Costa Rica
Gala Dinner
Inauguration of the Costa Rica Chapter of the Ecumenical Hospitaller Order of Saint John Knights of Malta. Today better known as Ecumenical Hospitaller Order of St John Costa Rica.
The 13th of February, 2013, H.I.H. Princess Alessandra Joseph de Lemessos and Knight Dr. Adam Lemmer visited Costa Rica for the official inauguration of the Costa Rican Chapter of the Order. A Gala Dinner was giving in honor for H.I.H. Princess Alessandra, who officially inaugurated The New National Chapter of the Order.
The Gala Dinner had very well selected guests, such as Dr. Oscar Arias, Peace Novel Prize and two times President of Costa Rica, Mayor Mario Zamora actual Ministry of Security, the Consul in Miami from Costa Rica and many other professionals in different areas with the a wonderful profile for the new national Orders commitments.
During the Gala Dinner a few words were given by Lady Andrea Hulbert, H.I.H. Princess Alessandra Joseph, Prior Carlos Gaspar and Knight Dr. Adam Lemmer; whom with their words encourage the assistants to follow our Order’s values.
The dinner run smoothly and ends it up with an Ashes Ceremony giving by Reverand Reynord Araya.
Evaluation of a project to help the Talamanca Indians
In order to obtain accurate information about the real situation and needs of the Talamanca Indians and in particularly the children in the area, the representatives of the Order met with two different groups of people the have been making humanitarian work in the area.
The first meeting was with Dr. Manrique Vargas, director of La Misión Medical Institute Dr. Vargas has 27 years of work helping the Talamanca Indians; he explained to us what he has done, what he is doing and what he consider the necessity of the communities.
The second meeting was with Miss Carolina Prestinary and Miss Nidia Bonilla, they both represent an association named ABS Projects, that had also helped the area with different projects, such as the building of a school.
Both groups agree that they could work together, the goal is to help this people. The main problem in this area is the transportation, is a mountain region, you need to cross rivers and also you need to clear cutting your way up in a very narrow trail, with all the environment dangerous involves like snake bite, falling down; distances between one small town to another could take you 4 to 5 hours walking, most of the time the same people carry their goods.
Thanks to our Knight Dr. Adam Lemmer he already allocated private donation for this project as its imperative to have a start up which one day may lead to even more sophisticated targets.
Other targets to achieve are health, proper education and how can they be auto sufficient, how they can be productive.
Visit to Jacó town.
We all visited the Jacó town area and met with the attorney Lic. Jorge Ortega, to learn about the needs of the children; specifically to determine what steps should be taken by the Order to start a project in protection of the minors that are now exposed to sexual exploitation. We learned that a project for this particular needs can only be executed with the help of other forces like the Central Government, Ministry of Security and our National Children Patronage. The above due to the well organized drug dealers and child prostitution promoters that involved not only the children but also their families in the corruption circle.
After the visit of our representatives people from the government and private professionals are very interested in the Order and possible of humanitarian work in Costa Rica. We consider this as an achievement and as appropriate path to look forward and to accomplish a diplomatic recognition from Costa Rica.
For years, Lady Dr. Valentina Baldassarri annually brings her personal support and medical support health care in Costa Rica and Venezuela with a program of vaccination mainly aimed for children.
Today in the study of our experts, expansion of this project to the livelihood of these people living in precarious conditions where health problems are related to their conditions of life and work: an unhealthy environment (unsafe and overcrowded accommodation as well as malnutrition, parasitic diseases, respiratory diseases, skin diseases which can be transmitted sexually, etc ....
The project's main objective: is to come to the aid of children in these families, empower parents and to collaborate in the growth and development of human values of these children, to create conditions that facilitate the formation and development of the same.