Interview with our sponsor, Dr Christiane Zügel

Frau Dr Zügel, can you recall why you wanted to support Kindernothilfe all those years ago?

I had known about Kindernothilfe for some time, from my years in Germany. I didn’t have any children myself at the time, but I particularly liked the idea of supporting children in need. Because, on one hand, it is usually children who are the most vulnerable, but, on the other, because they are also the ones who shape the future.

At the time, I deliberately wanted to steer clear of larger organisations with, sometimes, high administrative costs, since I, as a student, didn’t have much money. It meant a lot to me that any money I donated wouldn’t simply be soaked up by administrative structures, but go directly, instead, to those, who needed it most.

What do you think is good about a Kindernothilfe sponsorship and a child sponsorship in particular?

Making a donation for survival purposes alone provides short-term help. But it is vital that needy children and their families receive sustainable support. It is women, above all, who usually invest their money in creating better opportunities for their children.

During my time in Uganda, I noticed that when money was entrusted to them, women invested it in the family, in small fields and their children’s schooling, whereas men were happy to spend on short-term projects or simply squander it. Women often worked extremely hard to bring about small improvements in living conditions.

Kindernothilfe sponsorships do not only provide support to individual children, they also support sustainable projects that provide self for self-help opportunities. A sponsorship promotes a child’s education and health, while accompanying self-help projects often support mothers, enabling children to grow up protected and healthy in an intact community. This, in turn, helps them bring about change in their own lives and build a better future for themselves. I remember one girl, in particular, who trained as a nurse and went on to support her entire family.

What would you wish for Kindernothilfe Luxembourg?

That it continues running and supporting many more good, worthwhile projects and receives greater recognition, because its concept of “helping people to help themselves, supporting children and women in their own domestic structure” is very good, indeed. It enables women to become partners with men and have a much bigger influence within the family, which, ultimately, benefits the children in particular.

The interview was conducted by Kristine Weyland.