NO TO SICK AND POOR

NO TO SICK AND POOR

As a cooperation partner of the initiative NO TO SICK AND POOR, the PeopleShare Foundation also says NO TO SICK AND POOR.

Allegedly, Austria is now the second richest country in the EU. Yet, 1.4 million people in Austria are affected by poverty! And every day, more and more people are physically and mentally overwhelmed.

Did you know that…

about 260,000 people in Austria are burdened with multiple health problems and at the same time affected by poverty?

100,000 people have no health insurance because they cannot afford it?

150,000 people live in a household where at least one member needs to see a doctor or dentist but cannot do so due to financial reasons?


The initiative NO TO SICKNESS AND POVERTY, founded by Univ.Prof. Dr. Siegfried Meryn, is a new kind of social organization with the following goals:

Emergency Relief Fund
Expansion of rapid and unbureaucratic emergency aid, as well as case management expertise. Networking with other governmental and non-governmental institutions to provide immediate and direct support—especially for sick and poverty-affected children and adults who are in need of therapy and life assistance.

Advocacy and awareness projects.
The participation project “MAX & LARA GO TO THE OPERA” supports the social inclusion of children and young people whose families have fallen into poverty due to illness and can no longer afford to attend cultural or sports events. In addition, the initiative engages in corporate partnerships, expert symposia, and public outreach.

Vision “The Lifesaving Island”
A health center for Austrians affected by poverty, following the motto “Just Society – Healthy People” (working title: The Lifesaving Island), is in the planning stage. The project envisions the creation of a model facility developed in collaboration with internationally renowned architects and key international governmental and non-governmental organizations, as well as with the initiative’s founders, supporters, and sponsors.

“In Austria, the number of people living in poverty and illness continues to rise. This fact should affect every one of us. But it seems we have already grown so accustomed to the injustice of life that we accept poverty—no longer looking away in embarrassment, but simply overlooking it. Yet poverty can strike any of us suddenly and change our lives dramatically. No one should be disadvantaged because of poverty or illness. That is why it is necessary to bring the health situation of socially disadvantaged people into public focus and help them break free from their powerlessness.

Our initiative ‘No to Sick and Poor’ was launched with the goal of providing quick and unbureaucratic help—among other things, through an emergency relief fund—for people who have fallen into hardship through no fault of their own. Because the right to a healthy and long life must be the same for all people. Or to put it another way: health must not be a privilege!

That’s why I count on your support. Let’s say together: NO TO SICK AND POOR.”
— Univ.Prof. Dr. Siegfried Meryn

The “No to Sick and Poor” Emergency Relief Fund is regularly supported by the PeopleShare Foundation. The focus is on immediate and direct aid for children and adults affected by poverty who require therapy and life assistance.

The fund operates according to the principle of subsidiarity, meaning that all benefits a person in Austria is legally entitled to must be clarified first. Support is then provided individually and based on specific needs. One-time payments ranging from EUR 200 to EUR 2,000 may be granted—for example, to purchase medical supplies or cover rent or utility arrears. Monthly allowances of EUR 40 to EUR 300 are also possible, primarily to cover therapy costs or insurance deductibles.

In 2013, a total of 86 families and individuals received comprehensive support and assistance, mainly through long-term aid, social counseling, and networking efforts. More than half of the recipients were families with underage children, and over two-thirds of these were single mothers. In total, around 113 specific requests were jointly handled with the help of additional material donations and contributions from other foundations, associations, or companies.

The support provided by the PeopleShare Foundation benefits children exclusively. Children and their families are the top priority in this fund’s support efforts—because children growing up in harmful conditions are tomorrow’s sick adults. We must prevent that.

Let’s say together: No to sick and poor!

This is about human dignity.

We need you—please help us. We cannot do it alone.”

Further information can be found at: www.neinzukrankundarm.org.