Aid project initiator Siegfried Geisser and companies in the Upper Allgäu pass - Surgery now available in winter
The Afghan and German flags were hoisted. An Afghan minister sang a verse from the Koran poignant. The Afghan Health Minister Dr. Rahim Pashtoonya and clinic operators Gerolf Dechentreiter cut through the red tape. Dechentreiter stirred thanked all contributors, especially on the ideas, architect Geisser Siegfried of the Rotary Club Oberstaufen-Immenstadt. "It was a godsend," he said. And two Afghan ministers praised effusively the Allgäu craftsmen and the German engineering and craftsmanship.
With the opening of the heating and cooling system of Irene Salimi Children's Hospital in Kabul, a goal was reached that seemed completely unrealistic, as Ulrich Kirsch of Sonthofen, chairman of the Armed Forces Association, two years ago at the Rotary Club Oberstaufen-Immenstadt in Thalkirchdorf about the hospital said. These only children's hospital in Afghanistan with European standards had to fall, when it is in the 1500 m altitude in Kabul cold, set the whole operation activity, because no heating was present. That was the architect Immenstädter Siegfried Geisser no peace: he flew to Kabul and observed that the solution is a solar system. Geisser contacted the company Holzberger in fish.
The company owner was quick, as Geisser the entire planning and perform for free - and later, as the realization of decency of the project, found the company enough skilled workers in the Upper Allgäu, who took an adventurous trip to Kabul and the week-long employment is up.
Nevertheless, the project would have been prohibitively expensive, if not the Foreign Office, the Dechentreiter Foundation, the St John's Ambulance, Misereor and other Rotary and Kiwaniclubs were entered. 60 percent took over the Foreign Office. And a variety of individuals, according to Rotary donated after a call in our newspaper.
In the implementation, there were a lot of adversity, such as the Rotary Club Immenstadt-Oberstaufen explains: Because of the tax liabilities of a carrier material container remained on the Afghan-Iranian border are for weeks. A container shipment was seized by Chechen and Arab Taliban and flared. Because not "smeared", was also delayed in customs clearance. The aircraft with the replacement container for the captured could not be run in Amsterdam because of the volcanic eruption in Iceland. The entire electrical system of the hospital turned out to be far away from European standards. She was transferred from scratch. The Allgäu, who worked in Kabul and locals Desboutins had to improvise a lot. As an essential material in April had not yet arrived, flew back to the Upper Allgäu, a few weeks later, then tackle the final stage.
Now the children's hospital is one of the most advanced solar heating systems in the world worth having around one million euros: For 2000 square feet ceiling heating, 147 solar tube collectors with heat exchangers, storage space, oil burner, refrigerator and hot water system installed and connected. As a result, each year hundreds of children saved by surgery, it is said of Rotary.
