Andrej Berg
Help us to promote ADH!
As a small aid organization ADH can’t initiate big advertising campaigns. Therefore, we are even more dependent on your help.
Like you, your friends, acquaintances and colleagues would like to know what happens with their donations. Direct contact is very important for us. Upon request we inform our supporters on a regular basis about the development of our projects. Please tell the people around you about ADH.
Another possibility to help us lies in organizing:
The initiators of ADH Congo go annually on journeys to visit supporters. In these personal talks we can give more detailed information about the development of our projects. Through prior planning it is possible to arrange several additional appointments.
Help us to promote ADH Congo through the media (the web, newspapers, television and radio)! With active organizational support, lectures in schools, universities or other communal institutions could also be given.
Everyone can make his or her personal contribution for change. Help us to help.
Children Run for Children
When thinking about our school festivities, the faculty of the Elementary School in Gerbach, Germany, deliberated the theme of this year’s festivity. At the same time, we considered how we could raise support for the four Congolese children that our school sponsors. We were inspired to combine the two and so the theme for our school festivity was set: the support of “our children in Africa”. The idea of a fundraising-run to garner financial support for this seemed most suitable, so that’s what we did!
On June 19, 2009, the students of the Gerbach Elementary School run for the children they sponsor in Africa.
Each pupil was to find up to ten sponsors within the circle of their family and friends, who in turn would commit to pay the child a certain amount for each kilometer run -- for instance, 50 € cent. The day of the run began with some musical presentations and then the participants started. The running stretch was two kilometers long and for each round accomplished, a stamp was added to the running pass that the children carried around their necks.
So they ran several rounds and took welcomed breaks, well supplied with food and drinks sponsored and served by some of the parents. One student managed to run 20 kilometers from 7:30 to 12 noon!
At the end of this fundraising-run day, each one of the students visited their sponsors, who then donated the agreed amount of money. For instance, the student mentioned above, received 50€ cent per round. He ran 20 kilometers, which came to € 10 – so with the support of ten sponsors, his proceeds would have been € 100! In cases where the sponsor had agreed to pay €1 per kilometer, some students “ran” to even higher income.
The result? -- With the participation of about 70 students, the proceeds came to € 6.214, 20! Of course, the children could decide how many rounds they wanted to run during that morning, but great competition existed among the students!
We had prepared the children to gain some understanding of issues such as poverty, orphans and famine and we had incorporated the topic of Africa into their music classes by singing African songs accompanied by drums for instance. For many of our school’s children, this was probably the first time that the topic of Africa had confronted them, but they were inspired, knowing that they could contribute something positive through this event.
Cake Sale for a Good Cause
In June 2010, we organized a cake sale at the Georg Buechner High School in Rheinfelden, Germany. The finances obtained were targeted to support Lenka and Wolfgang Schmidt’s work in DR Congo. I was able to agree on the timing of our sale with the principal, who has supported charitable projects before. We set up our stand in the entry hall of our school and during two twenty minute school breaks, we sold cakes, sandwiches and snacks, which eager classmates had prepared the day before and sponsored for the project. Our table displayed 24 different cakes, along with nicely prepared sandwiches and snacks! The school bell had hardly begun to ring and there was a rush to our stand because cheesecake, vanilla croissants and such are a welcome change from the usual simple sandwich and apple that students bring to school! Some classmates helped us in advance to prepare posters that poignantly presented ADH’s work and to inform the students and teachers about where the cake-sale proceeds would go. So, besides selling cakes, we were advertising for ADH! Some teachers and students were happy to pay a little extra for their cake or sandwich in order to increase the proceeds. At the end of the sale, we were overjoyed to realize that we had sold almost everything and could present Lenka and Wolfgang Schmidt with the fine sum of € 245, 65 for their project!