created: 01.10.2004
last modified: 01.10.2004
But there are several offices and organisations to help immigrants with these problems.
First contact is the immigrant's authority of the city or community where you live. Here you can get all the necessary papers and assistance, which is important for a successful start in a new country. It is also the contact for problems that might occur later on.
The following charity institutions are the best contact for social or health questions:
Worker's welfare ("Arbeiterwohlfahrt" or "AWO"), the "Malteser Hilfsdienst (MHD)", the "Caritas" and the German red cross (DRK) are present in almost every city. They have contact persons who are especially responsible for immigrants. The "Malteser Hilfsdienst" and the "Caritas" are organisation that specialise in health questions.
The following websites will help you to find information centres in particular cities:
- Worker's welfare: www.awo.de
- "Malteser Hilfsdienst": www.malteser.de
- "Caritas": www.caritas.de
- "German red cross": www.drk.de
Some of the bigger cities or communities also offer a special interpreter service which might require a fee. The local immigrant's authority will be able to inform you on that.
In Munich there is the "Bavarian Centre for intercultural Medicine". It offers help on medical questions and besides that, training material in foreign languages and contact persons with foreign language and diabetes training competence are provided.
www.bayzent.de
www.patienteninfo-berlin.de offers a similar service for Berlin. In a special category, named "Gesundheitswegweiser für Migranten" (=health guide for immigrants) the site offers extensive help for everything in connection with the topic health care in Berlin. Acute questions can be asked via email.
