Partnership with CLAAS
The Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Shelter (CLAAS) is a highly respected and decorated human rights organization in Pakistan. CLAAS has an established track record of:
- successfully defending citizens in legal cases, especially related to religious tolerance
- providing secure refuge for victims & support for their families
- providing legal aid to victims of physical and sexual abuse (women & children).
Through this work, they were alerted to the plight of the workers and their families in the thousand brick kilns in and around Lahore, Pakistan's crowded second city. The workers and their families are virtual slaves, tied to their owners through debt and intimidation. They suffer typically from scabies, respiratory tract infections, fever, anemia, diabetes and liver diseases. Most have no accessible or affordable healthcare available.
Achievements
Medic Assist International have assisted CLAAS by providing:
- a volunteer medic to advise the programme start up using an ambulance donated by an American Congressman
- full funding for the programme since 2005
- a GP to work alongside the team in 2006
The team treats an average of 1,100 people every month.
The team worked alongside other agencies during the recent earthquake tragedy and holds street clinics when localised emergencies arise, such as a cholera outbreak in 2005.
Each treatment (including the staff and drugs) costs just £1!
Future Plans
In future, we expect to enable a system of health education that will be sustained by the workers themselves.
Visit the News section for the latest information.
Our Goal
We are currently funding the following costs:
- a team of four persons; a doctor, a nurse, a lab technician and a driver
- drug supplies
- fuel for the ambulance
Our goal is to see a brick kiln healthcare programme that is locally owned put in place. We are planning to work with our partners to explore approaches to self sufficiency.