About Us
the Hawelti e.V.
One waits for times to change,
the other one tackles hard and acts.
(Dante Alighieri)
This motto describes our approach to the support and aid that we offer to the pupils of Hawelti School in Axum (Ethiopia) since 2007. They still need things like pencils, exercise books and school books. A much more pressing problem however, is the lack of drinking water and food, because you can only learn if you are not hungry or thirsty!
As a private initiative we have already enjoyed some success. In 2012 the idea to create a non-profit association to further support this school and the region around Axum arose.
In the summer of 2013 the idea became more and more concrete and on January 3rd 2014 it finally happened: 8 founding members established the “Hawelti“ society.
After the registration in the register of associations at the district court in Nuremberg we finally obtained recognition as a Voluntary or Charitable organisation in February 2014.
Since then our organisation is called “Hawelti e.V.“.
Our main objective is capacity building.
Together with the people of Axum we are trying to find ways in which they can improve their career prospects and living situation by themselves. Therefore our most important aim is to support people’s education, as well as to provide aid for young and elderly persons.
In addition it is important for us to contribute to cultural understanding: by means of regular campaigns – e.g. Ethiopian-German brunches, Ethiopian coffee ceremonies and more – which we organise within in Germany, to give our guests an understanding of the Ethiopian culture.
We enjoy the support of a diverse range of sources, such as: Individuals, Companies, Public and Social institutions and many artists. As a result of this, we are able to hold many events which allow us to raise money and allow us to continue with our projects and aid programs.
What sets Hawelti e.V. apart from others
Sure, there are already many organizations and institutions operating in Africa and Ethiopia.
We had personal contacts and language skills in the city of Aksum. From the very beginning, there was a trusting cooperation. Through these connections, we still learn very specifically today in which areas help is urgently needed and what the donations are used for - so we can virtually accompany the implementation of our projects directly. This way we can be sure that the donations fulfill their intended purpose and don't "somehow disappear somewhere along the way".
Another important aspect is our trusted contacts on site who live our idea even when we are not in Aksum. Also very important and valuable to us is that people in Aksum founded the association "Myshum Yebego Aderagot Mahiber" under Ethiopian law and thus are our "southern partners".
Naming everything we have achieved and experienced on this page would "overwhelm" the page - to still let you dive into our history so far, we invite you to look at our biography in the following document.
How it all began
Originally, this idea came from the principal of a school in Lower Saxony in 2007, who wanted to establish "help on site" directly through a parent association without involving large organizations.
He and Negassty Abraha, a founding member of Hawelti e.V., were in regular contact and discussed the Hawelti School in Aksum as a possible aid project. However, the parent association then decided on a project in their own school.
But the many conversations made it more than clear that the Hawelti School in Aksum lacks many things.
This is how a private initiative emerged, whose activity was rather restrained at first. Over time, however, it increasingly "picked up speed" and more and more people joined this idea.
The joy about these successes - with us and in Aksum - spurred us on further. And it quickly became clear to us that besides the school, there are many areas in and around Aksum where support is needed and makes sense.
Thus, the private initiative eventually became a registered association.
Help for self-help
The idea behind Hawelti e.V. is the principle of help for self-help. We don't see ourselves as a one-time donor, but as a permanent partner. Instead of simply providing money, we invest in sustainable structures: in our opinion, the children are the future of the country and we intensively support education.
There are many people and organizations who deal intensively with the challenges in their own country. We want to help them help. This also includes business start-ups among our projects - but only if the concepts are promising. This often makes it possible to secure not only one's own existence, but also that of the entire family.
We are convinced that the people in Aksum have ideas and abilities to shape their future themselves. We want to support them (temporarily) in order to become independent of external help in the long term.
Memberships Hawelti e.V.
