Volunteering on equal footing with the people of Uganda offers an adventure you won't soon forget: Pack your bags and head to Africa – to help others. Through the Green-Ocean eV program, young and older people (e.g., retirees with professional experience) can get involved abroad, share their expertise, and gain valuable new experiences. We are looking for participants who are willing to work sustainably with local residents on a local level, exchanging ideas and learning together. We are preparing two projects in Bundibugyo, in western Uganda, for this summer:
new´s
Your opinion is important to us
A holiday with purpose – Volunteering
1. Tailoring Training and Further Education: Unfortunately, after completing their schooling, girls in particular have few or no training opportunities available to them. This drives young women directly into child marriage or poverty. With this pilot project, we are trying to counteract this trend (initially on a local level).
2. Horticultural Project for Self-Sufficiency and Surplus Production: This project focuses primarily on intensifying local cultivation methods, teamwork, and the reintroduction of traditional African plants using sustainable methods. You can find out how this works and what you need to do here: Here's what it's about:
- See the world through different eyes with Green-Ocean eV – through our local partners, you'll receive direct and detailed information about the project, local culture, and way of life from the start of the seminar (weekly webinar, in advance), through your arrival and stay.
- What volunteers at Green-Ocean eV can expect: an intensive preparatory seminar, airport pickup from Entebbe, accommodation at the Vanilla Hotel (half board), intensive support from our qualified local staff, and active participation in the respective project.
- Where will you be going? You'll fly from Germany to Uganda (Entebbe). You'll be picked up from the airport and transferred by bus to Bundibugyo, in western Uganda. The return trip to the airport is also by bus, accompanied by our team.
- A 4-week online preparatory webinar with all participants and the Green-Ocean eV team, as well as the Helping Hands Uganda team.
- Application and requirements: Please send us an informal application with your details and which of the two projects you're interested in. Please describe the qualifications or skills you could bring to the project.
- Cost contribution: We ask that you book your own flights after scheduling an appointment. Bookings are possible from August to December 2026, monthly from the 1st to the end of the month. We request a cost contribution of €1090.00 for one month, and €690.00 for each subsequent month.
- Accommodation on-site at the Vanilla Hotel in Bundibugyo: The accommodation is basic but clean and includes good meals (half board/breakfast and evening snack).
- Lunch will be prepared and eaten together as a team at the project site.
- "Project Time": We would like you to participate in the projects for 5 weekdays – as a team with our local participants.
- Saturday - Excursion Day: Our team would like to introduce you to the local culture and environment. For this reason, we offer excursions and visits. These may incur costs that participants may have to cover themselves.
- Relaxing Sunday: Sunday is dedicated to relaxation. If you're looking for more excitement and activity, our local participants and team leaders will be happy to invite you to visits and events.
- You can find more information about the projects, who is carrying them out, and who will be organizing them on our subpage.
- For applications, etc., please contact us by email: Please describe in your own words what you could contribute to the project and what qualifications you might offer.
What are you giving as a Christmas present? How about a gift membership with Green-Ocean eV?
Report of the Board of Directors, Autumn 2024:
Dear friends and members of our club,
In this interim report, we would like to inform you about our current activities and upcoming projects. Unfortunately, only a small core group of our members is actively involved in our project work – therefore, we would also like to take this opportunity to encourage your active participation!
Microcredit
Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and new head of government of Bangladesh, once wrote something to the effect of, "Capitalism doesn't have to be bad if the poor can participate in it."
Yunus was also the first to develop the concept of microbanks in the 1990s. His original idea was to support women in agriculture in developing countries, who would otherwise have no access to microloans.
We at Green-Ocean eV have expanded this system and offer microloans to small agricultural projects as short-term bridging loans for a maximum of six months, in amounts of up to €50 per person. These microloans are approved by the local helping hands NGO, accounted for transparently, and repaid to the local NGO within the agreed term. The microloans are solely for project funding (subsistence farming and horticulture) to promote the development of self-employed livelihoods. The local helping hands NGO is responsible for monitoring repayments.
We ask for the support of our sponsors and supporters, either directly to the treasurers of the local NGOs listed below, or, earmarked for this purpose, via our donation form.
We thank our friends and supporters at Kings Bazar Deggendorf. The donation box we set up yielded €53. Thank you so much for your kind help!
We thank our supporters at the Aladin Asian grocery store in Deggendorf's northern city moat. The donation box collected €163.07! Thank you so much for your support!
Anti-whaling activist arrested
On July 2, 2024, the American-Canadian activist and anti-whaling campaigner Paul Watson was unexpectedly arrested in Nuuk, Greenland. Denmark had flown in 14 police officers and a public prosecutor for the operation. Watson had arrived in Nuuk with his ship to refuel and take on provisions after setting sail from the North Pacific.
Japan has again requested his arrest and extradition, despite this being declared inadmissible by the International Court of Justice in 2014. Watson's "defense of marine life" encompasses a unique strategy of aggressive nonviolence and measures against illegal activities that exploit marine life. These include ramming whaling vessels, throwing butyric acid at whaling ships, and using water cannons against deck crews, as happened in Costa Rica in 2002. Japan accuses him of endangering the lives of Japanese sailors, and he faces many years in prison there.
Although commercial whaling has been banned by an IWC moratorium since 1986, Japan continues to use its whaling under the guise of scientific work, selling the products.
Watson pursued the Japanese whaler Kangei Maru with his ship in order to bring him to justice.
Is Watson an environmentalist or a criminal eco-rebel?
We look forward to hearing your opinion.
Helping is teamwork! Together… a matter of honor!
An example from Riverside BBZ, Kenya, shows that some of our aid projects are progressing successfully. The new building is nearing completion, but the last of the funds have run out. Unfortunately, this is an example of how aid is often supported by only a few. Yet helping is so easy:
- Even a small donation can make a big difference.
- For less than €4 a month you can support our NGO as a member.
- With just about 60 minutes of your time per week, you can directly help as a moderator in one of our Facebook groups.
- Do you have any good ideas or comments? Our webmaster welcomes your feedback on the website.
Everyone can decide for themselves how active they want to be. But doing nothing also means accepting the status quo, looking away, and silently enduring the suffering of many people. Support us in helping others. Let's take an important step together towards social justice in developing countries. Africa doesn't need weapons or paternalism, but rather "help for self-help" in:
- Nature, environmental and climate protection
- Education and training - gender-neutral
- Agriculture and horticulture
- Promotion and development of sustainable income opportunities
You can also support us by sharing this text on your social media. Let others know about our work!
The board
Green-Ocean e.V.
No one can do anything – helpers need compassion!
Nouack Shott - Mauretanien
At least 89 more refugees have died off the coast. The victims were from Senegal and Gambia. The Mauritanian coast guard recovered the bodies and nine survivors (AMI report). According to witnesses, 170 migrants—women, men, and children—were on board the fishing boat, a pirogue. They set sail from Senegambia six days ago and tragically perished. According to international NGOs, thousands of people attempt to seek asylum in the Canary Islands every month. From January to May, approximately 5,000 people have already lost their lives in the dangerous waters. TRG 7/24
Every two weeks, a minority language dies!
In our modern world, around 7,000 languages still exist, but half of them are threatened or endangered. This not only impacts humanity's vocabulary but also jeopardizes traditional knowledge and culture through language loss. In many countries, the languages of former colonial powers are displacing local dialects and languages, which are then in danger of being forgotten. In Brazil, indigenous Guarani teenagers are using a language app, funded by IBM, to not only speak but also write their mother tongue. In Australia, AI is being used to introduce children to stories and games in their indigenous language. The OBTranslate platform aims to translate 2,000 African languages to preserve them for future generations. It hopes that in this way, it can make a significant contribution to the exchange and preservation of traditional knowledge and provide indigenous communities with access to knowledge and technology.
#obtranslate
#language
#arc-excellence center
https://www.obtranslate.com/university/covenant_university/
https://www.obtranslate.com/
https://www.obtranslate.org/about/
SQUARE 6/24
Sustainable Tourism in Morocco - Trekking Tours in the Atlas Mountains. 65 kilometers east of the bustling Marrakech, but it could just as easily be on another continent, lies the Ait-Mizane Valley. Nestled among the peaks of the High Atlas, the Idraren Draren (Mountain of Mountains in the local language), this still-sleepy village in the Lil, amidst a picturesque landscape, is the ideal starting point for trekking tours and hikes. Abdul Toudaoui and his companions offer guided trekking tours for small groups and families. Hikes expertly led by local guides, with mules and traditional Moroccan cuisine (lunch al fresco), offer pure relaxation and an active holiday against a backdrop of Arabian Nights magic. The eco-lodge "Kasbah du Toubkal" serves as a base, providing all the necessary amenities for hiking in the surrounding Atlas Mountains. The journey continues over the Tizi-Mzik Pass (2438 meters altitude), past the Tamsoult Waterfalls, to the Azzaden Tracking Lodge, above the village of Ait Aissa. But there are countless idyllic routes to explore. Individualism is highly valued in this region, where, despite potential progress, the ancient customs and knowledge of the Amazigh tradition are preserved. Incidentally, the people here don't particularly like the Western name "Berber." The Romans first called them Berbers – a word derived from the Latin "barbarian." The proud people of the Atlas Mountains prefer the name "Amazigh," which means "the free people." Further information: https://kasbahtoubkal.com/de/trip-packages.html #amazigh #abdul_toudaoui #kasbah #toubkal #azzaden_trekking_lodge #trekking_marokko
Dear friends and members,
We wish you happiness, fulfillment and much success for the new year 2024.
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support and help in our club in 2023.
We would like to draw your attention to the changed account details for contributions and donations:
Bank details:
Hellmut Mathes
Norisbank
IBAN: DE31760260000010163401 Purpose:
Best regards from the board
Hellmut Mathes
Sebastian Wittig
Robert Groitl
We wish all readers, friends, supporters and members a:
Merry Christmas
and
Have a happy new year 2024.
Thank you for your support in 2023.
The board of directors of Green Ocean eV
Cop 28
In Dubai, the world is fighting for the future of humanity. At first glance, it is striking that there is a pronounced group formation everywhere on the grounds of the climate conference.
The COP manifests itself in many different groups where there is a lot of whispering. Those who don't belong are viewed with suspicion.
It's not just about saving the world, but also about a great deal of money – money that has been earned and that they want to earn in the future: from the sale of crude oil and crude oil products for combustion engines, which aren't so bad after all – argue the Arab OPEC states. This concerned faction sees not only the climate target of plus 1.5 degrees Celsius as illusory, but plus 3 degrees Celsius as realistic.
The populist faction, on the other hand, sees the creation of the compensation fund for climate disasters as excellent progress and redress for their own mistakes.
The pragmatic faction, perhaps best represented by Alpha Kaloga, Guinea, summarizes the problem as follows:
"You ask yourselves where to go for food - we ask ourselves how to survive!"
For days now, the thousands of members of parliament (surely all of whom traveled in an environmentally friendly way using sustainable energy) and activists have been struggling to reach a meaningful final declaration - this is all about the future of our shared (and only) world!
SQUARE 12/23
#cop28
#Alpha_Kaloga
Interim report of the board of directors dated November 25, 2023:
Over the past few months, since the Annual General Meeting, we have been active and have had to solve some problems.
Unfortunately, contact with Natalja, our treasurer, was lost. Despite numerous attempts via email, WhatsApp, telephone, and mail, we were unable to reach her. After three months, and with prior notice, it was decided in a board meeting (via the board's WhatsApp group) to appoint Sebastian as interim treasurer until the 2024 annual general meeting. Sebastian has now taken over the duties and, together with our webmaster Hellmut, has created a new account – the old account cannot be closed or transferred without Natalja's cooperation. Why Natalja acted this way remains a mystery to us. The club suffered no financial loss, but the final account statement is still outstanding despite a written request.
Riverside, Kenya: a plot of land was needed for reconstruction. Thanks to the mediation of our Hellmut, one has now been found. It is located just outside the village, measuring 100 x 50 meters (5000 square meters), and is suitable for building the orphanage and a small farm. A €200 deposit of the €1900 purchase price has been paid. The remaining balance will be paid in December, personally by Hellmut, who will also sign the contract at that time.
The Iganga horticultural project has received regular support and is expanding into a small family business. This project is described in detail in the Facebook group Uganda.
The horticulture project and sewing workshop in Bundibugyo, Uganda, is proving successful. Hakim, the organizer, is doing excellent work. His new project is establishing a chicken farm for the village community.
Hellmut will be visiting all the projects in Kenya and Uganda during his trip to East Africa in December and January. We thank him sincerely for his informative reports.
Please refer to the Facebook pages for further details about the projects.
In Gambia we are currently working on 3 projects:
Reforestation of clear-cut areas in the national park
How does our organization work? Most of the extensive project work takes place in our Facebook groups. Moderators announce planned projects there and request feedback from our NGO's national groups. The projects themselves are predetermined by our NGO – see Downloads / Project Descriptions. Once a project has begun, the relevant reports are posted in the groups.
Here a weakness becomes apparent:
We are looking for moderators for some of the groups and ask for your participation.
Following a brief report, Helga has agreed to start a soap recycling project in Deggendorf. Hellmut could take the first batch of soap to Kenya for the Riverside House. Helga, we would appreciate a short update.
If you observe our WhatsApp group chat, you might get the impression of inactivity. Therefore, we ask all our members to also check the website and regularly visit the relevant Facebook pages via the links on the website.
In the last six months, we've had two members leave. Dagmar and Werner are leaving at the end of the year without giving any reasons.
At the same time, we had 3 new members: Pascal, Natascha, and Tobi.
To facilitate the project work, the board sent out 35 inquiries to companies and institutions. These inquiries are currently being answered, but an expression of interest has already been received from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Donation boxes were set up in Deggendorf and Straubing and emptied regularly. The total amount collected can be found in the cash book and also in the Facebook group "Komitee".
In recent months, we asked a few members for help or cooperation. Offers and promises were readily made, but ultimately little changed regarding the board's overload.
Who would like to actively participate? Please don't be shy…
We would still need help and support in the following areas:
Funding (writing to companies and institutions)
· Member recruitment
Secretary
We thank all our members for their support and wish everyone a blessed Advent season.
Your board
www.helping-hands-goev.org
www.facebook/umweltundentwicklung.com
How about a barbecue today? New paths only emerge when you walk them!
Nine billion people – how will everyone be fed? Everyone has heard this question, but proposed solutions are being implemented only hesitantly. With the slowly increasing prosperity in emerging economies and some developing countries, the demand for meat and animal protein is also rising.
However, raising cattle, pigs, sheep, and poultry requires a lot of land, water, and energy. From an ecological and economic perspective, it would be more sensible to eat insects or use them as animal feed (for pig or poultry farming) – which is already common practice in many tropical countries!
Caterpillars, beetles, and crickets provide valuable proteins and nutrients at low production costs for both humans and the environment. Insects are often even considered a delicacy – in Uganda, a kilogram of grasshoppers currently costs around 40% more than a kilogram of beef.
The learned and ingrained aversion to insects as food, supplement, or animal feed could be overcome - 2 billion people, more than a quarter of the world's population, already eat insects, but the preference of the Western world, as portrayed in the media, is now lowering the willingness to eat insects in developing countries.
This resistance could also be overcome by processing insects into powder or paste. Insects can be preserved by drying. As a consumer, you can no longer tell from fish sticks that they were originally made from fish... Protein-rich insect meal could therefore soon reach the Western market.
Ten kilograms of feed yields varying amounts of meat. Crickets are around 12 times more efficient than cows and contain similar amounts of fat and protein to our conventional meats. However, insect production generates fewer greenhouse gases and uses less land. Since flies and beetle larvae convert organic waste into high-quality protein, which can then be used as animal feed, a simple and highly effective circular economy is made possible.
Food products made from or containing insects can satisfy the world's growing demand for protein at low prices and with minimal environmental impact. Producing meat and fish products is becoming increasingly expensive, which is driving the search for insect-based food alternatives. Even today, in the Western world, insects are an ingredient in many medications and cosmetics, and they are also used to flavor spirits.
SQUARE 8/23
If insects could be used as feed or food for them, we would like to learn more about their ideas and perhaps their project in order to better support them.
#Insect foot #protein #protein efficiency #costforenvonment #Chicken feet
1s Video Contest
30 c for the first price!
10 € for second and third place, each!
We are looking for the best video description of a project, related to our NGO workl
Requirements:
Produce a 3 to 5 minute video of your project;
It has to explain your project:
what do you try to achieve?
Who is participating?
How do you achieve it?
What help do you need?
Include the emblem of our NGO, Green-Ocean e.V. in your video
You can only submit one video per project and per participant;
Please give a short text as a description of your project and video
a
Please submit your video and your text via our website per email to the webmaster:
mailto: webmaster@helping-hands-goev.org
By submitting your video to this contest you automatically give up copy-rights and give permission to our
NGO to use your video in our publications, such as Website and Facebook etc.. Of course your name. as the
producer of the video, will be given.
All videos will be audited by a committee of 5 persons, picking the winner video. You will be notified by 1" of
August 2023 if you are among the winners. Prices will be payed out within August 23 by World Remit
transfer.
End of submission to the contest is the 1" of July 2023- meaning your video has to reach us latest by 1" of
July 2023
Any questions to this, please ask in a comment to this article
A matter of the heart, taking personal responsibility. Personal responsibility is a big, perhaps even hackneyed, word. But listen... In front of my house, there's a large, yellow excavator roaring and digging amidst a cloud of noise. Every few hours, it beeps; the excavator is reversing because some ingenious engineer decided that the noise level wasn't quite enough and a loud beeping sound had to be added. Who could possibly miss a reversing excavator? But we protect ourselves. The passing cars are getting bigger and bigger, precisely to protect themselves from the ever-growing cars of others. Mothers protect their children and drive them to school in these increasingly larger cars. There, they run out of the parking spaces and might be overlooked by the big cars—after all, the children haven't gotten any bigger... Cyclists and pedestrians are frightened by the ever-growing cars and are now starting a cheering contest with brightly colored jerseys. Helmets and riding on sidewalks. And now I'm back to my excavator... how are we supposed to distinguish between construction workers and pedestrians and cyclists dressed in high-visibility clothing? We're already in an arms race! We're becoming so cautious, so regulated, and in the process, we're losing all sense of personal responsibility! Keep calm, the others are thinking for us... Right now, our politicians are trying to convince us that the cause of the migration waves to Europe lies in the evil and malicious activities of human traffickers. Is that really the case? Let's think about it. Where are the traffickers? Probably at the European and German external borders. Where do the migrants come from? Are they being picked up from their homes, or are they fleeing inhumane conditions and hardship in their home countries? As human beings of this earth, we can, however, take responsibility and help to remedy the situation. Politics on a grand scale, and what about us? But with our projects, albeit on a small, manageable scale, we help people achieve self-sufficiency in their home countries. We take responsibility and address the root causes – after all, we're not politicians! Please visit our website www.helping-hands-goev.org and read about our work in Gambia, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and India. It's a start, but with agricultural projects, tailoring cooperatives, and craft businesses. Let's get to work and help each other!
Invitation to the virtual Annual General Meeting 2023
on May 27, 2023 at 7:00 PM
in the Messenger Forum Committee of the NGO Green-Ocean e. V."
We encourage your participation. The agenda for the meeting and the official invitation can be found on our website www.helping-hands-goev.org
Please submit any applications for the meeting in good time.
Best regards
The board of directors (New text)
Student aid
Riverside Orphanage in Kisii
The fire was a major blow, of course, and she had to move with her charges from her own house to rented accommodation. Due to the cramped conditions, the mite infestation spread very quickly to all the children.
Africa Festival Deggendorf
The Africa Festival has existed for 10 years and is the size of the Deggendorf folk festival.
It is currently being set up in 3 locations - Deggendorf, Dingolfing and Regen.
Please forward to friends, acquaintances, sponsors, etc. - anyone who wants to can try out the link...
You can also find more information on Facebook.
Riverside Orphanage in Kisii