Cologne (ots)- It is the small, joyful Tamrat (2) who has conquered the heart of Senta Berger in a very special way. Cheerful, alert and without any fear of contact, the little boy from Asmara (Eritrea) befriends the great German actress. Only at second glance, one notices the terrible fate of the boy: Shortly after the birth Tamrat suffered a shortage of blood supply.Dying feet threatened. To save the boy's life, both lower legs were amputated. "Tamrat is such a great little boy that he coped well with the amputation back then, but now his growing thigh bones are starting to grow out of the amputation stump, urgently requiring surgery and getting dentures," explains Senta Berger. The 76-year-old also traveled to Asmara as godmother of "RTL - Wir helfen Kindern". For many years she has seen the struggle to improve the medical care of children in the North African country as her duty. As often as possible, Senta Berger travels to Eritrea with "ARCHEMED - Doctors for Children in Distress eV" to draw attention to the dramatic situation of sick children. The only children's clinic in the country, in the capital Asmara, lacks everything: there is not enough medication, a continuous power supply or running water in all parts of the building. There is a massive lack of technical equipment and trained doctors. "I have the opportunity to be there and see the work, most of the people who donate have known me for a long time and have confidence in me, and I am the link between donors and the local activists, which is just a small one Part I can afford, that's the nicest way for me to use my reputation, which is so much more important than getting a better table in the restaurant. "
At the RTL donation marathon on 23./24. November 2017, Senta Berger will report live in the studio of her experiences with Tamrat in Eritrea and call the RTL viewers to donate. The money raised will improve the medical care for seriously ill children aged zero to 18 at the Orotta Hospital in Asmara. For example, the number of beds on the children's intensive care unit is to be doubled from five to ten. For the first time, the treatment of children with cancer in Eritrea will be possible.
Senta Berger: "What I saw in Eritrea is dramatic and painful, but I do not want to be helpless, you have to transform the feeling of compassion into help, that's the only remedy left to us, we can not help the children We need more doctors, more operations - we need YOUR help! "
Background:
Eritrea is one of the poorest countries in the world: Bleeding after 30 years of civil war, still threatened by smoldering border conflicts and afflicted by drought disasters. Especially women who give birth and their newborn babies suffer from poverty, as well as sick children who lack qualified medical assistance. In the country's only children's hospital in the capital, Asmara, the infrastructure of the buildings is in ruins, medical equipment is missing and doctors lack medical expertise. This threatens the health of little patients. The children die, even though their young lives could be saved by simple means. Or they will not get well and have to live a life with disabilities.
The donation is intended to secure and expand the medical treatment and care of seriously ill children aged 0 to 18 years. For this purpose, the following projects are to be implemented on the grounds of the Orotta Hospital in Asmara:
The children's intensive care unit is to be expanded and the number of beds will be doubled from five to ten. So far, there are only five beds, the extension of the station to 10 beds is planned. The equipment of the intensive care unit is disastrous: the water supply only consists of a mounted barrel - the cause of massive hygiene problems. Another big shortcoming is the power supply. The station has electricity, if at all, only a few hours a day. Children can therefore not be monitored completely. There is danger to life because threatening situations are not recognized in time. In addition, due to power fluctuations or abrupt power outages newly purchased monitoring monitors broken because the sensitive technology is not designed for it.
In addition, the treatment of cancer children should be made possible. In Eritrea, more than 500 children suffer from cancer each year. At present, however, not a single child suffering from cancer can be treated and the children die. A palliative care does not exist.
As part of the medical care of Eritrean children, the establishment of a pediatric orthopedic treatment center is also planned. Four adjoining large rooms in a wing of the children's hospital are provided for this purpose. Especially the treatment of deformities and developmental disorders of any kind, including especially the combined physical and mental disabilities in childhood and adolescence, is in Eritrea an enormously important aspect for the healthy development of the future generation. In a country where most of the living is done by physical labor, children with disabilities - of whatever kind - have little chance of participating in civilian life, let alone having a career future.
Finally, a project on social paediatrics should be implemented. The recognition and treatment of developmental disorders and disabilities of various causes - central concern of social pediatrics - plays in Eritrea a particularly important role in the medical-interdisciplinary help for affected children and adolescents. The incidence of developmental disorders, along with motor disabilities, cognitive disorders and mental retardation is significantly greater in Eritrea than in our latitudes.
"ARCHEMED - Doctors for Children in Need eV" The non-profit association "ARCHEMED - Doctors for Children in Need eV" was founded in 2010 by Dr. med. Peter Schwidtal founded in Westphalia Soest. The ultimate goal is to significantly improve the lives of children in Eritrea through medical and humanitarian assistance. The numerous projects as well as the clinic buildings financed by the association ensure that the Eritrean children (and thus their families) are sustainably helped. Volunteer doctors, nurses and technicians work directly on site: in the capital Asmara and in four other provincial clinics. In addition to the broad operational and conservative range, the core competence of ARCHEMED is in perinatal medicine, ie safe birth attendance and the care of new and premature babies. Furthermore, ARCHEMED understands its mission to train native doctors and nurses in a sustainable and consistent way on the patient, ie at the base. As a sign of the responsible use of the entrusted funds, ARCHEMED was awarded the DZI donation seal in November 2016.
"RTL - We help children": More than 151 million euros since 1996 Since 1996, RTL has been involved in helping children in need in Germany and around the world. In numerous actions the whole year is collected. All costs for personnel, production and administration, which arise around the "Stiftung RTL - Wir helfen Kindern eV", are largely borne by the media group RTL Deutschland. The interest earned also serves to cover the administrative costs incurred by the Foundation. Thus, the "Foundation RTL - Wir helfen Kindern eV" can guarantee that every cent of the donation money arrives at the children's aid projects without deduction. This is what "RTL - Wir helfen Kindern" and the RTL donations marathon stand for since 1996. Every year the foundation is audited by the German Central Institute for Social Issues (DZI) and receives the coveted DZI donation seal year after year. In recent years, more than 151 million euros have been collected. "RTL - We help children" thus promoted hundreds of children's aid projects. Tens of thousands of children in Germany and around the world have been helped so sustainably.
Donations account:
Recipient: Foundation RTL
Account: DE55 370 605 905 605 605 605
Bank: Sparda Bank West
BIC: GENODED1SPK
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Original content by: Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland, transmitted by news aktuell 
