Aktive Direkt Hilfe e.V.

Due to the COVID 19 pandemic, we would like to take this opportunity to address our friends and supporters - everyone who is reading this. We hope you are all well and healthy during this pandemic, which seems to be decreasing in some areas while it is still active in other parts of the world. Due to this particular situation we will refrain from our usual tour of Germany this year in order to avoid any spread of the virus. However, Wolfgang will try to call as many of you as possible - friends and supporters - personally. Already at this point we would like to say explicitly: We are very grateful for your loyal support, without which all this would not be possible. In the name of our school in Mabala, the headmaster Philemon, the 276 students, 15 teachers and 2 guards we thank you very much!

This year's ADH meeting was dominated by the COVID 19 pandemic. For the first time, the annual general meeting in mid-July did not take place in person, but via video in the digital room. As sad as we all were about not being able to meet in person this year, two ADH members had taken advantage of this and were connected from their "holidays". Besides the usual formalities and future plans discussed in the meeting, there are two personnel changes to be announced within the association: We warmly welcome our long-time supporter Andreas Bödeker as a new team member. Jens Ottinger was elected to the 1st Board of Directors of the association Active Direct Aid e. V. and thus replaces our long-standing chairwoman Gabriele Lampater, who retired from her work in the association for personal reasons.

The association Aktive Direkt Hilfe e. V. celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. For this occasion we have created a special article with many photos, which can be read under the heading "Vitamins for the Heart" on this website - a review of our work from the year 2000 until today! It was an exciting and challenging "journey" that took us from Guinea to D.R. Congo through various countries in Africa. Usually we arrived at a new location at the airport with very limited financial means and first researched the greatest need and then did our best, as the name of our association suggests, to actively help directly on the spot. Let us all continue to do our part to change a part of the world - with love being our motivation and the most important ingredient in all this.

Madlen continues her sacrificial work with about one hundred babies and small children at the Kimbondo orphanage on the outskirts of Kinshasa. She not only takes care of their daily physical needs, but also strives to provide them with better scholastics. She has been living in the orphanage since 2011 without being paid, which is why we gladly support her selfless work so that she can better care for the children. Just recently she cared for a malnourished baby – Sissi –, which was abandoned outside the main gate of the orphanage, until it was in good health.

In July and August, we visited again our sponsors and supporters in Germany and had our yearly meeting of ADH members. In Munich, we were able to record our 10th interview with Christopher Griebel from the Munich TV, which you can find here on this website (in German). We are very grateful to Mr. Griebel for providing us a framework for so many years now, to present our work in Congo and encourage people to get involved in ADH’s projects.

In June Wolfgang held a speech in Prague for interested parties from the Brumlovka Business Center. He was asked to give a speech in the style of his TEDx Talk "Change the World with Love". The Czech organization "Maranatha z.s." has supported the filming and editing of this speech. The video recording of this English-language talk at the Brumlovka Business Center in Prague can be found on this website, as well as in written form.

On top of the regular meetings with ADH Congo and BBK members, Wolfgang had a chance to meet again with Madlen, who continues to faithfully care for the orphans in the Kimbondo orphanage. With the help of one of her influential friends, she hopes to be able to soon start building a school for the small children in her care. Healthwise she is doing relatively well considering her constant fight against cancer. ADH supports Madlen as we see what an important and excellent work she is doing with the orphans. The COLK orphanage was very thankful for our yearly support. Mama Monique and Mama Jeanette do their best for the 90 orphans in this extremely poor section of town.

In March/April, Wolfgang was in Congo and visited our “Agro Veterinary High School ITAV ADH Mabala” to inspect the project as well as to encourage our teachers and students. He also gave soccer balls and jerseys to the pupils. Afterwards he travelled to Lebama, 40 km South of Mabala, and met the farmers who a while back received 500 kg of maize seeds from us for the Maize-Multiplication-Project.