Virtually all of the Cities' social services, beyond education and the poverty vouchers, are run by the Church of Ella. What started as a propensity for doing good deeds has expanded over the years into an extensive network with its own bureaucracy. The system originated in the Cities, given impetus by the Garreday Uprisings, and has since been copied by many other Christotan regions. The Cities' Ellan church runs has established a separate sub-organisation to oversee its charitable work, a council which contains almost as many priestesses as those who are devoted to purely religious matters. The charity priestesses receive a high degree of training in specialised sectors of their work and themselves oversee a host of unpaid volunteer workers. Not all the volunteers are Ellan themselves; around 70% are women and 65% are aged 16-25. They are given rudimentary training and work for up to ten hours a week, often on top of full-time jobs. The volunteers sometimes offer their services out of genuine philanthropy or piety but a variety of other attractions have been establish to ensure a plentiful workforce. For example, women who are granted one of the Church's discrete, safe abortions are expected to put in a few months work when they recover; or the work can be used to guarantee preferential treatment for one's own family. As with much of its activities, the Church of Ella charitable works mirrors benevolent ideals with rather cynical pragmatism. The same applies to its sources of funding. Most of its services are given for free to anybody who needs them, but there a good deal of social pressure is applied for the more affluent recipients to later show their gratitude with gold. Together with a general campaign for twisting wealthy arms, the Church has ensured that donations to it remain the single most common source of philanthropy in the Cities. When necessary the Church also funds the charity works from its own coffers (themselves largely filled by business speculations and land ownership). Furthermore, the charity sub-committee receives annual subsidies from Town Councils who are relieved not to have to do the duties themselves. The government subsidies were very controversial when first introduced in 1109, seeming to be contrary to Christoté's polytheistic constitution. Eventually, though, objections were dropped in return for assurances that the Ellans would care for those of all faiths, and their charity workers are almost separate from the actual faith. Even worshippers of Torgu, the avowed enemy of Ella, are looked after by their network of carers.
Types of carers:
Healing Hostels
Scattered haphazardly around the Cities. The hostels were acquired on an ad hoc basis by the Church; mostly they are conversions of other buildings though a few (such as that just off Veitch Road, s. Jal) have been purpose-built; several also exist as annexes to Ellan temples. A few hostels were constructed by private philanthropists at various times, though they have been gradually taken over by the Church, at least for the purposes of daily running. The hostels fall into several broad camps:
a) Short-term recuperation, for those suffering serious or traumatic injuries. The most common type of hostel, usually well-stocked with herbs and other medical supplies. E.g.
"The hostel on Veitch Road, south Jalkin, is one of a number scattered around the Cities which are owned by the Church of Ella, . The fact that herbs are so prevalent and their usage is so widely understood means that recuperation can usually be done in the home. But there is still a need for sanctuaries where contagious diseases can be treated or victims can recover from the shock of something like a knife attack. The Veitch Road institution specialises in the wounded, most of them victims of the everlasting chariot race which is the local road system. Like all Ellan hostels it is manned by volunteers but well stocked and run. It is kept in herbs and other supplies by wealthy philanthropists, and by grants from a government rather guilty about still farming health care out to the churches.
"The building itself isn't a spectacular sight. The Ellans eschew the costly spectacles and elaborate temples of the church of Garrath, which is one reason why they can afford to treat the sick. Externally the hostel is a broad pentagonal lump of reddish sandstone, with tiny windows chiselled in its sides and its roof a simple dome. Unusually it is single-storied; also unusually, it looks likely to remain standing until the heavens fall in. Its interior is a labyrinth of inner courtyards, cloistered corridors and hundreds of tiny separate rooms. The Ellans believe solitude is a vital part of recuperation and box their patients into a plethora of bed-and-bucket cells. In addition it contains assorted chapels, herb gardens, kitchens, cellars and staff dorms. Perhaps the workers know their way around, but it is a very easy place to get lost in. (The knowledge that getting better is the only way to escape the ghastly place greatly stimulates the healing process)." (from City Hobjoblins)b) 'Dying houses' for the fatally ill or hurt, and also for the very elderly; as the name suggests, their main function is to make people as comfortable until the inevitable
c) Insane asylums. E.g. Candaman Way, Forgar
d) Containment centres for infectious
diseases, all of these hostels being located outside the city walls.
Midwives
A tightly controlled, much admired network of midwives cater for almost all births locally. The local midwife is usually contacted at the start of the pregnancy, though don't have any contact with the mother until the birth itself begins. Then the midwife is sent for and can be relied on to arrive very quickly and skilfully deliver the baby. She may also give any necessary treatment to mother and child afterwards, and treats any sickness to the baby for the next two years. The parents, if they can afford it, are expect to generously reward the midwife herself directly. The Ellan midwives are the star performers of the Ellan volunteer carers. A strong system of internal training exists and, unlike the hostel nurses, women often adopt midwife duties for most of their lives. A priestess called Kael Echson developed the modern midwife network in the 1150's; infant mortality rates plummeted and have remained low ever since. Both the Torgun and Kakranfan enclaves, however, prefer their births to be delivered by their own kind.
Herbalists and healers
A few establishments of each have been set up by the Church. They vary little from the private practitioners except that they only charge a very low, flat rate for their services. The League of Gentlemen, the herbalist's trade association, doesn't greatly appreciate this threat to their members' profits and has ensured that the Church rarely gets the licence to set up new shops.