comfort than they had at our centre, but they have more freedom, have new friends, most of all they are with their families. They learn to differentiate between good and bad, to share, to respect their friends and elders and not to be violent at the first instant as is usual here. I trust them; they know that they have Aids and how to cope with it.

Now I know I ought not to keep them so long – that makes everything worst.

Photos 3 & 4
Moussa in Centre Espoir / Center of Hope and on the day of his return to his home. It was hard, but he felt at home.

EBOU

The little Ebou with cancer is not well. He absorbed the first three chemotherapy treatments well; but then he had to go through another one, which almost killed him. So he came to us for recuperation for three weeks. The tumour has again grown substantially. Despite of all the sufferings he is a loving boy, likes to dance, has big appetite and always in good mood. End of August he had to go through another operation followed by chemotherapy treatment. I pray sincerely that his life will be spared. He is suffering since February.

Before closing I like to send you a loving greeting from our Emmanuel. He is already nine. He is a bright, marvellous boy and moody at times. He enchants us with all his charms and makes us laugh with his theory about his teacher, who is supposedly not at all nice. He wanted to go to Switzerland and to go to school there. It is not his fault that he has to repeat his class. He knows that we will not create a scene for that; if someone had such a childhood like him, then the school reports are not the most important thing in life.
I thank you from deep of my heart for your help, trust and love for the people of Adjouffou.
God bless you!
Lovingly
Lotto Latrous.

Lotti's Letter January 2009

Dear Sponsors

Today I like to tell you about our wonderful Christmas party; about 11 of the older children out of 50 from our orphanage requested me to give the employees something in their name instead of giving them any present. “Why?” I asked them surprisingly, although I knew the answer, I wanted to hear it from them. “This way we wanted to say ‘thank you’ to them“. Thanks that each and every day they take care for them; wash, clean and cook for them; wipe away their tears; sit beside them by their bed when they are ill; replace their parents or at least try to do so. One Sunday the older children prepared presents in secret, whereby they sang, wrote cards and some even wrote letters. The words they put down in the papers were from their hearts. All our employees, patients and children sat by a very large table and the 11 teenagers distributed their presents. I sat there and was happy not knowing who were more touched – the children or the employees.

After the party I fell in bed being totally exhausted. I was woken up at 2 o’clock in the morning by our night watchman Mr. Konaté. He requested me to come to the orphanage as the little Yacou was seriously ill. Yacou was lying in bed curved up and crying in pain. I drove him to the emergency unit of the University Hospital, where not a single soul was to be seen. I imagined that the employees have also been celebrating and must have been sleeping somewhere. I laid down Yacou, who by now was trembling from pain - in a bed. Then I started shouting, whereby closing Yacou’s ears as a precautionary measure. I can shout loud, when it is necessary and there it was definitely necessary. Two hours later we came to know that he was suffering from a very painful irritation of appendix, which however could be treated successfully with medication.

At 5 o’clock we were back. I put down Yacou, who was now sleeping soundly in his bed and went to the hospitz to say Happy Christmas to those who were awake by now. They were happy to have a visitor at such an early hour.

Coming back to the Christmas celebration, I wanted to send you the photos of the party. But after today’s experience I decided otherwise. I forced myself to confront you with a single photo – most probably you will say this is very unkind and you had rather not seen it. Why am I still doing it? Because you can impossibly know the reality if you don’t dare to look. Few hours ago my reality was as follows:

In front of my container-office sat a father holding his 3 years old son in his arms. Both of them live in a very distant village, from where the nearest main road is about 25 kilometres and to us surely over 35. The father had put Ebou, his young son on his shoulder and started to march in the direction of the Abidjan airport with the aim somehow to find the ‘white lady‘, who takes care of even those, who are not able to pay. Finally he fought his way to us by asking people the direction and when he knocked at our door; our watchman opened it and told him to wait, as soon the doctor will get time to see his son.

Exactly the same way they sat once before in a public hospital. The father had no money. Only thing he had was hope – hope that someone will examine the wounds of his son and explain to him why his son looks like a monster. None of the doctors even bothered to glimpse at them. The father put Ebou again on his shoulder and returned to his house, where the child was further treated with the herbal medicine. Then he heard about the white lady staying near the Abidjan airport, who helps even those who have no money.

As our Dr. Kouassi examined him, he fetched me. First I saw Ebou with his enormous bandage around his head and then the pure fear in the eyes of his father. In his eyes I could virtually read his question – ‘What will happen, when she hears that I have no money?’, ‘What happens if she takes no time for us?’, ‘ What happens if she sends us back to our house?’ He didn’t understand any French but soon he realised that we will look after his son. We took out the pus and blood drenched bandage and saw – what I would like to show you below - the Reality of black Africa. Also we, Dr. Kouassi and I would have preferred to look away, but that was not possible. We had to look. Dr. Kouassi started crying. Before my tears came I ran away. I had to get rid of the feeling of anger, frustration, outrage, desperation out of my body and mind.

We cleaned the wound as well as we could and took Ebou and his father to the University Hospital, where they confirmed the diagnosis of Dr. Kouassis – Burkett Lymphoma. One malignant type of Lymphoma, which is named after the British citizen Denis Parsons Burkitt, who was the first one to write about this disease. This kind of cancer can be found – how can it be otherwise – mostly in tropical Africa and is the most frequently found tumour of the children. The lymphoma is treatable with chemo and radiation therapy. It is needles to say that this therapy is only affordable to the very rich. We decided to bear the cost of the chemotherapy therapy off Ebous.

The poverty here in the Ivory Coast, as well as in the whole of black Africa is increasing day by day and this not only in the slums, but also in the villages, where people can still have their own food supply and don’t suffer as much as in the slums, but there is no money to save a human life. I heard from a lady about someone dying in front of a doctor of a fallopian tube pregnancy as her husband didn’t have the money needed for the operation.

Dear Sponsors, without your help I wouldn’t be able to do anything for Ebou except for putting him in our hospital and let him die. Thanks to your help I can help Ebou as well as his parents – I know it, as it is with every parent, who will rather die than seeing their offspring suffer so much.

I have confronted you today with a story and a picture - have forced you to look at it. I hope you understand why I had to do it. I have to share the misery of Ebou with many. It helps us when we don’t have to suffer alone. Believe me I still have spared you from looking inside Ebou’s wounds, which I keep to myself.

I wish you a wonderful year with good health, a lot of sunshine and love and from the deep of my heart say ‘Thanks’. Thanks for your help. Thanks for your generosity. Thanks that you don’t forget us. Thanks that you don’t look away. Please keep your finger crossed for Ebou, most of all pray for him so that within a few months I can report a happy ending of his suffering.

Lotti Latrous

Lotti's Letter October 2008

Dear Sponsors

I hope that you are well and fit.

Day by day the life of the people in slums of Adjouffou is getting more difficult. Since weeks we have neither fresh water nor electricity. On top of this the garbage are not being collected which results in the typhoid epidemics. Every week more than 40 people are diagnosed with typhoid in our hospital. The treatment costs over twenty Swiss Francs per person. The patient can’t pay this amount as they not have money even to have a meal per day. Thanks to your support we can assist these people.

As a matter of fact today I would like to tell you something nice – a short story about Mr. Keita and the little Philip:

Monsieur Keita is seventy years old and is living with us in the hospital since last two years. He is paralysed but does not have Aids. Six years ago he together with my husband used to climb days-after-days on the roofs of our hospital to repair the holes in the roofs so that our patients don’t get wet during the rainy season. Monsieur Keita is namely a specialist of tin roofs. One day a neighbour of Mr. Keita came to us and informed me that Mr. Keita couldn’t get up from bed. We fetched him; as he is from Mali he had no one else than his neighbour. He always sits in his wheelchair in the courtyard. He is satisfied with himself and the world. He is thankful for any simple gesture, talk or smile from anyone of us. He became the senior most in our village and is respected by everyone.

Sometime on Sundays I take him with me in the car for a ride. I show him the ocean and we drive to his old neighbourhood so that he can visit his old neighbours. Although he felt good with us, I noticed some sadness in his eyes. Even though he felt being accepted by us he often felt lonely. Then Philip, who was just two, came to us. He is an orphan of parents who died from Aids. Philips was barely an hour with us as he went to Mr. Keita, who took him on his lap. Philip was thrilled; he pulled Mr. Keita’s hair, pulled his nose, stroke his chin. When Philips cries from a painful injection we know to whom we have to take him. Mr. Keita can console him, he can put him to sleep by singing; for hours after hours he tells him fairy tales and legends of African villages. It is obvious that both of them like each other dearly. Philip has found a grandfather and Mr. Keita a grandchild and a new depth of satisfaction. It is like a wonder. Although contended but also somehow sad, Mr. Keita became real happy. He has found a family and some responsibility. Sometime I watch them from a distance and every time the happiness I see in them brings tears in my eyes.

We were allowed or better said we were forced to start a new project: since a while ago the mothers can bring their children to us, who without our help would have died from malnourishment. Meanwhile there are forty kids, who regularly get a mixture of milk-oil-sugar from us, which is prepared by a lady, who is a specialist in nourishment. The babies are weighed regularly and it is satisfying to see how they are gaining weight continuously. We will take new babies and will look after them for years to make sure that they are doing well. Meanwhile we are distributing an extra ton of rice per month. Presently hunger is our greatest problem.

(Photo of children)

Some more positive news: 200 children from Adjouffou, who are sent to school by us did well in the school, most of them go to the next class. All our orphans from sixth class go to the secondary school. As they showed me their results – we had a further reason to shed tears of happiness.

At the end something not so pleasant: last May I got tuberculosis; was in the hospital for a month and was then forced to stay in my room in Adjouffou for a month in quarantine. For the first time in my life I had to take medicines for TB and I can tell you that that was a torture. I was terribly sick all the time; I couldn’t eat, was totally tired and had terrible lung and stomach ache. My trusted employees ran the hospital efficiently without me, which is a wonderful experience for me. As soon as I was allowed to see people – our patients, some of whom already had TB came to visit me and consoled me; they told me that your stomach will soon get used to the medicine, which I had to take for six months. They were right. Now I am cured. It disturbs me to think that the ten kids of our orphanage who also suffered from TB never complained during their treatment despite of their sickness, tiredness and pain. As I asked them why they didn’t tell me, they informed me that the other kids, who already took the medicine, told them that the suffering will soon be over. How brave these kids were can only be realised by someone who also had the same diseases. Their courage brings tears in my eyes.

Enough of crying for the time being. I wish you love and all the best. Many greetings from Lotti and the whole big family of Adjouffou.

Lotti Latrous

The whole gang of kids with my daughter Sarah and Veronique, a teacher feeling in the seventh heaven after an intensive handicraft activity.

Lotti's Letter May 2008

I like to start today with the story of 12-years old Rebecca, her 17-years old brother Yaya and her mother Beatrice. All of them are suffering from a congenial, incurable and a very rare disease. The disease being very rare, the drug manufacturers don’t judge it to be profitable enough to spend money on research to find a medicine for it. I am speaking of brittle-bone disease. Both Rebecca and Yaha have had broken bones for the first time at the time of their birth.

Their mother Beatrice, who is hardly one meter forty, can walk - if you can call it walk - only with the help of a walking stick. Just like her children her bone breaks even if she mistakenly shoves her hand on the wall. Her son also uses a stick for walking. Rebecca can’t walk, she is stuck a wheelchair. I know the family for a long time. First time I met them they were all sitting on the floor of their hut having broken their bones. None of them could walk, they moved from one end of their hut to the other just by slipping on the floor. They neither had electricity nor water; neither had they any food. All they had was a big hip of misery. Beatrice was near to commit suicide, as she had terribly pangs of conscience for being responsible for the sufferings of her children. Each of the kids had a different father and both the fathers run away at the time of the birth of the children realising the illness of the children.

Today the situation looks different for all of them - Rebecca goes to school; we have engaged a young man on hourly basis, who takes her to school and brings her back. Recently Yaha has started training for tailoring. For Beatrice we have organised a working place in the Centre of Hope, where she can press her wonderfully fresh and tasty fruit juices, which she sells and earns the cost of her family.

All of them have learned to hope again, found back their dignity and above all their smile; I can assure you that Rebecca has more glorious a smile than any of the most beautiful Miss World.

My husband Aziz was here for three months at the beginning of the year to repair and to put all our buildings in order. As we are very near to the ocean, everything rusts here very quickly. The roof beams were eaten away by the woodworms; the electricity and water supply lines have to be renewed and our laboratory has to be enlarged. Together with a whole team of workers he hammered, sawed, bored, pored concrete and tiled. Nothing escaped his eyes. Everything turned out to be very nice. His working days extended up to 12 hours, during which he ran between the two centres and that at temperature of 33 degrees in the shade and at humidity of 90 percent. In spite of this he found time in the evenings to play with the children (they call him Papa Aziz) and cook for me. He also took my old, very much loved car Pajero with over 400,000 kilometres for repair and inspected the work. The old car looks fit enough to be run for another 400,000 kilometres.

The construction work drained out my nerves and more than once I had terrible headaches from the noise. In spite of this life went on as usual and the patients are highly delighted to see their hospital is renovated so nicely.

The orphanage didn’t either escape from the zest of action of my husband and got new paints. By the way 4 kids from the orphanage died last year but we managed to save the others. Presently 52 orphans with AIDS are living there. Talking about statistics: up to now we looked after more 1300 AIDS patients and in 2007 we treated more than 22,000 outdoor patients having various illnesses.

Towards the end of last year we had a typhus epidemic. The epidemic was caused as there was no drinking water available and people drank polluted water from tube wells. On top of it, the state has opened a public garbage disposal area in our slum; this is to show us who, in their opinion live in the slums – 2nd class citizens. Since then tons of garbage are being disposed of in our area. What is bad for someone is good for others - rats, cockroaches are flies are happy about the garbage and they are multiplying rapidly.

We don’t let ourselves victimised so easily, as we know that there is always a solution. What inspires us again and again are the inspiring stories; one of which I like to tell you now: one week ago 18 months-old Elias was brought to us weighing just above 2 kilos being terminally ill. He was suffering from a severe infection of lungs, shingles and highly inflamed ears and he was HIV-positive. No one thought that he will survive long; but still we tried. We fed him six times a day, cared for him, nursed him lovingly, which was not difficult as with his easy going manner he soon won everyone’s heart. As it became clear that he will survive we made him our mascot; that role suited him very well. With the treatment of AIDS, we have to wait as he is still too weak for it. With the protein rich food he receives here his helper cells blood contents has doubled within a short time, which does not usually happens. This is almost a miracle.

Most important of all is that there are people like you who help us to fight against humiliation, illness and poverty. I thank you all from deep of my heart for your help and faith in us. Thank you that you make it possible for us to provide dignity and hope to the others.

Yours lovingly
Lotti Latrous

One hearty “Hello" to you all. I am pleased to report once again on our Centres of Hope. The only difficulty is to select the most important event that happened here.

In our orphanage we have some newcomers. Among them is a sweet little girl of four, whose mother is infected with HI-Virus and was under treatment, but didn’t manage to keep herself off from alcohol and drug addiction. As a matter of fact I didn’t want to take the girl fearing that this will rob the mother from the only reason for her to stay alive. Unfortunately once again the mother had a breakdown. She was found on the floor of a dirty bar, where she worked sometime, when she was not totally drunk. She is back again in our Centre of Hope 2, where we are putting all our efforts to get her back on her feet. The young Luna is in the orphanage being happy and relieved. But for how long? Will we now hope that she does not make it, so that Luna gets a chance to live?

Another three children are under our care. One of them is a seven year old girl, who appeared one morning together with her brother, who was barely older than her, to collect the money from us – which usually her father got from us. We reserve the Mondays for “social cases” – that is for the poorest of the poor, whom we provide a bare minimum financial support in their struggle for life. Surprised to see her instead of her father, I came to know that her father has died.

Fortunately we could find one of their aunts, who agreed to keep both the boys with her. We took the girl, who is infected with HI-Virus.

The biggest event of this quarter was certainly the school entrance in September. We had prepared ourselves in advance. The most important was to find a new primary school, which could take all our orphans, as the previous school was not very satisfactory. We found that almost none of our kids learnt a single alphabet in the school. During a visit to the school we found out that the school was hopelessly overcrowded (there were almost sixty people in one class). On top of it we have to hear from the disgusting “teacher” – “Learning to write? -that will come automatically!” That meant to find a new school as soon as possible. We found one school with teachers, who loved the kids and was ready to take all our fifty-three kids. (Kids from our orphanage as well as our other orphans, who are placed with families). On 29th August one of our employees stood in the queue to pay the school fee of 1,404,000 (approximately 3,500 Swiss Franks) for the registration of all our kids for one year. The school started on 17th September 2007.

This school fee is only a small portion of the total cost of the schooling. On top of it comes the cost of about 10 kids, who will join the second class. We also take the cost of the school uniform as well as for the school desk. The heaviest cost is the assistance we provide to the mothers in the slums for their keep and treatment of AIDS. On top of the orphans we take over the schooling cost of hundred-fifty
children.

The increasing number of sick people, who come to our Centre of Hope, is slowly becoming a basic problem. The people know that there “La Blanche “/ “The white Lady" assists to pay for the medicines. Slowly it is becoming quite clear that our organisation cannot take all the growing number of patients. We had to put up a notice informing that all new patients have to bear the cost of nursing and treatment themselves. The notice has been put up from end of August, but without showing any effect. Of course we could not refuse to take the worst cases. But we have to be careful, otherwise soon we will have nothing left to distribute from the total fund, which you dear sponsors - not the government of the Ivory Coast, nor the UNO or anyone else - have so kindly contributed.

Now some short information on the new constructions – the radiology, which has been provided to us by the federal Director of Development and Cooperation (DEZA), is now placed in the room previously used by the night watchman, who has not been living in the Centre of Hope for quite some time. The X-ray machine has also been placed in the same room. This gives more space in the laboratory, which was quite congested since a new model of laboratory equipment was installed there. In one of the top floor we will establish an administrative office, which will make the room next to mine free and can used by volunteers, who sometime come to assist me. There is enough space next to it to build a further room for some future development. So we have four additional rooms. I am a bit disturbed to see what an important role our centre is slowly taking. But I trust in fate. Yvon, who helps me regularly, will be coming soon, so that I can share my worries with him and he can take some of my worries away. He will look after the problem of the waste water tanks, which are broken from the heavy rainfall and once I almost fell down into them with my old car trying to park it backward.

In spite of the ever growing poverty, the increasing prices of the basic food, the hungers, the miseries, the sufferings and deaths, we will continue our work. We will tackle every new day as though it is the happiest day in our life and this is really so when we can safe a child’s life or can wipe out the tears of a mother.

We sit beside our dying patients and give them company up to the end, provide them Courage and Hope through a smile – these all are only possible because of you, dear sponsors. You provide us strength and assurance that there are people in this world who believe in the “Goodness” in this world, which is so nice and can be even nicer.

With heartfelt thanks,
Your Lotti Latrous.

The most beautiful orphanage of the world!

The children have moved into the orphanage. Here are the photos of the orphanage, which could accommodate fifty children. It was opened with a short celebration. Presently thirty-five orphans between the ages of two and twenty are living there. All of them lost their parents with AIDS and they themselves are HIV positive. No; that is not quite true; two of them are HIV negative, although both of them have a lot of problems. There is the two-year old Isaac, he has already lost his father; his mother is a drug addict and has decided to take a withdrawal treatment, which she has to do under ghastly conditions, as here there is no withdrawal clinic. She lives with another twenty other drug addicts in a dwelling, which can easily be called a chicken farm. There is no Methadone. They have to go through a so-called cold treatment and suffer terribly.  Isaac’s mother requested me to take him; he was fully under trauma. So we took him until his mother return to a normal life. Now he is felling well and is enfolding like a flower, which is being watered at last.The second child, who is not affected with AIDS, is our little Soumaila, an Albino, whose parents died of AIDS.

For a long time he lived with his aunt, but her husband didn’t want to have him any more. It was too much for him to have Soumaila on top of having seven children of their own. I think if we did not take him, he would not be living today. He is feeling very well, as the others also.The happiness of the children is indescribable. They all agree that they have the most beautiful orphanage in the whole world. What they appreciate most is that at last they can do their homework in their own room and at their own desk. Many thanks to all the sponsors!

Lotti Latrous.

End of September 2005

The children’s home is almost completed - twelve rooms each with 3 beds, two bathrooms with toilets, one playroom with books, music and a lot of love - will soon be ready to move in. The number of children is growing - for the time being we have already 28 children, who are living here. All of them get meals three times a day, go to school or get some educational training. They wear clean clothes and are provided with medicines essential for their lives. This is only possible because of your donations!

Our personals  provide love and tenderness to the children who  are enjoying life again as here they have found an end to their sufferings. The laughter and play has again become a part of their lives. The hungry stomachs, painful tuberculosis and terminal illness of Aids are only a memory to them.

Our god- paren hood project is a great success, which made it possible for more than hundred mothers to stay alive. They have again a place of their own, have a small market stall and can pay themselves for their and their children’s upkeep. But most important is that they are no more outcasted by others and they got their dignity back.

Aimé
On 7th of September he would have  been seventeen. He died on 3rd of August under unbelievable pain. His death caused incredibly pain to us. He was a wonderful young man. He lived with us for two years. Most probably here he spend the most wonderful time of his life . He was esteemed, loved and respected. His greatest dream was to visit Switzerland. He took his dream with him.

We discussed with him about death,. the will of God, the fact that not we but He alone decides about us, the fact that we ought to trust Him wholeheartedly. Not to ask WHY, but just say:thanks for we had , thanks for the love we received, only those alone count.

Awa

Awa has no age, no identity and no home ? nothing at all. She has only a name ? Awa. Her home was a piece of road, her life was begging. One night she was struck by a car, which left her lying in the road. Someone had sympathy with her and brought her to us. Multiple fractures of bones, dirt everywhere, lice and other vermin crawled about on and in her body. She doesn’t know where she comes from, she does not know who she is.

Today, after one year being with us, having a clean bed, medical treatment and regular food she is not only contented but is also very very happy. She laughs, dances, cheers and claps her hands ecstatically when she enjoys something. Awa, you are a simple and delightful woman - we are lucky to have you, simply because we are allowed to help you and give you our love .

The life is a gift. Many many thanks to all of you for taking part in it. Thanks for your trust, without you all these would not have been possible.

Lotti Latrous

Mail from 4th September

Here everything is running well except for the political situation, but presently I try to ignore it. No dependable prediction about possible development is available We just have to wait and hope that nothing serious happens.

I am happy about the children’s home. In the mean time the construction work has progressed so far and I can only say it is wonderful! The children were allowed to visit the construction site and could choose their own rooms and have also immediately  chosen their roommates.

Their eyes shine and they carry a proud and contented smile in their faces. When the construction is finished, the urgently needed repair work of the kitchen, renewing of the showers and of the toilets of the patients in the hospital can start with the money from so many donations.

All these work are needed urgently and when they are finished the life for us here will become a bit easier.

7th July

Today we received the following report from Dr. Ruedi Leuppi (Specialist in Urology), who works in an Aids development Project in a protestant-administered hospital in Dabou, West of Abidjan:

I have already cooperated with Lotti several times. By my last visit during middle of June she fetched me early in the morning from the airport. She drove me to ‘her Slum’in Adjoiffou, where in the kiosk we enjoyed a small breakfast.

Then she led me to a 65-year-old man, who had dragged himself to her centre with much pain and effort. Monsieur Richard, who is single had a permanent catheter and extreme pains in his bones and was malnourished.

The clinical investigation showed a malignant cancer of prostate carcinoma with an extreme blood anemia. We transported him to the hospital of Dabou, where I operated him the next day.

Only after few hours Monsieur Richard was practically painless and had appetite again. I transferred him back to Lotti’s Center of Hope 2 / For You, where he was immediately given one bottle of blood transfusion due to his blood deficiency. He would have needed more but presently in Abidjan blood bottles are rarely available.

Now Monsieur Richard has peace and comfort being with Lotti and her team. He will be well fed as well as looked after well. He is extremely thankful for the humane treatment he receives there.

As a doctor I am very thankful for the pleasant collaboration with Lotti, most of all over for her humane attitude towards the grievously ill and dying people. I am already looking forward to my next visit in September and hope to be able to help others in cooperation with her.

Ruedi Leuppi.

June 2005

The Project 1000 Ladies for the Noble Prize for 2005 has taken up the aim to nominate jointly 1000 ladies for the renowned Noble Peace Price to represent symbolically all the ladies of the world; but also to make visible their stories, their visions, their methods of work and strategy and their network. Thereby they should be encouraged and thanked. We are extremely happy that Lotti Latrous has been nominated together with 999 other ladies for the Noble Prize.

Lotti writes in a mail from the 13th June 2005:

Three days ago I could release three of the mothers, who have been cured. They have responded very well to the triple–therapy and have put on weight. After long sufferings and hopes for the last six months they could leave the Centre of Hope 2 / For You. But as their families didn’t want to have them back any more they urgently had to have a new lodging and I found it! Namely in record time. Thanks to the owner of the small shop just opposite to the ambulatory, who is well disposed to us. I immediately paid the rent for three months in advance. Then we went shopping - . c rockery, mattresses, paraffin lamps - which are needed urgently by the mothers as the rooms had no electricity, blankets and some toys for the children . Everything you needed to start a new life. We cleaned, arranged everything and celebrated and at the end we cried together out of joy.

There was a ray of hope, which vanished within 36 hours. The owner asked us to depart immediately; he didn’t know that the three ladies are HIV positive; the neighbours have informed him about this and have threatened to sue him, as a criminal for allowing the contaminated women to live with the healthy people in the same area. I knew there is no use of arguing, so we vacated and we cried again – this time with disappointment. I have accommodated the three women in the ambulatory. Barely did they arrange their mattresses on the floor, further two sick patients came, who were sent away from their homes.

Now that at last we can save lives - it is dreadful to see that no one wants to have these people with them. People treat the HIV-positive patients like lepers - out of fear that they will get infected. It still needs such a lot of endless clarifications.

Well! I do not give up and search further for rooms for them; f urther away, where no one knows them. I must not give up, must simply continue. I know that the good always prevails at the end. I have experienced it a thousand times.

Thanks from deep of my heart for all the help and support I get from all of you.

Lotti Latrous

In June 2005

The Project 1000 Ladies for the Noble Prize for 2005 has taken up the aim to nominate jointly 1000 ladies for the renowned Noble Peace Prize to represent symbolically all the ladies of the world; but also to make visible their stories, their visions, their methods of work and strategy and their network. Thereby they should be encouraged and thanked.

We are extremely happy that Lotti Latrous has been nominated together with 999 other ladies for the Noble Prize.