BERLIN On 22 August 2009, non-profit organizations and experts from business and politics met with representatives of the Malawi Embassy in Germany in Berlin. The event, initiated as the “Malawi Forum”, was the second working meeting within four months. The outcome far exceeded initial expectations. Thanks to the constructive and committed cooperation of various interest groups, the German Malawi Association (DMG) was founded last Saturday. It is also thanks to Malawi’s ambassador to Germany, Professor Isaac C. Lamba, that the cooperation is not only working at non-governmental level. As patron of the society, he will promote dialog with the administration and business community in Malawi.
The fact that various interest groups pull together in the German Malawi Association is also reflected in the election of the Board of Directors. Christiane Bertels-Heering was elected as Chairwoman. The 51-year-old works full-time in the field of political communication and has been familiar with Malawi, especially its healthcare system, for many years. Her deputy is Dr. Heiko Meinhardt, who is involved in both research and consultancy in Malawi. Klaus A. Hess, publisher and editor-in-chief of Afrikapost, was appointed treasurer. The 28-year-old lawyer Ingmar Müller was elected secretary. The board is completed by Kristina Rösel, Rainer Hackenfort and Angela Meinhardt.
The German Malawi Association focuses on international understanding between Germany and Malawi as one of the main ideas behind its foundation. The background to this is that a wide range of charitable organizations are active in Malawi. “We want to create a common platform for all German organizations and companies active in Malawi so that forces can be pooled and financial resources can be used more effectively,” says Kristina Rösel, Chairwoman of the Wildlife Action Group Support. The Wildlife Action Group Support supports a nature conservation organization in the central region of Malawi. In addition to nature conservation, the future work of the DMG will focus primarily on educational work. The promotion of children and young people in particular should have a lasting effect. The average age of the Malawian population is 16. “This is a potential that needs to be exploited,” the founding members agree. Building on the promotion of educational work, efforts are also to be made in the field of science. “In order to keep academic top performers in Malawi, we need to think about exchange programs to support the Malawian university structure,” says Ingmar Müller, co-founder of Wildlife Action Group Support. Dr. Heiko Meinhardt, lecturer at the University of Hamburg and election observer in Malawi during the presidential elections in May of this year, underlined the need to promote democracy. Compared to other African countries, Malawi is considered a stable democracy. The German Malawi Association wants to further strengthen the democratic awareness of the population through information campaigns in Malawi.
The society will also become active in Germany. The aim is to make the landlocked country in southern Africa interesting for Germans. Rainer Hackenfort from “Treffpunkt Malawi” presented a travel concept that combines African culture with visits to reserves and a beach vacation on the world-famous Lake Malawi. The white sandy beaches of Lake Malawi in particular are still an insider tip among tourists. The itinerary presented by Hackenfort makes perfect sense: although Malawi seems like a dwarf state compared to countries such as Botswana or South Africa, it is only this size that makes it possible for such trips to take place within the country
that such trips can be managed within a two-week stay.
Contact for further information:
Ingmar Müller
Lichtensteiner Str. 30
09337 Bernsdorf
Phone: 0179/9221593
E-Mail: (Please enable JavaScript to show this email address.)