We are Menschen für Menschen
Team
Menschen für Menschen is made up of independent national organisations with the legal status of foundations or associations. The Menschen für Menschen association in Austria was founded by Karlheinz Böhm in 1983, and has been collecting donations for its development projects in Ethiopia ever since.
Austria
Managing Board and the team
The managing board represents the association externally. They shall be responsible for the management of the association. They are bound to the association’s statute and general assembly decisions. The managing board and the staff team of Menschen für Menschen Austria are responsible for the implementation of the decisions. The Managing Board is obliged to ensure the association’s funds are only used for statutory purposes.
Martina Hollauf, Bakk. phil.
Our team is supported by numerous volunteers.
Supervisory Board
The board is made up of members acting on a voluntary basis. They are supervising the activities of the managing board and ensure activities of the managing board are corresponding to statute and general assembly decisions. The supervisory board elects the managing board for a term of three years.
Michael Kerbler
Chairman of the Supervisory Board
Mag. Romy Seidl
Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board
Mag. Markus Beuchert
Supervisory Board member
Mag. Brigitte Handlos
Supervisory Board member
Renate Horak
Supervisory Board member
General Assembly
The annual general assembly is the highest decision-making body. Members of the association, who work on a strictly voluntary basis, decide on all matters not transferred to the board. The general assembly elects the association’s supervisory board for a term of three years.
Supporting Roles
In the public sphere we rely on the strong-voiced and active support of our ambassadors and trustees, like our Ambassador Haile Gebrselassie, our Partner Sara Nuru, our Ambassadress Tirunesh Dibaba and our Trustee Peter Krasser.
Ethiopia
The project coordination office and logistics centre in Addis Ababa
From here all project areas of Menschen für Menschen are managed and controlled. This is the workstation of 43 employees as well as the logistic reloading point for all materials needed in the project regions. The office and logistics centre is vital to our work in Ethiopia. The employees are in constant contact with the organisations in Austria and Germany. For this reason the office in Addis Ababa is the link between donations in Europe and the approved purpose of these funds at the individual families in our project areas.
Yilma Taye
Country Representative
Mulugeta Kifle
Director Administration & Finance
Bahritu Seyoum
Director of Project Operations
Hayat Mohammed
Head of Health Department
Berhanu Negussie
Country Representative from 2002 to 2021
Management of the Austrian projects Abune Ginde Beret, Ginde Beret, Jeldu and Chobi
Our employees make genuine development at eye level possible – no anonymous handouts. They meet each of the people they help personally. In the Austrian project areas Abune Ginde Beret, Ginde Beret, Jeldu, Chobi*, and Albuko work a total of 33 employees of Menschen für Menschen. Our development agents work and live in the villages of the region. As a consequence, they know exactly what challenges the population faces, and provide advice and assistance during the implementation phase.
* In the project regions of Chobi, Jeldu, Abune Ginde Beret and Ginde Beret, the security situation is tense due to the activities of insurgent groups. In order to protect our employees, we have restricted or paused our work in these regions and some of our employees are being deployed in other project regions. As soon as the situation allows, we will continue our activities as normal. (Status 3/2023)
* In the project regions of Chobi, Jeldu, Abune Ginde Beret and Ginde Beret, the security situation is tense due to the activities of insurgent groups. In order to protect our employees, we have restricted or paused our work in these regions and some of our employees are being deployed in other project regions. As soon as the situation allows, we will continue our activities as normal. (Status 3/2023)
Berhanu Bedassa
Project Manager Abune Ginde Beret and Ginde Beret
Wondyered Terefe
Project Administrator
Eskatsinaf Fisaha
Cashier
Tegegn Fantew
Health Department Head
Tadesse Gemechu
Crop Section Head
Girma Degaga
Soil and Water Conservation Expert
And our 443 employees in Ethiopia, who support us tediously.
In Ethiopia Menschen für Menschen employs a total of 443 people, 0 of whom do not come from Ethiopia. On the one hand, it is, and always has been, our goal to support the people of Ethiopia and provide skills that help them further development. On the other hand, a European – no matter how well informed – will never understand the Ethiopian people the way an Ethiopian does. Our focus is direct work with the people, which is why it is important that mutual trust and understanding prevail. The majority of our Ethiopian colleagues work in the project regions, and implement our measures directly with the population.
Jobs at Menschen für Menschen – Meaningful Employment
For our small Viennese team we are always looking for qualified and motivated employees that can identify with the humanitarian goals of Menschen für Menschen, and want to get involved in helping one of the poorest nations on earth.