We're building hospitals with BUBO

MAGNA have been providing health care to victims of disasters and conflicts for over 15 years and one of their main activities is helping victims of sexual violence and HIV/AIDS. In crisis areas of the world such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan, MAGNA is undertaking specialised projects to help victims of sexual violence. For 15 years, MAGNA has been at the forefront in providing HIV/AIDS treatment in Cambodia and in that time they have witnessed a rise in the number of victims of sexual violence, often children and young girls.

“Our current objective is the creation of a long-term, comprehensive system of assistance to provide victims with all basic needs ‘under one roof’,“ said MAGNA founder Martin Bandžák, “and we have teamed up with BUBO and Vallo Sadovsky Architects in order to create it.”

BUBO is working through their customers and with financial assistance from them, including the long-term support, to enable such centres to be established and operate. The aim is to build one new centre every two years and finance their operations, greatly enhancing the saving of human lives.

The first such centre is being established in Siem Reap, Cambodia, not far from Angkor Wat. The newly created centre for victims of violence and HIV/AIDS will provide healthcare, post-traumatic assistance, mental health treatment and social assistance.

In constructing the centre, stress is being placed on the environment in which assistance is provided. Vallo Sadovský Architects are designing the centres at no charge and the way so they operate at low cost and with long-term sustainability.

This comprehensive model allows MAGNA to respond to the multiple needs of vulnerable children and women by bringing professionals from different sectors together at a single centre. The advantage of a health centre is to have all the necessary services “under one roof”, so patients no longer have to travel from one place to another to receive different services. New unit will be established within existing medical complexe to ensure professionals are also available to provide medical, psychosocial and social care. When a patient is admitted, she/he is first examined by a physician, followed by a therapist and social worker.

Sustainability is to be guaranteed in both medical and psychosocial care. Quality aid will be delivered safely with respect and confidentiality, without any discrimination. In making the public aware, specific needs will be taken into account and the use of precise documentation in designing and monitoring effective procedures is also going to be important.

“The MAGNA/BUBO centre will be focusing primarily on children and women who are victims of sexual violence or infected with the HIV virus, along with their family members who will be receiving support through counselling programmes,” continued Martin Bandžák. Also individual providers of assistance, whether healthcare professionals or providers of other services, will benefit from this model by increasing the level of professional knowledge and skills.

MAGNA’s programmes have over their history provided aid to thousands of victims of sexual violence and HIV/AIDS, 80% of them children under 15.

We thank BUBO, its customers and Vallo Sadovský Architects for their support.

Medical aid here and now. Thanks to you.