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2. December 2016
Donating instead of gifting: Marbach Group supports aid projects.
The Marbach Group can look back over another eventful year that is now coming to an end. The year 2016 has been packed with numerous exhibitions. One outstanding and important change at Marbach: the new look of the company. Despite all of these changes, however, one thing remains the same: the tradition of “donating instead of gifting”. In selecting the recipients of the donation, it has always been very important to this management of the worldwide operating group to divide the money between internationally prestigious and regionally respected institutions.
International donation
On the 13th of January 2010, the earth shook in Haiti. Large parts of the Caribbean state lay in ruins after this earthquake. To this day, now 6 years later, Haiti hasn’t been able to recover from this heavy environmental disaster. On the 4th of October 2016 another fateful blow followed: the hurricane Matthew hit Haiti with wind speeds of up to 230 kilometers per hour. The hurricane left once again huge devastation. People have lost their lives. Numerous houses have been destroyed. Streets and fields have been flooded. The aid project Help was already on-site to help, where it was most urgently needed.
Peter Marbach: “With this year’s Christmas donation, we want to help the stricken island state Haiti. Many people there have lost all of their belongings. Many certainly also their hope. We want to help provide people with goods and support speedy reconstruction with our donation.” Marbach has given 7,000 euros to the aid project “Help – Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe e.V.”. Peter Marbach continues: “The good thing about this contribution: it will be multiplied fivefold. Help has to provide a 20% self-contribution in order to gain support for the overall project from the Foreign Office. So 7,000 euros will increase to 35,000 euros for rebuilding Haiti. This is, of course, really satisfying for us.”
With this donation, people in the heavily affected province Grand-Anse will be supported in rebuilding their livelihoods. Tents are being distributed, food is being provided and solar modules are being made available to secure the power supply. Moreover, the collapsed water system is being renovated in order to prevent the outbreak of illness and epidemics. Help also rebuilds houses together with the affected people. On the 25th of November 2016, Bianca Kaltschmitt, Head of Communications at Help, received the donation cheque from Peter Marbach.
Regional donation
This year’s 3,000 euro regional donation supports the project “food sponsorships” of the Deutscher Kinderschutzbund, Kreisverband Heilbronn e.V. (Heilbronn Child Protection Association). This project allows children from socially vulnerable families in Heilbronn and the surrounding area to receive school meals. The project is financed 100% from donations. Veronika Siller, CEO of the Heilbronn Child Protection Association: “Families with low income can apply for a lunch allowance at the job center within the project “education and participation”. A normal school meal costs between 2.50 and 3.60 euros. The self-contribution of children from socially vulnerable families is only 1 euro.”
But many Families can’t even afford this 1 euro per day. Especially families with more than one child of school age. The project “food sponsorship” ensures those kids a warm meal each day. Siller continues: “The food sponsorship remains unknown to others. This means that affected children can eat without a self-contribution. And without needing to be ashamed of their parents’ poverty in front of their class mates. This leads to a change in the kids’ behavior because they now feel part of the group.”
Peter Marbach: “With our donation 20 kids can receive school meals for a whole year. We aim to make an important contribution. For the integration of socially vulnerable kids into their school class. Also for their self-confidence. They should have the same opportunities as all the other children.”
The CEOs of the Heilbronn Child Protection Association, Martina Grön and Veronika Siller, received the donation on the 30th of November 2016.
More information:
- aid project ”Help – Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe e.V.“
- Heilbronn Child Protection Association
About “Help – Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe e.V.“
“Help – Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe e.V.“ is a humanitarian aid organization based in Bonn. Help was founded in 1981. The main focus of Help’s work lies in global emergency and disaster relief, but also longterm development aid and reconstruction projects. Help supports people that are in need due to catastrophes, persecution or other reasons. Help works according to the principle “helping people to help themselves” and supports the efforts of affected people to improve their circumstances on their own.
About “Deutscher Kinderschutzbund“
The german Child Protection Association stands for the protection of children from violence, against child poverty and for the realization of children’s rights in Germany. The Child Protection Association points out grievances, demands urgent action from politics and administrations and gets involved. It was founded in 1953 in Hamburg. It is a federal association, with 16 regional associations and over 430 chapters. One of these is the “Kinderschutzbund Heilbronn“. With its 200 members, it provides fast and unbureaucratic assistance.
