Over the past ten years, the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Santurtzi has sent more than âŹ217,000 in financial aid to the San Juan de Dios Health Center in New Kru Town (Monrovia, Liberia), as part of its charitable aid project.
Of this amount, more than 110,000 euros was raised thanks to the generosity of the collaborators of the San Juan de Dios Hospital Solidarity Craft Market, an initiative that opened its tenth edition today, coinciding with the celebration of March 8, the Feast of Saint John of God. The remaining aid sent to New Kru Town comes from contributions from the San Juan de Dios Hospital itself, the San Jorge Parish of Santurtzi, and donations collected by the staff at the Santurtzi center.
The 10th Solidarity Craft Market was inaugurated on March 8 by the Vicar General of Bilbao, FĂ©lix Alonso, who also celebrated a mass prior to the market's opening. The vicar was accompanied by Brother JosĂ© Luis MartĂn, delegate of the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God in the Basque Country and superior of the community of Brothers of the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Santurtzi; Dr. Maika Palacios, the hospital's managing director; and Mercedes Peña, Director of Nursing and one of the main architects of the market.
The Market offers everything from works by renowned artists at affordable prices to handmade works by patients, always at affordable prices. It is located in the auditorium of the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Santurtzi (Avda. Murrieta, 70) and will remain open until March 23rd. Its opening hours are Monday to Friday, from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. It will also be open on Sunday, March 11th, in the morning. Admission is free.
Solidarity aid that becomes health
At the opening, the Vicar General of Bilbao, FĂ©lix Alonso, reminded those present of the messages of Saint John of God, who preached "mercy and charity for all, without borders and without limitations. And that is what we are having here today, at the Solidarity Artisan Market of the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Santurtzi, a way of advancing justice for all people." The Vicar General of Bilbao expressed his gratitude for the initiative "of a market that is not only supportive, but also artisanal. What we have here, someone has made it. And they have made it, not only with their hands, but with their heart." He also urged "doing good to oneself by doing good to others."
Maika Palacios, director of the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Santurtzi, emphasized that "because the New Kru Town health center belongs to Saint Joseph's Catholic Hospital, run by the Brothers of the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God, news of the challenges facing the center in Liberia was frequent. For this reason, the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Santurtzi decided to become involved, in a charitable manner, in the development of its infrastructure, human and material resources, and, ultimately, its healthcare capacity, thus improving the health of the Liberian population."
. . .
The Solidarity Craft Market is an initiative of the Hospital workers
and is made possible thanks to their work and the help of the Hospital Friends Network,
which already has more than 600 members
. . .
The director of the San Juan de Dios Hospital thanked and praised "the perseverance and generosity of the hospital's professionalsâmost of them womenâinvolved in organizing the Solidarity Craft Market, as well as the irreplaceable support of the Friends of the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Santurtzi Network, which makes all this possible and allows us to translate our time spent in solidarity into real help for the health of the population of New Kru Town." The Friends of the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Santurtzi Network currently brings together more than 600 people.
Juan Ciudad ONGD, an international cooperation organization created in 1991 by the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God in Spain and through which the aid for this charity project is channeled, confirmed that the New Kru Town (NKT) center treats more than 50,000 patients annually and performs tens of thousands of laboratory tests, which is the primary diagnostic tool in the area. NKT has nursing consultations (which are standard in health centers) for pediatrics and pregnancy monitoring, laboratory services, and vaccination and AIDS prevention programs. In addition, other common health problems include severe anemia, malnutrition, parasitic infections, pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria, and so on. The main group served at the NKT health center is children.
For his part, Brother JosĂ© Luis MartĂn noted that at the New Kru Town (NKT) Health Center, the needs "are numerous. The first is to cover a budget that is in deficit, since the center's pricing policy is to facilitate access to everyone, and in an area of extreme poverty, the price is nominal. Furthermore, the medication for treatment, which is provided at the center itself, is expensive. Because of all this, the annual budget is a third short, without taking into account the possible necessary investments, so any help we can receive is of great importance."
Solidarity Craft Market
In keeping with this market's usual tradition, the initiative emphasizes its distinctly artisanal character, with works handmade for the occasion. It offers, at affordable prices, more than two thousand artisan items, including stuffed animals, cross-stitch and oil paintings, brooches, rings, bracelets, candles and handmade soaps, and various works in patchwork, scrapbooking and period, baby clothes - with hats, booties, jackets and skirts -, scarves and hats, decorated glass plates, boxes and items worked in wood, stationery and bookbinding materials and a long etcetera.
Source: Press Release: SJD Santurzi Hospital Communication/Docorcomunicacion
