1 Foto: GNF, CReNIEO GNF, Foto: Together for a Just Future 15th Year Anniversary of Hand in Hand-Fund 2 From left to right: The Hand in Hand-Team – Gila Kriegisch, Rapunzel Naturkost; Michael Spielmann, Executive Director DUH; Joseph Wilhelm, CEO Rapunzel Naturkost; Erika Blank, DUH; Jürgen Resch, Executive Director DUH; Michael Hadamczik, DUH; Harald Kächele, National Chairman DUH and Heike Kirsten, Rapunzel Naturkost Hand in Hand-Fund Bank Details for Donations: GLS Bank Bochum, Acct.-Nr. 8040 4311 00, Bank Code 430 609 67, IBAN: DE44 4306 0967 8040 4311 00, BIC: GENODEM1GLS Cover: Children in the Philippines planting trees for the future. Life-Giving-Forest e.V., Photographer: Benedikt Adler 3 For a Just World The Hand in Hand-Fund is celebrating its 15-year anniversary. We place great value on the interplay between education and With gratitude and joy we can take stock of our successful coope- social and environmental change. We believe that any truly sus- ration. Rapunzel Naturkost and the Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) tainable improvement arises from this interaction. In addition, have created an exemplary support framework with sustainable we are committed to supporting projects that, in the long run, results. Over the years we have continued to develop this pro- strengthen the independence of civil societies. ject, collaboratively and successfully. And we plan to continue Rapunzel came up with the idea of setting up the Hand in Hand developing this project in the future. -Fund and has also contributed the lion’s share of the financing. Up to now, the fund has supported 176 ecological and social One percent of the sales value of Hand in Hand raw materials projects in 47 countries worldwide. Over the past 15 years, goes into the fund. Additional funding comes from private do- 780,000 Euros has been distributed to these selected projects. nations and other campaigns within the organic food industry. The Deutsche Umwelthilfe manages the fund and organizes the The Hand in Hand-Fund has a clear signature: we support local, implementation of the projects. The partners meet twice a year to smaller-scale environmental and development projects. We aim review project applications and decide which ones will receive to help people help themselves without bloated bureaucracy. financial support. Our goals correspond with those set forth in the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals. In the following pages you will get a closer look at our work. Exemplary projects from around the world illustrate the tangible Our focus is on protecting the tropical rainforests and the oceans results arising from this fund. The regions where the various pro- as well as combating desertification and erosion. These goals are jects are located can be seen in the accompanying world map. reflected in the specific projects we’re involved in, ranging from organic farming to supporting women, helping cover basic needs We appreciate your interest and would like to encourage you such as clean drinking water or energy supply, as well as providing to contribute to the Hand in Hand-Fund based on your own education in sustainable development. The fund also regularly personal financial means. provides immediate aid for catastrophes and other emergencies. Preface Joseph Wilhelm Harald Kächele CEO Rapunzel Naturkost GmbH National Chairman Deutsche Umwelthilfe e.V. 4 Africa Tanzania The Success Story of Hekima When Rapunzel Naturkost CEO and fund The Hekima Girls Secondary School initiator, Joseph Wilhelm, visited the He- is located near Bukowa in the catch- kima Girls School in November, 2011, he ment area of Lake Victoria. Educa- was overwhelmed by the reception. The tion for women in the poor regions school principal, Sister Esther Buberwa of Tanzania is by no means a given. and the pupils, decked out in their pretty This project, which the Hand in Hand school uniforms, serenaded the visitor Fund began sponsoring in 2003, has with a welcome song. developed into a showcase project. The number of pupils has grown from 40 to 400 in this time. The quality of the school can be seen in the ranking of the students nation- wide: the school received the top rating out of 4,000 schools. A new generation of self-confident women is growing up in Africa, and that’s good news for the con- tinent. Joseph Wilhelm was able to get a first hand glimpse of the progress being made at the school. While the first allocations were used to build the school itself, later fun- ding was used to realize larger projects that increased the size of the school facilities and im- proved standards. The girls used to have to collect and carry water over long distances and shower outdoors. Now there are washing Africa 5 rooms and showers with running water. A stanz e.V. with the support of the Hand in new sewage system for the washrooms has Hand-Fund and additional funding from improved hygienic standards. Two new the Roman Catholic Church, Diocese buildings were added to store vegetab- Rottenburg, installed solar panels at the les grown in the school’s own gardens. school. The sooty kerosene lamps which, The food is used to feed the almost 500 up to then, had dimly lit the long African people, including teachers, involved with nights are now a thing of the past. the school. Even after Wilhelm’s departure, time has not stood still at the Hekima Girls’ Secon- dary School. At the end of 2013, ISC Kon- Africa 6 Democratic Republic of the Congo A Sanctuary in War and Chaos „Kisanga“ means island. For 12 trauma- the opportunity to secure their own live- tized women and an equal number of lihood. The center has its own vegetable children, the welfare center of the same gardens, pastures and fish ponds. Sheep, name on the outskirts of the city of Kisan- goats and rabbits provide meat for the in- gari is an island of refuge. And they are in habitants and are sold at the local market. desperate need of protection and help in a The school provides practical life skills in country that has been in a permanent state addition to teaching reading and writing. of emergency for the past 20 years. A war The island refuge suffered some serious has been raging over coltan ore which is setbacks in 2011 due to an outbreak of mined in the resource-rich eastern part of cholera, contaminated water, the loss of the country. Without the tantal extracted all farm animals and the general unrest in from the ore, the entire electronics industry the country. Thanks to the support of the would come to a standstill. Many refugees German aid association Kisanga e.V. and have fled from the eastern border areas into the Hand in Hand-Fund, the center was the inland city of Kisangani. able to obtain new animals and fresh seeds The welfare center Kisanga, run by the or- – the start-up capital for a new beginning. ganization Association des Femmes pour le Développement (AFPD), is located there. It is a meeting place, accommodation, work and education center all rolled into one. Following the principle of helping people help themselves, it provides individuals Malawi Only Paradise has no Fences In order for humans and animals to live The 12 kilometer long fence keeps the together in harmony, it is sometimes ne- animals in the Thuma Forest Reserve out cessary to build a fence. To ensure that of the adjacent villages. Simultaneously it even elephants get the message, it should helps to ensure the success of a long-term probably also be an electric fence. In the project to protect both the wild animals Salima District, southwest of the Malawi and the catchment area for the Malawi Lake, there is a solar-powered fence that Lake. This project has been managed to- informs the giant animals: up to this point gether by the nature protection organiza- but no further. tion, Wildlife Action Group (WAGI e.V.), Africa 7 and the National Forest Agency of Malawi since 1996. The fact that many elephants have returned to the Thuma Forest Reserve is a major success. The flora and fauna of the reserve have also made a strong recovery thanks to a series of environmental measures. Unfor- tunately however, the elephants were regu- larly leaving the boundaries of the reserve and not only destroying the farmers’ crops in the nearby villages, but even killing a number of people. Not surprisingly, the farmers’ anger was directed at the animals. In the end WAGI and the farmers came up with the fence as a solution. With the support of the Hand in Hand-Fund, WAGI gamekeepers and men from the affected villages constructed the fence. Many peop- le were thereby able to earn a living. Madagascar Nature’s Treasure Chest The goal of the nature organization Nature- coffee or cacao also thrive in these forest fund e.V. is to protect Madagascar’s unique gardens. flora and at the same time provide farmers Part of the project involves the develop- with an income. 80% of the plants on the ment of a seed data bank. With the support world’s fourth largest island are endemic. of the Hand in Hand-Fund, the successes That means the vast majority of the 12,000 in Madagascar’s subtropical southwest will Africa plant species exist only in this one place. be implemented elsewhere in the tropical In order to protect the especially rare trees islands by Naturefund along with its part- and plants, the Naturefund project takes a ner, the Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG). two-pronged approach. First, while carry- When the inhabitants learn to live both ing out reforestation, the land is also used from and with nature, it could halt a de- for farming.