What we stand for

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, December 10, 1948

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We are dedicated to promoting social, economic, cultural and political human rights.

We support projects in Africa that aim to promote political information, increase self-determination and encourage participation in political decisions. For this reason, we focus on funding grassroots, women′s and self-help groups that work towards these goals in their countries.

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Create new structures, adapted to the needs of a truly African form of development, and change the methods that have been forced upon us.
Patrice Lumumba (first Prime Minister of independent Congo, murdered in 1961)

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We consider the exchange of information among these groups, and networking at the regional, national and international levels to be important components of this work.

The dritte Welt – Hier! working group is responsible for grants to initiatives seeking to carry out projects in Germany that deal with Africa (for example, publications, exhibitions, public relations).

We support projects that are predominantly "economically oriented," for example income-generating measures, only if groups use them to develop and implement alternative forms of living and working as examples to others.

We want our programs to avoid creating long-term dependencies or compensating for shortcomings in urban and rural infrastructure. Instead, we support groups that demand the rights they have been denied, including benefits and services.

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The best way of limiting the usurpation of power by individuals, military or otherwise, is to put the people in charge.
Thomas Sankara (President of Burkina Faso from 1983 until his assassination in 1987)