The people behind the foundation
Our team
Dr. med. Paul Okot Opiro
Founder of the Naume Children's Foundation, doctor
I was displaced from my home country of Uganda during the civil war. I spent my school years in Uganda. Unfortunately, all the schools were destroyed in the civil war. I was very lucky to be able to do my Abitur here in Germany and study medicine.
My heart's desire now is to enable the children in northern Uganda to attend a good school again so that they can graduate. Only then will they have the opportunity to learn a trade or go to university.
I invest all the time I have left over from my job as a doctor in this project. Instead of going on vacation with my family, I'm on the construction site in Uganda. My family is behind me, so I have to put up with a lot of hardship.
Dr. med. Heike Göttlicher
Board member of the Naume Children's Foundation, doctor
I was very moved by my husband's past. Children who have experienced war are traumatized and will never be able to forget what happened. The north of Uganda is very poor and there is little hope of a better life. The children live in this vicious circle. Only through good education do they have the opportunity to escape this misery. We can only help locally because this country is their home, so we started to found the “School for Life”.
Our children have also seen how the children in Uganda live and how they radiate so much joy and hope despite all the misery. They carry the sun in their hearts - there is so much potential in these children, which is why we started this project.
Dr. rer. nat. Jörg Göttlicher
Board member of the Naume Children's Foundation
I am a geoscientist by profession and am a volunteer member of the Naume Children's Foundation. I was involved in the project right from the start through my brother-in-law, and since then I have supported the foundation in many ways in setting up the school and the vocational training facilities in northern Uganda. I not only help with the preparation of documents for the authorities, but also travel to Uganda twice a year with Paul and other helpers to actively assist on site, for example with measuring the positions of the buildings.
Wolfgang Schmitz-Heinen
Board member of the Naume Children's Foundation
In 1913, Clara von Krüger had an orphanage built in our home town of Wermelskirchen - the Spatzenhof. I was very impressed by what Clara von Krüger created with her energy and commitment. That's why she was our role model when we set up the Spatzenhof Foundation in 2009. After we got to know the Naume Children's Foundation, we were immediately enthusiastic and it was clear to us that we wanted to promote and support this project for orphans in northern Uganda together with our friends Paul and Heike.
Elke Schmitz-Heinen
Board member of the Naume Children's Foundation
I was able to grow up in a safe and secure environment and had the opportunity to receive a diverse education. Over time, I became more aware of how unequally opportunities are distributed in this world. Therefore, I now feel it is my duty to use our opportunities to support people who grow up in less fortunate circumstances. I am happy to be able to live up to this responsibility as part of the foundation's work and contribute to advancing this special project step by step.
