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| | 1.) | How can I support Menschen für Menschen? I would like to work (as an architect, doctor, project manager, nurse, agricultural specialist, etc.) in projects in Ethiopia and require no payment for my services. | |
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That is well-intentioned, but nevertheless seldom helpful! Each European who works in Ethiopia takes a job away from a qualified Ethiopian and thus the earnings for a whole family. In addition, our Ethiopian employees understand the language and mentality of their fellow countrymen better than the most qualified European ever could. Menschen für Menschen thus only hires European experts where very special abilities are required – for example as a lecturer and department head of a vocational college.
For this reason, today only a few of the nearly 700 employees in Ethiopia come from Europe. |
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| | 2.) | How many people work for the Menschen für Menschen organisation? | |
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A total of 17 full- and 4 part-time staff are employed at the three offices in Munich, Vienna and Zurich. Besides the time-consuming and responsible task of administrating the funds, they also plan and coordinate all public relations work. The offices are supported by over 500 voluntary helpers in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the German-language parts of Belgium and Italy.
By comparison, in Ethiopia itself nearly 700 employees are working on behalf of Menschen für Menschen.
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| | 3.) | Why does Menschen für Menschen operate only in Ethiopia? | |
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| We see our work in Ethiopia as an example that shows how a population’s own development can be promoted and social structures improved. Our special strength lies in the focus on one country. |
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| | 4.) | With some relief organisations an excessively high percentage of donations is consumed by administration and advertising. What is the situation with Menschen für Menschen? | |
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| Menschen für Menschen attaches great importance to the economical use of funds for administration and public relations work. This is checked annually by renowned auditors. On account of this responsible management of funds, Menschen für Menschen in Germany has received the DZI donation seal and in the ZEWO seal of quality. |
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| | 5.) | Why does Menschen für Menschen not arrange sponsorships for Ethiopian children? | |
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| Individual sponsorships require a very high level of administrative work and thus also costs. For this reason they are not feasible for Menschen für Menschen. All donations flow into a single fund, which is distributed in Ethiopia according to the annual budget planning. This guarantees effective and cost-saving application of the funds, so that they benefit a maximum number of families and village communities – including children. |
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| | 6.) | Do Almaz and Karlheinz Böhm actually live from the Menschen für Menschen organisation? | |
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| The founder and director of Menschen für Menschen and his wife do not receive a salary. They live from Karlheinz Böhm’s savings and the inheritance of his father, the famous conductor Karl Böhm. |
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| | 7.) | Why do people have to starve in Ethiopia anyway? | |
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Ethiopia is Africa’s highest country. However, because Ethiopia is separated from the East African rift valley system with canyons up to 1,000 metres deep, transport routes are extremely sparse to non-existent. Relief for the famine from the fertile west hardly ever reaches the desert-like east.
The forests were laid bare over the past thousand years, as there was no alternative and affordable energy source. As a result, erosion annually washes away vast amounts of humus-rich soil. Good arable land is becoming increasingly rare in the basically fertile regions and each poor harvest can immediately trigger a famine. |
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