New Sponsorship Projects

Photo: JSOW (Young Sinphony Orchestra Wetzlar)

The Dieter & Bettina Wulkow Foundation intends to once again support the youth work of young JSOW musicians with a grant in 2024.

The amateur orchestra has been playing since 1987 and aims to introduce young people to classical music. Every year the approximately 60, mostly young musicians play a series of concerts, which are rehearsed together over many hours of practice and performed to perfection to the delight of the many listeners. Classical, but also romantic and modern orchestral works, film musicals and religious works are performed.

The mix of studied musicians, experienced amateurs and young aspiring talents reflects the ideal composition of the Young Symphony Orchestra.

As a rule, JSOW performances are free for listeners, but the orchestra relies on donations to support the young musicians and cover their costs.

young trainee bricklayers at CPET School

In this funding project we have planned to support the working group of Tikato “Brot für die Welt” in Burkina Faso again. In 2023 we supported the vocational training school in Koudougou / Burkina Faso in a cooperation project with TIKATO and CPET. There was erected  an extension building built up by the trainees themselves. Our foundation provided the funds for the missing material to produce the metal windows and doors for this building.

Locksmiths, bricklayers, draftsmen and electricians are trained in Koudougou, and  after completing their training  they much easier find a permanent job caused by their qualification. Here, too, we have shortly agreed to a new project discussion with the head of the TIKATO working group, Ms. Heidi Stiewink, for which we would like to provide a new contribution to further expand the school project.

Emily Verbeke with her childs

Together with the Kenyans Emily Verbeke and her sister Janet, we have been involved in several educational projects run by the “Verbeke Homes” for several years. In El Doret Kenya they founded an association “Verbeke Homes” and have set themselves the goal of giving young people the chance to find a way out of poverty. You always need funding to take in orphans or needy children and young people and to look after them. The younger children are sent to school at the Morissio Education Center, the older young people go to the next higher schools and some are also supported through to university. The trained teacher Janet Kemboi runs the home and takes care of all the needs of the 10 children and young people currently in care. The small home is self-sufficient and cultivates the arable land provided using its harvest yields. This is help for self-help. Everyone helps out after school. To make the difficult field work easier, we were able to donate the funds to purchase a tractor a few years ago.

We have shortly arranged a meeting with Emily Verbeke and her sister Janet, who are currently visiting Germany and who founded the aid project “Verbeke Homes”, for a funding discussion and an exchange on a follow-up project.

Photo: Emily Verbeke

Children receive reading primers and are happy

Supplementary funding for educational work with children in rural South African areas by the  “After School Enrichment Program.” This is our fourth follow-up funding.

This program by ourselves we have set up during our joint visits to South Africa and visiting some schools on site together with Ray and Alexis the organizers  of YOUPSA. (Youth Potential South Africa).

We could see that for children from disadvantaged families it makes difficulties for them to have access to supplementary educational measures or even their school-based performance fall behind, especially in the poorer rural villages. The “After School Enrichment Program” supports these disadvantaged children after their daily school, motivates them to learn constantly, helps with homework and strengthens their position in the school and village community.

On our homepage we reported on our latest projects in collaboration with YOUPSA.

We always receive feedbacks from Ray and Alexis, who tell us how our funding is being used successfully and we also inform ourselves on site from time to time.

For 2024 we are planning a 4th follow-up funding with our long-standing partner YOUPSA.   (Photo: Youpsa)

photo: InPower-Light for the World

We would like to support a new cooperation project with “Light for the World”, in which we were already have been involved in 2022. We have sponsored visual aids for children in need in the countries of Ethiopia, Mozambique and Uganda. We are currently in exploratory discussions for our second follow-up project. The focus of the new project will be to participate on a special initiative “InPower” in Mozambique, “End violence against girls with disabilities in Mozambique”. The managing director, Dr. Astrid Pietig from our partner, Light for the World, , presented the important project:

“Girls and young women with disabilities often face double discrimination. They are discriminated against because of their gender and are also excluded from many areas of life because of disabilities. They are also often affected by violence. Disability is often seen as a “curse” for the family. There is a superstition that it can be driven away through violence.

In order to specifically support children and young people with disabilities, especially girls, and to provide them with a safe learning and living environment, we pursue a holistic approach based on 4 levels: the “individual level”, the “community level”, the “advocacy level” and the “school level”. All levels overlap with each other.

We will participate as a co-partner in the “Individual Level” program section, in which children and young people learn how they can defend themselves against sexual assault. They therefore act as an important mouthpiece against violence. For this purpose, a training program will be carried out including the topic of inclusion. “No Means No” should become a permanent fixture in Mozambican schools. Not only are the pupils trained, but also adult trainers. In addition, the disabled children receive individual support, including regular home visits from rehabilitation assistants for psychosocial support and medical care in order to carry out rehabilitation exercises. The helpers also ensure that children who have not yet gone to school are prepared and motivated to attend school.

For us, this project has a special meaning that fits particularly well with our foundation philosophy, namely to provide disabled children with a safe learning and living environment and to integrate them even better into the village community, for which disability is a superstitious curse. At present, we select one school which we will support in Mozambique for this program

In this column we have listed our realized sponsorship projects, the Dieter & Bettina Wulkow Foundation have promoted

Ray with the young children learning Maths

With an additional sponsorship of 2.000,- Euro the Dieter & Bettina Wulkow Foundation supports our partner YOUPSA for the successful prosecution of their educational work with children and youth by the “After School Enrichment Program“ in the rural areas of the Western Cape, South Africa. Since  a  couple  of  years we  have  established a long term partnership with YOUPSA.  We strive to support the charitable work of Ray and Alexis to teach young children and pupils to offer them an additional after school enrichment education program. YOUPSA provides different education program possibilities in rural areas of the Western Cape of South Africa where children can take part free of charge. We could get a personal impression of the valuable work of Ray and Alexis on one of our sponsorship projects when we once accompanied them to see and visited a school in the rural area in RSA. We could talk to the children in school and spend time with them in their lessons. That was on amazing experience.  With much pleasure we follow to support the charitable work of YOUPSA who are not only helping the disadvantaged children und pupils to get access to education to high school or universities but also to unfold the abilities of the childs and to create and strengthen the team spirit. This helps to get socially disadvantaged children off the streets away from crime and drugs and back on the right track. Ray and Alexis do provide us with information of their work on a regular basis and did send us their latest update as follows:

"In 2022 YOUPSA started an additional weekly afternoon session dedicated to learning Arithmetic and Maths. In school our kids have not gained any basic math concepts or number sense at all. All they know from there is a fear and distaste for numbers. In the YOUPSA sessions we have been concentrating on solidifying the use of numbers 0 - 9, 10 - 19, and the concept of plus and minus. It is an absolute delight to see how the children are now very interested in learning maths and enjoying their maths time to the fullest. 

We regularly distribute books to the rural children. Before meeting YOUPSA, children in this area have never owned a book. They are also not exposed to books and reading for pleasure either in school or at home. It is a bit of magic when we deliver books to children in these remote rural areas and see them immediately gather together to read their new books and chat about them.

Last month the YOUPSA children made their own magic eyes. It is gorgeous to see what they created from some very basic materials, only 2 sticks and some wool. Each magic eye is totally unique, just like each of the children.

The YOUPSA children recently made fun toys from recycled materials. First they collected bottle tops that were discarded in the area around the community and then washed them. Together they made holes in the lids with a hammer and a nail, and then strung the lids together to create their own lid kit. It was a lot of fun and a meaningful activity to see how waste can be transformed into play.

Since the end of last year, YOUPSA has been offering weekly swimming lessons to small groups of children. This has been a dream of ours for a long time. Most children in this country cannot swim and there are horrific drownings almost every day. We at YOUPSA want all of our children to lose their fear of water and learn to swim confidently".

We supported YOUPSA with a contribution of 2.000.- Euro in March 2023.  Wetzlar / Oudtshoorn-Western Cape South Africa, March 16^th, 2023

Eye inspection of a young school girl (Ethopia) © Light for the World

Our Foundation supports the charitable aid program „1-2-3 I can see“ of the international organization „Light for the World“ for eye inspections of children in Afria by a sponsorship of 1.560,- €. With this since 2019 applied program Light for the World treat children in Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Mosambique and in Uganda - not only by eye inspections but for eye operations too. Light for the World also operates in Asia, Latin America and other countries to empower people with disabilities and protect eye health especialy for children and youth. Unfortunately the rate of untreated eye disease in parts of those poor countries is very high, about 90%. If children or youth would not be treated they would have large problems to follow the education in their schools, which results that they will face barriers and discrimination by their disabilities. After consulting the German Light for the World branch CEO Ms. Dr. Astrid Pietig, we have been impressed about their medical aid on children and youth in the poor areas of African countries and we decided to help. Back ground: It is still complicated, to bring the aid to the infected children cause mostly in this poor areas there are less doctors, medical educated assistances or there is a lack of eye test or therapy equipment. Even there are less surgeries or hospitals. Light for the World targeting possibilities of different aids e.g. to raise medical treatment rooms, hospitals and spend money for the education of doctors and medical assistances, so that they are able to treat children or other people of her eye deseases in short times.

Photos: by Light for the World, with friendly permission for publishing

The young sinfony orchestra Wetzlar/Germany

The Dieter & Bettina Wulkow Foundation by a sponsorship of 250,00 € supports the education and orchestra work of young musicians of the Young Symphony Orchestra Wetzlar/Germany. The Orchestra has 65 activ members and is engaged in performance classic concerts, film and choral music. If you are interested for more information of the orchestra please join their homepage http://www.jsow.de

Ntailan Lolkoki

Ntailan Lolkoki is a Kenyan book writer who is engaged in rural areas of Kenya to educate young girls in schools to fight against FGM. 

Natailan was born as a Maasai girl in the Savanne of Maralal in a small village close to Barsaloi in the Northern Kenya and was affected by FGM ritual when she was a young girl. Later she wrote some books to fight against FGM. We support her education work on FGM that she could purchase 100 copies of her book the Kingdom of Watetu and Songaland to spread the books on schools in Maralal, Porro, Marti and Baragoi. Our project helps to fight to prevent of the ritual. The book is a great truth of FGM. 

Ukraine War: Death, destruction and terrible harm hit civil population – Mothers and Children on the run out of the country. Wulkow Foundation supports the charitable work of the Association "Bridge of Hope" in Ukraine by a sponsorship of 1.500 € 

 The aid Organization Bridge of Hope e.V. located in Rechtenbach close to Wetzlar/Germany does support needy people, children, poor and vulnerable families. The  charitable aid projects of Bridge of Hope are mainly supporting poor and suffering people in the Ukraine offering them refugee places e.g. in rural villages such as in Pawlowka, Ordajewka and Boschedarjewka. Bridge of Hope e.V. does have a subsidiary in Swetlowodsk (4 hours’ drive from Kiev).

They moreover have a summer camp for poor, vulnerable and disadvantaged children, do organize social leisure events, teach Christian values to give the children hope for a better future.

Their work is currently not easy due to the terrible war in Ukraine and they collect and store urgent needed material donations and trust that they can carry and deliver the goods to the people in the
country. It is actually difficult and dangerous to get access to the cities and villages to provide the
people with their humanitarian help but they do not spare any effort and risk to help the people in this terrible war with destruction, death and endless suffering.

The summer camp in Swetlowodsk on the river Dnepr has just been prepared to host 16 totally exhausted refugees giving them a place to stay, to sleep and to provide them with food and warm meal/dinner.

The Dieter und Bettina Wulkow Foundation contributes the work of the aid organization Bridge of Hope sponsoring them initially € 1.500 to help the needy people in Ukraine, especially mothers with their children in the country and to organize the delivery of aid transports to Ukraine.

In summer 2021 – 14^th of July the beautiful Ahr-valley was hit by a heavily flood disaster, which destroyed in most all the cities and villages the infrastructure, many houses, parks, streets and also school buildings and some clinics which have been built near the Ahr river. Also the DRK-Special Hospital for Children and Youth Psychiatry in Bad Neuenahr by the irrupted flood water into the ground floor of the building was so badly damaged, that the stationary housed children who slept in the first floor rooms had to be evacuated the following morning. Also the day hospital in the DRK areal was heavily damaged and was closed beginning with the next day. The water gauge was nearly 2 m high from the street level. Fortunately only less people died, but many people could be rescued from danger but lost their homes. The helpfulness was great all around Germany and in Europe.

Even the Dieter & Bettina Wulkow Foundation decided to help especially to spend a project contribution to the DRK, that they can rebuilt the hospital for children and youth psychiatry. We spent an amount of 2.000 Euro to repair the climbing wall for the children of the hospital or that the clinic can replace needed therapeutic material for the children.

8 month later as we have visited the DRK hospital, still the flood damages could be seen in the whole area. The clinic at present is in repair but there is so a lot to do, that still an reopening is not possible in the next 1.5 to 2 years.

Update March 31rd 2022: Dieter and Bettina Wulkow have visited the DRK Clinic in Bad Neuenahr and have been welcomed heartily by the administrative officer Mr. Karl-Heinz Ritzdorf and his secretary Ms. Bernadette Terbrack. Both by a walkabout through the destroyed clinic introduced and informed us what has happened during the flood night and the days, weeks and month behind. They showed us, that the damage clearance is running well, but it takes still times to bring the evacuated children who are spread in nearby facilities around Bad Neuenahr back. Not only the repairs of the buildings are in focus but needed therapeutic material has to be replaced too. A very helpful feature for therapy was the climbing wall, which has to be replaced and to be modernized for safety reasons.

Dieter and Bettina Wulkow agreed to use our donation for such purposes and we have got the certainty, that our contribution will help for the future therapeutically treatment of the children.  

M. Sefa was born in Cosovo in the war turmoil with her 3 siblings. When she was a child she began playing piano to overcome the experiences of a wartime child. She learned piano on the music conservatory in Pristina continued her studies in Switzerland and did win prizes on several international music competitions in Pristina/Cosovo, Cita di Barletta/Italy, Lucerne/Switzerland. M. Sefa is a passionate chamber music piano player, is working with the Cellist Hugo Paiva and founded in 2018 the chamber music Duo “Duo Litanei”. She lives in Leipzig to finish Master Program degree at University for music and theatre sciences Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy.

M. Sefa contacted our Foundation with an appeal for help due to our desperate situation in the COVID 19 time. She mentioned that the gap to afford daily life including study courses and her savings are more than alarming. Her parents and her 3 siblings live in Cosovo with a very small income.

We were touched by her biography, her musical path and her financially desperate situation and concluded to sponsor her college tuitions.
(Photo: M. Sefa with her friendly permission for publication) .   

The Youth Potential South Africa - YOUPSA operates in the Gamtoos Valley, Eastern Cape Province in South Africa, impacting disadvantaged children and youth, their families and their communities. They are the only education non-profit organization in the area. The educational opportunities for children in the Gamtoos Valley are scare. The rural school prioritize rote learning, which leaves children without skills they need to become fully contributing members of the society.  Far too many young people in the area leave school each day and enter unsafe, violent neighborhoods and homes with no adult supervision. This leaves them at high risk of destructive and anti-social behavior including abusing alcohol and drugs, engaging sex and becoming involved in gangs, which threaten their future.

The "After-School Enrichment Program" in which we cooperate with Youpsa is the only place in this area where the children and youth can learn with fun, can be creative and express themselves freely and takes care for the a.m. arising problems. It awakes the creativity, potential and purpose of the children wherby Youpsa nurtures and grows literacy, social-emotional skills, problem solving, creative and critical thinking skills for disadvantaged children and youth, skills, that are neither developed in the schools nor in their communities.

The Dieter and Bettina Wulkow Foundation supports the weekly workshops and programs which take place on nearby farms or in their villages. The program contains a variety of personal development activities, arts, drama, team and leadership building, mathematic learning with fun, literacy skills and fun activities for body and mind. A healthy snack is served to every child each time. Both leaders of YOUPSA, Ray Schöne and Alexis Salaman are well experienced in teaching and in psychological skills. Both work for many years with disadvantaged children in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The After-School Enrichment program is the second cooperation project in which we could take part with Youpsa.

Photos: with permission of YOUPSA and own by Dieter & Bettina Wulkow Foundation

"Continuing Sponsorship Work for and with the Organization  YOUPSA, Hankey, Eastern Cape,  "South Africa“

We intend to continue our cooperation with Youth Potential South Africa – YOUPSA. Youth Potential South Africa - YOUPSA is a Non-Profit- and Public Benefit Organisation (NPO 156-968 / PBO 930051112), founded by Ray Schöne und Alexis Salaman in 2015. “We bring education alive by igniting the inner spark in youth”, says Ray Schöne, one of the co-founders of YOUPSA. Ray and Alexis both have vast experience in charitable work in rural South Africa, Namibia and Kenya.

They partner with disadvantaged schools in remote rural areas in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa and impact students and their communities, school principals, teachers and School Governing Bodies (SGB). We sponsored an education project implementing a literacy station for a rural school in 2018 and we could convince ourselves oft he efficient work of YOUPSA realizing the result of our sponsorship project during one of our visit in the Eastern Cape.

„ Continuing Sponsorship Work for and with the Children’s Ward St. Joseph’s Home in Montana-South Africa for chronically ill children“

The St. Joseph’s Home is  does provide professional medical care for chronically ill children.
The home is guided in all their actions and decisions by the “Best Interest of the  Child”  and  is equipped with all  necessary clinical facilities including  leisure  facilities  to provide best possible care for the chronically ill children. Most of the patients come from the Cape Metropolitan area and many of them from Western-Cape region.

The model of St. Joseph’s is holistic in that addresses that the physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, educational and social needs of the children. A team of health care professionals work together with the parents/family/caregivers to facilitate the child’s healing and development. 
We have recently been contacted by the CEO that they are in urgent need of special medical beds for their children for t he post operative care o ft he children. The rate sponsoring a bed for one year including medical care for a child is  approx. 2700.- Euro. In 2017 we could equip a play and education room with E-learning computers for the children.

"Support for Associations and Organizations to protect children from sexual abuse"

Physical abuse and psychological violence is one of the topics of our contribution list. We want
to support and help children tob e in a safe environment and help them to participate in school education.

Wes hall be delighted being able together with your support to sponsor one of listed proposals.

Wetzlar December 7th, 2020

Dieter & Bettina Wulkow Stiftung, Managing and Advisory Board

photos: own by Dieter & Bettina Wulkow Foundation

We moretimes have informed about the legs-amputated boy named Abdi and his mother from Somalia (project 04/2028 and 03/2019). Furtunately one of the daughter and a sister of Abdi who was missed in the civil war in Somalia, could be founded and was brought to Germany to her mother and Abdi. The former housing in a refugee home in Wetzlar was too tight and Abdis mother, Abdi and the founded sister could get a new housing with enough space. But the family did not have the necessary furniture, beds,  boards and a table where the family could sit together to have a common dinner. Our foundation could spent the necessary furniture and the family was happy to could sleep in their new beds.

Our Foundation supported the Youth Work of the Protestant Church Congregation Wetzlar-Garbenheim. A contribution of 600.-€ for teaching and bible materials was made to support the confirmands education work.  The Youth classes do usually take place in the Church Facility/Hall of the Protestant Congregation or in the beautiful Church in Garbenheim.

Photos: own photos by Dieter & Bettina Wulkow Foundation

Children and youth in the new Powerhouse in Concepcion del Uruguay (photo: Neues Leben e.V.)

The Association „Neues Leben South America e.V.” are active in this region since many years and their engagement is to help poor children, orphans and deprived children to offer them a perspective for a better life. They do have a cooperation partner, a Missionary Station Obra Misionara Nueva Vida located in Concordia. They erected a Children’s Home for scholar children and a Care Centre for small children from 0-4 years. These facilities are managed successfully by Erich and Celma Wuerfel in the city of Concordia since many years. Also they are managing a Powerhouse where children will be cared on every Satuday per week.

As this Powerhouse is very successful, they started a similar „Powerhouse“ for poor and deprived children in the urban region of North East of Argentina in Concepción del Uruguay, a city in the province Entre Rios close to the border to Uruguay. This region where unemployment, poverty, alcohol and drug abuse is a big problem, often family life is destroyed and especially the children are suffering the most from these circumstances. They grow up without love, without perspective outlook in their life, have no or poor access to education, social and personal development. This new Powerhouse is managed by the missionary couple Sittner.

At present in Concordia 91 poor and deprived children live and are being cared in the Children’s home. It is a daily refugee where they find care, help, love and education.  They go to school in the suburbs and care helpers bring across to them life values, Christian values, warmth, social integration, school education including daily hospitality. The monthly costs for the Children’s Home for board and lodging, school equipment are rising up to approx. Euro 31.000.- and are mainly covered by private donations and financial contributions by the Association “Neues Leben South America e.V.” and their cooperation partner Obra Misionara Nueva Vida in Concordia.

In the Children’s Daily Home and Ward there are 30 kids in between 0-4 years who are being cared  by care helpers, nannies and skilled persons and will be prepared for their start-up in school. Beside of Christian values the children will be introduced into the kinder garden and social groups. The monthly costs in that Daily Home and Ward are approx. Euro 2.300.- for  care helpers, toys as we as board  and lodging. Close to Concordia the couple Erich and Celma Wuerfel founded and are responsible for an additional Powerhouse for deprived and poor children in the slums of Barrio de la Esperanza. 

Together with the Cristian Community Iglesia Nueva Vida on every Saturday they do organize a Day Care for children and youth. The participating poor children do get in circle training, education in different school subjects as there are sports, music, arts and Christian values. Also they can get private lessons. This takes place every Saturday and ends with a warm meal for all children. 

The new Powerhouse in Concepción del Uruguay has also been started very successful even by the support of the Association Neues Leben Suedamerika e.V.
The financial costs of the Powerhouse have to be raised by an amount of approx. Euro 4.000,- per year. This is where we would like to start with our support of the Dieter and Bettina Wulkow Foundation and to promote at first the sustentation for one year and perhaps for a second year. It includes the costs to provide toys, education material, circle lessons for the children and the warm meals. We would be pleased, if you can support us by a donation in this aid project. As we are informed, also in the future a Children’s Home as well as a Children’s Daily Care Centre are perhaps planned to be erected in Concepción del Uruguay too.                                                    As in the past, we will report about the progress of this project.

Photos: For Dieter and Bettina Wulkow Foundation, with permit of Neues Leben Südamerika e.V. Altenkirchen

theatre figures (photo: Wulkow-Foundation)

Our Foundation supports a theatre workshop at the Integrated Comprehensive School (IGS) in Solms/Germany. Under the issue “Sponsorship of exploration of individual creativity and special talents” the playfully education of the workshop is staying in the midpoint where all pupils can take part. A corresponding commitment was given recently by the board members of the foundation, Dieter and Bettina Wulkow during an art exhibition of IGS-pupils. The engaged teacher Hannah Hagner contacted our foundation submitting a sponsorship inquiry introducing this school project as follows:

„In our Comprehensive School IGS located in Solms/Province Hesse/Germany our philosophy is to look after all pupils and offering them the possibility to explore their natural abilities and creativity according to their individual performance. Our aim is to achieve a high educational level for all pupils. We strive toward this goal by means of individual teaching structure, team building and to support pupils with a learning disability by helping them to explore and unfold their individual creativity and their talents. Our Comprehensive School IGS supports the integration of pupils with different cultural background and other nationality by strengthening the social cohesion.”  High level education is a commitment therefore we offer additional enhancement courses to help pupils to explore their natural abilities e.g. instrumental lessons or training opportunities in art and technical lesson courses. 

At present, there are working two mandatory elective art courses on a special theatre workshop project. The creation of an artistic design and decoration, the scenography and costumes for a new Theatre Project is the objective of this project. Thus the natural ability and individual creativity of the pupils is what will be practised and pupils will explore and unfold their own talents. A sustainable project which supports not only the individual ability and creativity of pupils but also their social cohesion by motivation and teamwork experiences what can be enhanced  and passed over to others.

The Dieter and Bettina Wulkow Foundation does contribute this project with 500.- Euro.

Photos: Pupils Art exhibition of IGS Solms 2018 (pics approved by IGS for publication)

Evelyne Brenda, Bernd Quoss with Bettina and Dieter Wulkow

Yet in 2016 the Dieter & Bettina Wulkow Foundation has consigned a contribution to the Desert Flower Centre/Waldfriede, Berlin. The Hospital Waldfriede, Berlin- an educational hospital of the famous Charité University Clinic provides medical treatments for the Desert Flower Centre for FGM (female genital mutilation) patients. They are specialized in the treatment and operation technics for Kolo-Proctology and pelvic complaints. Many women in Africa suffers by the consequences of  FGM and physical abuses. Bettina Wulkow recently has contacted Mr. Bernd Quoß, Chairman of the Hospital Waldfriede and Director of the Desert Flower Centre in Berlin. He mentioned that the situation of the involved women in Africa is still critical and there is still a big need of help. Our foundation intends to help again to reduce the harm of girls and young women and to make a treatment in Berlin or in Africa possible. Even the education during their stay in the Hospital or a Rescue Centre is our issue. Steady doctors of the Desert Flower Centre-Waldfriede Berlin are operating e.g. in Kenya/Africa to treat there women. We have decided to sponsorship a new cooperation project of the Desert Flower Centre Waldfriede Hospital Berlin the charitable work of Ms.Evelyne Brenda in Kenyan rural communities. Therefore we recently contacted Evelyne. Continued support of the Dieter & Bettina Wulkow Foundation: The Foundation is deeply impressed by the sustained commitment of the Hospital Waldfriede Berlin-Desert Flower Center and has decided to join the cooperation project „Help for the rescue centers“ of Evelyn Brenda in Kenia. The foundation will promote this project with a financial contribution. The focus is also to support school education and continuing education for the girls and women concerned. Eveline Brenda came to Germany 20 years ago with her husband Frank. They met in Somalia where they cared for girls and women suffering in FGM. Originally Eveline comes from the Kisi community in Kenia. With the support of the Hospital Waldfriede Evelyne is supervising 3 rescue centres where girls and young women can get medical help and treatment to prevent them from FGM. She recently sent us a short report which we like to quote: Evelyn calls her patients whom she rescued from FGM „her girls“. She knows their courage and strength to endure humiliation and celebrates the new liberty the girls discover. With Evelyne the girls became a voice to speek about their personal experience of their FGM trauma. In 2016 together with her collegue Dr. Cornelia Strunz/Desert Flower Centre Hospital Waldfriede she was awarded with the Louise-Schröder-Medal for her tireless work on FGM involved women. The Rescue Centres Kajiado, Bisil and Samburu are a safe sanctuary for the girls and women suffering in FGM, domestic violence and forced marriage. So far 160 girls escaped the cultural rite and came to these rescue centers. They not only receive there medical treatment but also the possibillity to get education or to complete an apprenticeship. This is a wonderful help cause girls in Kenyan Communities eg. Maasai, Samburu, Marakwet, Kuria, Gusii and Pokt where FGM is widely spreaded, they will be forced to marry in a young age and to leave the school to be a futural mother and they have to take care for their children and their new family. Evelyne mentioned that the girls and women need psychosocial support after the FGM treatment to deal with the social effects of this process in their communities and also in their families. Evelyne reported that despite of their circumstances some of her girls could finish school sucessfully or could get a University Degree. (all photos by Evelyne Brenda, approved for publishing)

More information see also our realized project no. 1/2016

A German lesson course (didactic workshop) will be offered as special workshop using modern methods role-playing games to enable pupils to strengthen and improve their knowledge in German at the August-Bebel-Gesamtschule, Wetzlar/Germany.

A couple of months ago we introduced to sponsor education of young refugees in Germany We started to sponsor with our sponsorship project 04/2018 the school education of a young Somalian handicapped refugee which we enhanced by creating a new sponsorship Project 01/2019. 

At suggestion of the local Department for Immigration Lahn-Dill-Kreis, Wetzlar whom we contacted to investigate and evaluate the best possibilities to sponsor this young handicapped Somalian boy, we followed their proposal to sponsor education in school where this young Somalian boy can participate among other class mates.Thus we did get into contact with the relevant school the Somalian boy goes to, the August-Bebel-Gesamtschule, Wetzlar and after discussions held with the Principle of this School and the teacher of this class, the Members of the Board of our Foundation concluded to sponsor an intensive lesson workshop in German language for pupils, non-native speakers. This workshop shall motivate the pupils to learn German by applying specialized teaching methods which shall help the pupils to improve their knowledge in German. Our thanks are given to the class teacher’s efforts who is organising and render possible this intensive lesson (workshop). Better knowledge in German language in reading and writing to integrate them into the standard class and enabling them to participate in the standard lessons, this is the objective of the class teacher of academic class 5 at the August-Bebel-Gesamtschule. The Board and advisory board of our Foundation concluded to support this education workshop of the teacher and we will contribute this project with an amount of € 1.000.-. This sponsorship project will be realized beginning of the year 2019. 

We kindly ask our Website visitors to inform themselves under column "News 11-06-2018" on our new planned sponsorship projects.

Abdirahman (nickname Abdi) is a 10 ½ years old keen boy, who with his mother escaped from the civil war troubles out of Somalia in 2016. Abdi lived with his family in the capital Mogadischu, where he has grown up together with 9 siblings (5 brothers and 4 sisters) until his 4^th year of life, as one day

a bomb had ruptured his both legs close at his play area.

From now on everything has changed in the still young life of Abdi. His father left the extended family

After Abdi got his first knee operation, the siblings have been distributed to relatives or strewed about unknown habitations inside the country, a young brother died. Posed on one’s own, being threat and humiliated, the mother and Abdi fled, after the second operation of his knees, which was still done in Mogadischu, by ship across Turkey, Italy at first to Swizerland. There they remained for at least 10 months, whereby Abdi has got three additional surgeries on his amputated knees.  

At the beginning of 2017 Abdi and his mother have got the legal permission to enter Germany where both came to Wetzlar across Frankfurt and Giessen (refugee registration). Here since about one year they live in a refugee home.

In Wetzlar, Germany Abdi went to the Albert-Schweitzer-School until summer 2018. Now with the upcoming autumn school year Abdi will change to the 5^th class at the August-Bebel-School, Wetzlar.

In the hospital in Wetzlar Abdi was operated again on his knees and he has got two adjusted lower limb prosthesis. But the prosthesis causes still greater problems with a lot of pain. The stumps bleed and another surgery is planned at the University Hospital in Giessen.

Meanwhile Abdi speaks a good German and he loves his school education. In the refugee home he translates very often when other refugees have linguistic and understanding problems.  

In spite of his special disabled situation, Abdi is a keen and a good humoured boy who will not surrender on his fate, but rather a forward-facing boy who will learn as much he can get on education. Abdi would like to support his learning effect by having a computer or a laptop/tablet and a printer. The Dieter & Bettina Wulkow Foundation wants to realize this wish of Adbi as soon as possible.

First of all for the new school year the Foundation has outfitted Abdi with new youth clothings in a proper style and with a modern schoolbag. Abdi was very pleased about the gifts.

Photos: all by Dieter & Bettina Wulkow Foundation with the friendly permit of Abdirahman and his mother Mudah for publishing

Wetzlar, August 1^st 2018

Since some weeks we are in contact with the South African organization Meals on Wheels, (Bloemfontain) especially the Struisbaai Western Cape branch.

The Meals on Wheels organization cares for disadvantaged, underprivileged and handicapped children. These children without admission and support of the organization Meals on Wheels are looking into a future without perspectives.  

The organization helps with feeding programmes, intensive care by social help workers and in special cases they try to give them an accommodation for several weeks, months and sometimes for several years. In this home Safehaven they will be kept safe, because most of them suffered in violence in their destroyed families. 

Such a new home is just under construction in Struisbaai by the Western Cape branch of Meals on Wheels but the house cannot be finished due to unavailable funds. Our foundation was contacted by Seloma Gouws, Branch Manager of Struisbaai Meals on Wheels organization. She asked us of urgent help and she has given us the following report (Photos by Meals on Wheels Community Services, Struisbaai, S.A., with the friendly consent of the attendees and the organization for usage)

In the new sponsorship year 2018 we would like to give more support to literacy projects in Africa. One of the projects we are planning to sponsor is the local education charity Youth Potential South Africa -YOUPSA, which is located in the Eastern Cape region.

YOUPSA helps to improve literacy in the disadvantaged rural villages and paves the way to awaken the creativity, potential and purpose in South African youth. They have so far started 6 Mobile Village Libraries, providing a platform for “Village Book Clubs” for young people to experience reading, learning, listening and discussing the various topics that they read about.

Each Mobile Library consists of a strong carrier bag containing 30 – 35 beautiful and exciting books for all ages, plus a lending register. The Mobile Library can be taken from village to village, from home to home. From this the YOUPSA Village Book Clubs have arisen.

An important aspect of these Clubs is the focus on reading for enjoyment, allowing children to choose what they love to read. This gives children the opportunity and freedom to improve their literacy outside of school and also during holidays. 

Young student mentors are engaged and lead the mobile library. They support their peers in developing literacy and act as inspiring role models for them by lending out books, leading book discussions and reading out loud to others. Sometimes during their visits they motivate new young people who become interested in becoming a mentor or a librarian themselves, and who then help to extend the idea of Mobile Village Libraries and keep the Book Clubs alive. They also learn to care for the book inventory. Mentors or librarians often become role models and gain respect in their villages. 

Who YOUPSA is

Youth Potential South Africa - YOUPSA is a Non-Profit- and Public Benefit Organisation (NPO 156-968 / PBO 930051112), founded by Ray Schöne und Alexis Salaman in 2015. “We bring education alive by igniting the inner spark in youth”, says Ray Schöne, one of the co-founders of YOUPSA. Ray and Alexis both have vast experience in charitable work in rural South Africa, Namibia and Kenya.

They partner with disadvantaged schools in remote rural areas in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa and impact students and their communities, school principals, teachers and School Governing Bodies (SGB). At present YOUPSA supports 6 schools in the Chalumna Area, Buffalo City Metro and elsewhere in the Eastern Cape, impacting over 2.000 students and their communities, 6 school principals, 85 teachers and 30 members of SGBs. 

The Urgent Education Situation in the Eastern Cape region, South Africa

In rural areas of South Africa children experience extremely broken circumstances and are surrounded by numerous stressors that make it difficult for them to learn and thrive. 

Here we introduce you into our first new sponsorship project 2018. It is a literacy project in which we cooperate as a partner of the organizations NEIA e.V. Germany and Obumu Tuyambe, Uganda by supporting the composition of a school library for the new erected KOB-High School in Kakoro-Uganda.

GAiN (Globel AID Network e.V.) is the humanitarian partner of the Missionary Organization Campus for Jesus Christ e.V. Giessen-Germany. By the way of GAiN our foundation supports the assignment of the Missionary Work, who in voluntary public relations assists mission projects for needy children all over the world. The Missionary Organisation has e.g. amongst others supports aid projects in India, Nigeria, Uganda and Haiti. By an amount of 1.000,- € our sponsorship helps to promote the publicity especially of Ms. Christina Schmidt. Christina by her function and donation campaigns generates donations for the international aid projects of GAiN.

Christina Schmidt reports how she was inspired to help for the GAiN campains: “ I like very much to write and to edit texts. I love people and the communication. For GAiN and the public relation I can use my talents for God and humans who are in poverty. For this appeal I write texts for Emails and letters, flyers and other media. In this I tell stories e.g. about Iraqi refugees, poor families in Armenia or about Holocaust survivors in Israel and about more people, GAiN is engaged to help. My emphasis with my work is to touch hearts that I can win more and more people to help with us to relieve the distress of humans in the world”.

More information refer to: www.GAiN-Germany.org

(Usage of photo and flyer with the friendly consent of Ms. Christina Schmidt, GAIN, Giessen, Germany)

St. Josephs Home Montana/Südafrika

On February 13^th, 2017, the members of the  Board of the Dieter and Bettina Wulkow Foundation (Dieter and Bettina Wulkow) had the opportunity to visit the St. Joseph’s Home for chronically ill children in Montana, a suburb of Cape Town in South Africa. CEO of the St. Joseph’s Home, Thea Patterson gave them a very warm and heartily welcome. Thea Patterson did not only show and explain to us in great details the task and the aim of the children’s home; moreover she took us around the St. Joseph’s Home and introduced us to all the wards and her staff members.

(Photos: by our own and St. Josephs Home for chronically ill Children, Montana, S.A. with the friendly consent for usage)

The Alupe University Hospital a subsidiary of the Moi University Eldoret, West-Kenya

Sub-project in line with the extension and modernization of an university teaching hospital sponsored by Support Africa Germany in collaboration with German Ministry for Economic and Development (BMZ).

Last Information, 05.11.2017: on November 5th the Dieter & Bettina Wulkow Foundation could transfer a donation in the amount of 3.500,- € to Support Africa e.V. to finance 6 mother-child-beds for the new Birth-Ward-Station in the Alupe University Hospital. At present Support Africa prepares the sending of several Sea-Containers to pack the new equipment for the whole charitable project "modernization of the Alupe Univerity Hospital, West-Kenya. 

Dieter & Bettina Wulkow and Mrs. Gisela Scheffer-Becker, Board Members of our Foundation on their symbolic contribution presentation to MalawiMed. e.V. members Wiebke Heilmann and Kolja Pocha

a cooperation partnership project of the association MalawiMed. e.V., Heidelberg/Germany, an organization of students and doctors of the medical faculty of the University of Heidelberg

A donation of 3.500,-- € was handed over to the organisation  MalawiMed e.v. in Heidelberg. This contribution will be used for one of our two sponsorship projects in Malawi, reported on our Website, see column “News” .The donation which we handed over to  the organisation MalawiMed e.V., a team of students and prospective doctors of the medical faculty of the University of Heidelberg, will be applied for the health and curative medical treatment of ill children in their collaboration partnership hospital, the Holy Family Mission Hospital in Phalombe, Malawi.

...a nurse clears up...

The foundation EKARI Deutschland e.V. entered a cooperation and partnership with the “theatre group “LINGUNI HOPE FOR THE YOUTH” in Malawi and by theatre performances and comedy sketches (performed in both ways humoristic and mournful) pupils in schools shall learn education and difficult life questions in a playful way.

The Linguni-Theatre-Group was very pleased about our donation. They sent us a video were they forward many thanks to us:

Video

Please click on education mosaic 2017

The idea of an "education and health care-mosaic 2017" becomes reality. The foundation board members after clearance of talks and information have decided to support three new projects (one in Alupe, Kenya and two projects in Phalombe, Malawi).The education of young people, especially in third world countries or of children who grow up in needy families is the prime reason of our support. Everybody has the human right of education. Education is the key for a peaceful living on our planet earth. Also the question of intensive health care especially for children has to be solved in the poorest countries in Africa

We would like to involve you in this, our new projects. For the respective sponsoring we bring in first our own aid and second we tout for your donation, in that you chose one or more mosaic stones of our mosaic-photo (pls. open the download file) or you grant an optional donation amount - whatever you would like to sponsor.

We kindly ask you, to transfer your donation to our donation account (if not already known, pls. contact us - vorstand@wulkow-stiftung.de).

(Photo: by our own, Dieter & Bettina Wulkow Foundation)

...

We think about supporting schools in Malawi, one of the poorest countries in Africa. There are some possibilities to help, which we at present evaluate. One possibility is investing into education of local poor children e.g. in the Phalombe district. Thereby we focus onto a scholarship- as well as a participation of a schoolfeeding-program.

(Photo: by Verbeke Homes, El Doret, Kenya, with the friendly consent for usage)

We sponsorship with the project Desert Flower Center medical treatment and psychosocial care for girls and women living with FGM (female genital mutilation) 

(Photos: by our own and the Desert Flower Center-Krankenhaus Waldfriede, Berlin, Germany, with the friendly consent for usage by Board Member Mr. Bernd Quoß)

We would like to introduce you into our new idea of an "education-mosaic". Once the point is to support education of young people, especially in third world countries or of children who grow up in needy families. Every body has the human right of education. Education is the key for a peaceful living on our planet earth.

On the other side we would like to involve you in this, our new project. You can submit us your own proposals, where and what you would like to sponsor. We clear the way and include your proposals into our sponsorship prospects. For the respective sponsoring we bring in also our own aid and we tout for your donation, in that you chose one or more mosaic stones of our mosaic-foto (pls. open the download file). Your donation in reference to the chosen mosaic stone(s) please transfer the amount to our donation account (pls. see under the rubrik Donate).

We thank you so much for supporting our donation mosaic for education.

Dieter and Bettina Wulkow

(Photos: by our own and the Verbeke Homes, El Doret, Kenya, with the friendly consent for usage)

Bettina Wulkow, chairwoman of the Dieter and Bettina Wulkow Foundation supports the Hospital Waldfriede, Berlin which provide medical treatments for the Desert Flower Center for FGM (female genital mutilation) patiens. Bettina Wulkow handled over a donation of 2.530,- € to Bernd Quoß, Chairman of the Hospital Waldfriede, Berlin and Director of the Desert Flower Center in Berlin om April 13th 2016. With the donation a Somalian woman in Waldfriede can get medical treatment to heal up her physical and psychical wounds.

(Photos: by our own and the Desert Flower Center-Krankenhaus Waldfriede, Berlin, Germany, with the friendly consent for usage by Board Member Mr. Bernd Quoß)

Dieter and Bettina Wulkow Foundation have sponsored a new sun shade port for the outdor playground close to the integrated school of the hospital.

Emily Verbeke and her sister Janet Kemboi

Promoting a home- and school construction in a small community for the poorest children around El Doret, Kenya. On February 09th 2015 the project by a donation of 5.100 Euro could be finalized.

Mrs. Valerie Smith-Orr

Medical Care Ward of Valerie Smith-Or, an Australian Nurse, for seriously burns injured children and physically handicapped children.

On the 5th January 2015 this project could be finalized with a donation of 5,550 Euro.

Dieter and Bettina Wulkow Foundation grants a studentship for Patrick for his study in Business Management and IT

(Photo by Patrick Xhanti, Cape Town, S.A. with the friendly consent for usage)