Donation ceremony of 15,000 pairs of ophthalmological glasse

Honorable Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am particularly cheered up to see you again this evening on the opportunity of the glasses donation ceremony to Children of Africa Foundation.

First of all, I would like to welcome the presence of Mr Manfred LUCHA, Minister of Social Affairs and Integration of the State of Baden-Württemberg, the Secretary of State, Mrs Bärbel Mielich and Mr Ulrich RIEGER, Director General of the Ministry of Economy of the State of Bavaria.

I also extend my greetings to His Excellency Mr. Léon KACOU ADOM, Ambassador of Côte d’Ivoire to the Federal Republic of Germany, and Dr. Christopher HAHN, Honorary Consul of Cote d’Ivoire in Munich, who are the initiators of the Ceremony that brings us together tonight.

I also extends my greetings to Dr. Dita SCHAUTOVA, Honorary Consul of Cote d’Ivoire in Prague, who specially made the trip to be with us.

My greetings are finally extended to the eminent personalities of the scientific, industrial and associative world, who kindly came to share this moment with us.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to express once again all my joy for being in Stuttgart in response to your invitation, which allows me to see a region where I spent ten years of my adolescence in Baden-Baden, which I loved much loved.

Elsewhere, the theme of the “Hidden Hunger” conference particularly drew my attention, as you must certainly know, I have always been very sensitive to the cause of the most underprivileged, especially women and children. It is reason why I agreed to come without hesitation, in order to share my experience on the protection of the most disadvantaged.

That is why I created Children of Africa Foundation two decades ago, to carry out humanitarian actions in the areas of health, education and social affairs.

For this evening, I would mainly like to present to you a few of our actions in health sector. In this area, we are engaged in a variety of activities, including immunization campaigns against endemic diseases, as well as the provision of medical equipment to health centers and hospitals.

We regularly organize ophthalmological caravans during which diagnoses are made and glasses are offered to our young patients and the populations who need them most.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

At this stage of my remarks, I would like to welcome here the happy initiative of Ambassador Leon KACOU ADOM and Honorary Consul Dr. Christopher HAHN, and thank the generous donors for this important gift of spectacles.

In fact, by offering these 15,000 pairs of pharmaceutical glasses to the Foundation, you are contributiong to relieve the thousands of disadvantaged people, especially women and children, who will receive free of charge healthcare for during the Next Ophthalmological Caravan of Children Of Africa, scheduled for April 2017. They can also be distributed to the various humanitarian structures with which we work.

I would like to express my deep gratitude for this much appreciated gesture in favor of the well-being of our populations.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I cannot close my address without briefly mentioning one of the most important projects of the Foundation, namely the construction of a Mother-Child Hospital in Bingerville in the suburbs of Abidjan.

It is a hospital with a capacity of 122 beds, which will be equipped with high-tech equipment, for an adequate care for the patients. All pathologies specific to the mother and the child will be treated, as will pediatric oncology.

The hospital will open its doors to the public at the end of this year, and will undoubtedly relieve many families.

For its operation, we are building partnerships with several foundations, among which we hope to count you. I shall be very happy, because it is together we will succeed in changing the future of children in Africa.

Before concluding, I would also like to thank Professor BISALSKI for his warm welcome yesterday at the “Hidden Hunger” Conference.

Thank you