On July 27, the Caritas summer talks took place in Klagenfurt. The focus was on the many crises in which Caritas helps and what it takes to overcome them.
Caritas feels an increase in demand for its services. This starts with disaster relief and ends with psychological counseling for young people. Inflation is increasing existential fears, especially among low-income households. The situation with the cost of living is particularly serious. More and more people need the help of Caritas for simple things such as rent, energy costs and groceries. This is also shown by the figures, compared to the previous year alone, subsidies granted by Caritas in the food sector increased by 306.5 percent. In general, the grants for people who could no longer manage their fixed costs themselves increased by 84.1 percent. That means distributed aid in the amount of 191,951.00 euros in the first half of 2022 alone. Help in the area of the valley An important topic of the summer talks was of course the devastating storms in Carinthia this year. Caritas director Ernst Sandriesser: “The victims in the disaster region, who lost everything, need our help after the devastating storm and massive flooding. We support local families in Treffen and Arriach and have so far been able to provide fast, unbureaucratic emergency aid in the amount of 51,000 euros in the crisis region, further funds will be made available shortly.” The mayors of the municipalities of Arriach and Treffen were also guests. Mayor Ebner: “It’s about giving people confidence again. The support of the federal government will be crucial. We absolutely need these!”. It was also agreed that prevention measures in relation to future severe weather will play an increasingly important role. There could already be talk of climate change adaptation measures. Caritas in Kenya While we are struggling with too much rain in Carinthia, East Africa is suffering from a massive drought. Caritas Carinthia provides survival aid with projects and, together with local partners, supports people affected by hunger in Kenya, among other things. “In our projects, with your help, we are doing all we can to defeat hunger in the long term – especially now that wars, conflicts and the climate crisis are dramatically increasing the misery of countless people,” says Alexandra Blattnig-Rull, Head of Foreign Aid .2800 people in Marsabit/Kenya receive support from the Carinthian Caritas and thus receive urgently needed water. Long-term measures in particular can counteract the problem, for example several boreholes for 1200 people are currently being prepared. This should ensure their water supply and thus their survival in the long term. Blattnig-Rull: “The majority of residents in the arid areas in northern Kenya struggle day after day to meet the water needs of households and livestock.” Ukrainians in CarinthiaIf you talk about humanitarian crises in 2022, you will lose Ukraine war of course not around. Caritas Carinthia also provides important help here. Caritas has already helped more than 1,800 Ukrainians with food vouchers, clothing vouchers and hygiene packages. Svitlana Radchenko and her daughter Emma, who had to flee because of the war and are accommodated in Caritas accommodation, also attended the summer talks: “We had a normal life. However, it was turned on its head overnight. There was no longer a place where one was safe with a child. We had to decide to leave. We weren’t allowed to take suitcases with us when we fled because the trains were full. I feel safe here in Carinthia. In my hometown there is no more infrastructure and no heating for the winter. We could not have imagined that the war would last so long. However, most of us want to go home again.” Caritas director Ernst Sandriesser appealed to the Carinthian population: “The war has been going on for several months now. Even if he no longer dominates the headlines so much, the suffering of those affected remains dramatic. We must not get used to the war”. This is how you can donateCaritas Kärnten Kärntner Sparkasse IBAN: AT40 2070 6000 0000 5587 Keywords: People in need in Carinthia: Domestic help Storm victims: Disaster relief Carinthia Famine Kenya: Hunger war in Ukraine: Ukraine
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