On the 21st April 2020, in the middle of the lockdown due to the COVID-19 in Slovakia, Sir Ján Gramata, Prior of the Sovereign Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, Knights of Malta, Federation of the Autonomous Priories (KMFAP) for North and Centre Slovakia created a closed WhatsApp group: “Knights of Malta” calling fellow knights and dames to join him in order to give help and support to the people suffering from coronavirus in the country. “My friends, now we have to help together!” - he said.

Reacting to the initiative of Sir Ján, the knights and dames of the North and Centre Slovakian Priory of KMFAP have immediately confirmed their willingness, generosity, charity and preparedness to assist, where it is the most needed. All individual donations were organised under the guidance of the Prior, Sir Ján Gramata with financial and organisational support of the relevant knight.

In a very short time, a huge amount of very good quality protective face mask with the KMFAP logo, gloves, sanitizers, disinfectants, ventilators, toys for children, food and mineral water have been prepared.

Then the Priory contacted hospitals, social hospices and children institutions, as beneficiaries of these donations. After collecting the packages with the KMFAP and FEMERAID logos, the delegation of knights, dressed in their beautiful uniform, wearing the masks – which is compulsory in the Slovak Republic from the first day of the state of danger – visited the selected medical or social facilities in various cities and handed over the donations, which are useful and necessary during this difficult time of coronavirus pandemic.

Beneficiary Institutions of the donations:

• Trencin – Hospital (Fakultna Nemocnica) – offered by Sir Jan Gramata, Sir Robert Jendrol, Sir Pavol Zachar and Sir Nguyen Tuan Ngoc

• Ilava – Hospital – Red zone – offered by Sir Jan Gramata, Sir Robert Jendrol and Sir Pavol Zachar • Ilava – Detski Dom (Orphanage)

• Povazska Bystrica – Hospital – Department of Internal and Surgery Medicine – offered by Sir Robert Jendrol, Sir Ján Pavlis, Sir Pavol Zachar and Sir Frantisek Zatko

• Dubnica nad Vahom – Agency of Social Services – offered by Sir Robert Christov, Sir Jan Gramata and Sir Ján Pavlis

• Koseca – Centre of Evangelical Deaconess (Evangelic House for immobile pensioners) – offered by Sir Robert Jendrol and Sir Pavol Zachar

• Koseca – Agency of Social Hospice

• Kysucan villages – Inhabitants and voluntary fire-brigades – offered by Lady Edita Volentierová and Sir Peter Gocoliak

• Klobusice – Orphan House – offered by Sir Mustafa Kösetürk, Sir Pavol Zachar and Sir Jan Gramata

- Sir Ján Gramata has financed the printing of a leaflet focusing on awareness raising of the increased violence on women and children during lockdown. The leaflet was developed and spread in cooperation with the Police in Povazska Bystrica.

- Sir Nguyen Tuan Ngoc has provided more than 100 portions of meal for the second shift in the hospital in Povazska Bystrica. He also delivered about 50 portions of meal for the staff heavily working in the labour offices in Trencin.

- On the 30th April, Lady Edita Volentierová and Sir Peter Gocoliak arrived in the region of Kysucan with 600 litre disinfection concentrate (24 flacons x 25 litre), and handed over the donation to the mayors and voluntary fire-brigades of Kysucan villages to produce 12.000 litre of sanitizer.

All recipients appreciated the help and expressed their gratitude for the generous donations offered by the knights and dames of KMFAP, funded from their own work and resources.

Members of the Slovak Humanitarian Team during the COVID-19 pandemic:

Sir Ján Gramata – Prior

Sir Frantisek Zatko

Sir Ján Pavlis

Sir Robert Jendrol

Sir Pavol Zachar

Sir Robert Christov

Sir Peter Gocoliak

Lady Edita Volentierová

Sir Yonghai Yan

Sir Nguyen Tuan Ngoc

Sir Mustafa Kösetürk

Sir Hüseyin Kösetürk

Lady Valéria Kubalová

Sir Lubos Modransky – Istanbul

Sir Lukas Zvala – Istanbul

This well organised special humanitarian activity – in favour of the needy – continues as the pandemic is not over yet.

on behalf of the members and the leaders of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, we would like to congratulate you for this very important humanitarian action carried out by you and this very enthusiastic and dedicated team.

“The Reward of Generosity is the Generosity Itself”

4th May 2020