Anja first visited Kenya in 2010, where she spent four months volunteering in a children’s home. This experience awakened her awareness of the persistent poverty in Kenya and inspired her to take action. During her studies, she began collecting donations by selling waffles. After another visit to Kenya and discovering mismanagement in the children’s home, she decided to do better herself. Anja wants to share her privilege of growing up in the Global North with those who have been disadvantaged simply because of where they were born and offer them a perspective for the future. Her motto “Together Strong” aims to inspire that everyone, regardless of the size of their sphere of influence, can have a positive impact on society. She wants to encourage everyone to put into practice what they can contribute to the world.
Heike has been supporting Pamoja Africa e. V. and the association since 2015. Initially, Heike supported Anja in the areas of website and graphics as well as with various donations. 2 years later she became a Pamoja member. In 2019, she took part in a workshop in which the vision of the association was developed - at the latest since then and her move to the board in the same year, Heike has really been involved. She is very happy to be able to support Anja’s heart project and give something back to the world. She finds it incredibly nice to know that a few children are doing better because of the work of the association and to have created jobs in Maua Villa. At the association, she works with Anja on organizational and strategic issues, with Jochen on the website and develops content for the newsletter and other means of communication.
Jochen has been part of Pamoja Africa e.V. since 2014 and supports the association in their communication work. Through his involvement, he has come into contact with great people from all over the world and has been able to develop personally. By writing the newsletters, he is dealing with many topics that he was not very familiar with from a Western European point of view. The decentralized structure of the association makes it possible for him to be involved wherever he is. He is very happy to be able to support Pamoja Africa and the children’s home in Maua Villa in this way.
Betti has been a member of Pamoja Africa e.V. since its founding in 2014 and has been actively involved in the financial sector of the organization for several years. Through her work on standardization and automation, she ensures greater transparency and efficiency in the organization’s financial processes. This allows for better planning and management of future expenses, such as the significant funding required for the school fees of secondary schools or the farm, which is intended to become self-sustaining in the future. With her commitment, Betti aims to support both the children in Maua Villa directly and the organization as a whole. Anja’s ongoing dedication and leadership, along with the tangible progress at the site, deeply inspire her. It motivates her to be part of this development and to actively contribute to the organization’s success.
Ruben joined Pamoja Africa e. V. in 2023 and focuses on the website and the technology behind it through his company Hove ICT. Using modern IT solutions he removes barriers for communicating with the world, and helps more people discover the organisation as well as better understand its projects and goals. On a personal level the involvement allows him to expose himself to, and better understand a perspective of life which is rarely found in the West. All this with the end goal in mind of supporting the children’s home Maua Villa.