Germans lend a hand with 15 great deeds
Ntombentsha Msutu
A CHAMPION of the less fortunate, German Rolf Meder and Ubuhlobo Project volunteers recently completed their 15th philanthropic outreach to the Eastern Cape.
Meder, now retired after having been a teacher for more than 30 years, started the Ubuhlobo Project in 1999 and has since been doing great work in various underprivileged areas.
The project's various training initiatives have touched the lives of many, including the disabled in the Motherwell and Saltville areas, students at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, and youth communities in the Cacadu District Municipality.
The project works hand in hand with Volkswagen Group South Africa to uplift the less fortunate.
"I first came to South Africa in 1998 with a group of German pastors who played soccer.
"We were offered the opportunity to stay in Walmer township for a few days, which was a real eye-opener.
"After that experience, I knew I wanted to make a difference in this community," Meder said.
Over the past 14 years, the project has embarked on impressive social projects, including the building of a church and a cultural centre.
Volunteers include members of a German emergency services organisation called Malteser.
The volunteers impart life-saving first aid training to teachers, parents, churches and youth groups they visit.
"We started with basic first aid training, but soon realised that there was a need for more information and education in other areas," Meder said.
"We have expanded the programme to include training and education on HIV/Aids, teen pregnancies and tuberculosis."
A first for the Ubuhlobo Project has been to start a kindergarten exchange programme.
"This year, we brought a German preschool teacher with the team to help train the teachers at the two creches. This programme will also result in a South African pre-school teacher going to Germany for a three-week training course next year."
For his 40 years of volunteerism, Meder was recently awarded the highest civil award in Germany, the Bundesverdienstkreuz (Federal Cross of Merit). He is one of only a handful of Germans who received this honour this year.