After losing several family members in the civil war and fearing that he, like some of his friends, would be recruited as a child soldier, Aravinth fled Sri Lanka alone at the age of 14. He spent ten years in exile as a refugee, where he faced systematic discrimination. After the war ended, Aravinth returned […]
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Through his work in development cooperation, Sujoy Chatterjee has travelled to many different regions in Africa and India. During his travels, he met many small farmers who were living in extremely difficult circumstances and often had to struggle with overwhelming debt. One of the maain causes of this development in India is the so-called ‘Green […]
The lack of perspectve for well-educated young people on the African continent drove Yanick to Germany at the age of 18. Alongside his studies, he worked here as a rubbish collector, warehouse worker and bouncer to keep his head above water. His persistence paid off: Yanick earned a doctorate in economics at the University of […]
Due to a progressive retinal disease, Sabriye became completely blind at the age of twelve. Her love for Tibet and desire to learn new things led her to develop the Tibetan Braille script in 1992. Sabriye traveled Tibet on her own in 1997 in order to explore the possibility of establishing a school for the […]
During his work for UNESCO and as an international consultant for UNICEF, the World Bank and USAID, Manish came to the conclusion that the existing education system neither provides students with relevant skills, nor promote their personal development or contributes to the sustainable development of local communities. In search of alternatives, Manish and his wife […]
After financial constraints forced Nomawethu to abandon her studies in sports management, she began volunteering in her home township of Khayelitsha in Cape Town. She developed a passion for community work and used her own experiences and perspectives to inspire and support young people. She quickly became a role model for others. Soon after, Nomawethu […]
Etienne grew up in Berlin and came to Uganda for the first time at the age of 19. He worked there for a year as a volunteer at a Children’s Home. Soon he realized, that the orphans were not receiving any further education after primary school, so he founded a non-profit organisation that awarded scholarships […]
Growing up in the slums of Kibera, Cathrin experienced the challenges of poverty firsthand. These formative experiences have endowed her with unwavering positivity and resilience. In her role as “Community Lead” at the social enterprise MOTHERLAND, Cathrin holds a key position. With great empathy, she understands the needs of smallholder farmers and collaborates with her […]
James’ journey as a ChanceMaker began with a formative experience: one evening, he came home to find his mother cooking over a fire fueled by bean husks. Growing up, he had only known these husks as mulch for banana and coffee gardens. Seeing them used as a substitute for firewood puzzled him. When he asked […]