It’s one is the stories we all dream of: A very poor man of one of the most disadvanged villages in the world gets a chance to study at school and because he is very smart and lucky he gets even the chance to do studies abroad and becomes a doctor. The luck stays with…
Category: empathy
If you want to know India, take a Train
It’s a real hot morning in April. At the train station in Cochin it’s crowdy. When a train arrives there is a lot of movement: people jump out of the trains, often run across the iron rails, clack, clack, clack out of the train windows a lot of empty and half-full water bottles are…
Impressions from the life in the Philippines
The days in the Philippines have passed quickly. Before going back to India now, let me share a few impressions from this country with its more than 7000 islands, impressive landscapes and colours, its people and challenges. Related posts at a glance Philippines – life and princesses at the dumpsite The sugarcane children…
Where street kids & elderly people can feel at home – until the night comes
At 7 am some children already wait in front of the door of this drop-in center. Some of the children look very tired and want to sleep, others look forward to staying and playing together in the upcoming hours; a few of them are still under drugs. But they all have one common aim: washing,…
Nightlife in Cebu – about homeless people, biscuits and condoms
It’s night. In the streets of Cebu there is still a lot of traffic on the main streets, and huge promotional banners underline in a strange manner the special character of a world where poverty, prostitution and human trafficking is “normal”. We do a night walk with a priest in some “poor” parts and…
The Sugarcane children of Negros
When we enter the classroom they are already waiting. It’s Monday, a special and additional school day for the students who normally just come to school on Saturday. They are between 10 and 24 years old. They sit together, in one room. Some of them try to get the elementary school certificate, others are keen…
Good News from our past Manager trip in India
In November 2015, some international Corporate managers have run a leadership session in the tribal areas of Coimbatore staying and collaborating with a NGO, the Karl Kübel Institute for Development Education. Based on the Makingmorehealth program (www.makingmorehealth.com) they learned a lot about the local health challenges and discussed topics on social entrepreneurship. It was a…
Philippines – Life and princesses at the dumpsite
I’m in Cebu, in the Philippines, for ten days on a round trip. Usually, tourists enjoy the weather, the beach, snorkeling or do some island hopping. But this travel has a different scope. It’s about learning and understanding how people live here. People who are living below or close to the poverty line. Life at…
Are you a storyteller? Support kindergarten project
I am looking at the moment for some short “mirror” stories for Indian kindergarten children in rural and tribal areas as I want to publish a book on mirror stories for these children. Not for profit. I’m looking for stories which we could use and share with the kindergarten centers, where the children can directly…
Where humans need more than medicine – A tribal hospital with empathy and a leadership lesson
We all know that staying in a hospital is not really fun. Staying in a poor hospital in the very rural areas in South India is even worse. There are many challenges to overcome and it is too easy to criticize what is missing and what should be done. But not everything depends on money…
Go India, go future! 