About Us
Self-image - The team - History
Self-image
Wadadee cares is a non-profit organization that, as part of the Wadadee Group, has been supporting various charitable projects in the Katutura district of Windhoek/Namibia since 2015.
The focus of our work is on projects that particularly benefit children as the future of Namibia. Our name says it all: The word "Wadadee" comes from one of the Namibian languages and means something like "It concerns everyone." We are convinced that the well-being of people near and far has something to do with each individual. It is not for nothing that we speak of the "Wadadee Family", which has formed over the years with the children and our employees in Namibia and Germany. In this family-like self-image, everyone looks after their neighbor. We at Wadadee cares take care of others when someone else cannot (or no longer) do so.
The principles of sustainable development aid are at the forefront of our daily work. Because for long-term social change in Namibia it is essential to establish economic stability, social fairness and environmentally conscious action.
The aim of our help is, on the one hand, to finance all of the daily needs. This includes, above all, ensuring a healthy, nutritious diet and medical care as the basis for the children's health. In addition, by caring for the children in our projects, we ensure that they receive the love and attention that they so desperately need.
On the other hand, we are increasingly focusing on sustainable investments in the children and their homes in order to be able to provide them with education, security and health for their future in addition to their daily needs. We primarily support projects run by volunteers and social workers in Windhoek, many of whom grew up there themselves. With this valuable know-how, our measures can take effect directly where help is really needed. This means that existing projects run by social Namibians can be strengthened in a future-oriented manner.
Because what starts small today will be the future of Namibia's children tomorrow. It is a way out of the cycle of poverty, unemployment and illness. It is our job to pave this path for them. Every day anew.
The team
Lena Palm
Founding and board member
On the board, Lena is responsible for finances and in Windhoek she is our managing director of Wadadee Cares e.V.
Fabian List
Board member
He works closely with Lena on the board and takes care of fundraising and networking.
Christiane Chmel
Second Chairwoman of the Board
Christiane does fundraising, among other things, and always helps with a good idea.
Thank you
Driver
As our driver, Dankie's primary responsibility is to ensure that all children are brought to school on time and, together with the volunteers, does the weekly shopping for the projects.
Dr. Petra Bauer
Chairwoman of the Board
She is responsible for the bureaucratic processes in our association office in Aachen.
Robert Guse
Board member
Robert's responsibilities include our public relations work and in Namibia he lovingly takes care of everything and everyone.
Ulrich Lohmann
Board member
As a board member, he organizes the visits of our Namibian friends to Germany.
Sophie Vogel
Pedagogical Director Home iNami
Sophie takes care of all the needs of our children and employees at Home iNami.
Max Janssen
Board member and volunteer management
Max looks after our volunteers before they arrive in Namibia and prepares them for their stay in Namibia. Whenever his time allows, Max is in Namibia and helps wherever he can.
Jule Bosshammer
Board member
On the board, she takes on the role of secretary and, together with her team, looks after our godparents.
Ute Cloete
Administrative work
Ute is Lena's right-hand woman and supports her with the administrative work in our office in Windhoek.
Vivien Hänell
On-site volunteer support
Vivien looks after our volunteers on site and supports them with advice and assistance.
History of creation
How Wadadee cares came about - told by Lena Palm
"I always had the plan to go to Africa when I finished school. My wish was to work for a while in a social project that supports needy children in order to make a contribution locally.
As my high school graduation in 2013 got closer and closer, I had to start planning my stay abroad. However, it turned out to be more difficult than I expected. Because I had often accompanied my mother Petra Bauer on her trips through southern Africa, I already knew a few countries and so it was very important to me that my work took place in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. When I was researching large organizations, it became clear to me that it would be very difficult for this particular wish for a place to stay to come true. And to be honest, I was a bit 'scared' to be away from home for more than half a year, but most organizations wanted volunteers who would stay for a whole year. So, together with my boyfriend - who luckily came along with me - I decided to organize the entire stay, including work space and accommodation, privately.
Easier said than done. After many hours in front of the laptop, applications, emails and phone calls, I found what I was looking for. The Baby Haven children's home as a place to work and the Wadadee House as accommodation were ideal and so the big journey could begin.
I stayed in Namibia for a total of 6 months. Wadadee House became a home and the people down there became my family. I traveled the country, made new friends and gained experiences for life. It was an exciting time and everyday life in Baby Haven was not always easy. I often accompanied the HIV-positive children to the hospital for their examinations. There were days when there was barely enough food for all the children and the visits to the slums were also formative. But it was still a blessing to see how much joy and openness the children had in their lives. I learned a lot from them.
I loved my work with the children, but it also gave me a different perspective on the world. The poverty, the suffering and especially the illness of the children touched me deeply and changed me.
As the day of my departure drew closer, I didn't want to go back to Germany. I had to say goodbye in tears. The success of having taught some children a little English calmed me down, but I still wanted to achieve more...
It wasn't easy to live a life far away from Namibia again. I couldn't really find my way back to Germany and didn't know what to do now. The thought of leaving the children behind while I lived a life in Germany where I wanted for nothing made me unhappy.
My longing for the children and the sun of Africa was soon appeased during a visit back to Namibia. Together with my mother, I visited not only "my" children, but also other aid projects, such as Steps For Children in Okakarara and the Hoachanas Children Fund. This made it even clearer to me than before that we had to do something. We saw that a lot could be achieved even with small donations of money and goods. The desire to get involved in social work in Africa after my studies grew ever stronger and my mother was also enthusiastic about the idea of helping professionally and making a difference.
Through a conversation with Shaun, now a good friend and director of Wadadee House, my mother's idea of founding an association took shape. He himself wanted to get involved in social activities and suggested supporting the nearby children's home Baby Haven.
He had the vision of founding a joint charity as part of his company. Through his years of working with volunteers and his involvement in the slums of Katutura (which includes Baby Haven), he has a lot of contact with social projects that need help and experience in this area.
An image emerged in our minds of a concept that went beyond conventional fundraising and donations and created a connection between tourism as an economic sector in Namibia and social commitment. The foundation for “Wadadee cares” was born.
Back in Germany, we had a lot of work to do, but our family and friends were enthusiastic about our idea of founding a charitable organization and were happy to join us. I am always amazed and grateful at the same time when I think back to the benevolent and motivated faces.
At the beginning of 2015, the time had come and the Wadadee cares association was able to report its first successes: donations were collected in such a large amount that a renovation of the children's home will be possible in the summer. The first volunteers have been found and successfully placed, and we have come a little closer to our wish of giving the children of Baby Haven an educational future without poverty."