Konrad Adenauer Foundation
Press freedom is a fundamental pillar of democracy. That is also why the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) set up the Asia News Network (ANN) in 1999 with the goal of promoting the broadest possible range of opinions and information for decision-making in Asia. The network’s membership consists of 21 newspapers in 19 countries. “We want to increase the exchange of media content within the Asia-Pacific region,” says Paul Linnarz, who is responsible for the regional media programme in Asia. “After all, comprehensive and balanced media content from the entire region is the prerequisite for functioning democratic structures.” The network makes texts and images available for the print editions of the member newspapers and also supplies the German Press Agency (DPA) with photographs and reports from Asia. Additionally, the Bangkok-based ANN main editorial team (photograph) produces the AsiaNews magazine using material from member newspapers. Beyond that, it has also organized an exchange programme for young reporters so that new talent from neighbouring countries can receive a taste of Thai journalism. The Konrad Adenauer Foundation was originally established in 1955 as the Society for Christian Democratic Education Work and has borne the name of the Federal Republic of Germany’s first Federal Chancellor since 1964.
Friedrich Ebert Foundation
The Young Leaders Forum (photograph) of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) in Kabul aims to promote peaceful coexistence irrespective of ethnic origins, gender or social background. FES has maintained an office in Kabul since 2002. Since 2004 the foundation has been awarding some 30 trainee places a year for talented young people aged between 18 and 30. “We want to encourage the young people to take responsibility and contribute to society,” says the former manager of the office in Kabul, Ursula Koch-Laugwitz. This has led to the creation of a network that continues to inspire Ursula Koch-Laugwitz, “I’m incredibly proud of our young leaders. They have meanwhile moved into many important centres in Afghanistan and are opinion leaders of inestimable value in the regions from which they come.” The foundation is named after the Social Democratic German President Friedrich Ebert. He himself proposed its establishment in his will and the foundation was set up only a few days after his death in 1925. His own experiences led him to recommend that, among other things, the organization support young people without regard for their parents’ financial resources.
Heinrich Böll Foundation
Land rights and resources are also affected by the issue of gender equality. In the northeastern provinces of Cambodia the Heinrich Böll Foundation is actively engaged in involving female representatives of indigenous communities (photograph) in government decision-making processes. “Women in the northeast of Cambodia have hardly any access to education, are economically dependent and their opinions do not count,” says Julia Scherf, head of the foundation’s Asia department. “They are excluded from active participation in political processes.” To counter this, the Heinrich Böll Foundation carries out training measures, courses and networking meetings with local partner organizations as part of its focus on democratization and the development and strengthening of civil society. “Our goal is enabling these women to influence what happens in their communities. That’s why we want to support them to participate in economic life and to gain a hearing in local politics.” The Alliance 90/The Greens, the party that evolved out of citizens’ campaign groups at the end of the 1970s, merged various individual foundations into the Heinrich Böll Foundation in 1996. It is named after the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, Heinrich Böll, who died in 1985.
Johanniter-Auslandshilfe
The Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe (JUH) is an agency of the Protestant Order of St. John. Among others, its duties include first aid, medical services, rescue services, patient transport, civil protection and other aid services in the charitable sector. Building on the medical expertise of the Johanniter in Germany, the main duties of Johanniter-Auslandshilfe (St. John’s International Aid) include emergency medical relief following disasters, support for the return to civil normality in crisis areas, the establishment of medical services, medical training and advanced training, combating infectious diseases and orthopaedic assistance for the disabled and war wounded. “In Indonesia (photograph), Pakistan and Afghanistan, for example, we educate local trainers to hold first-aid courses in community centres and schools,” says Sandra Fabig of Johanniter-Auslandshilfe. “In addition to that, men and women in Afghanistan receive a basic medical training that enables them to perform initial treatment and arrange regular clinics in remote areas. We trained a total of 204 women and men last year.” In its projects, the organization pays special attention to mother and child health. “Worldwide, most births still take place without medical assistance and mothers do not know enough about how to feed their children,” says Sandra Fabig. That is why Johanniter-Auslandshilfe supports mother and child centres where pregnant women can receive advice and courses are offered on subjects such as hygiene, nutrition and family planning. “In our offices abroad we work mainly with local personnel. We consider it important to strengthen local structures and transfer knowledge.”
