Health

Pharma-Kampagne is part of the German Federal Congress of Development Action Groups (BUKO). The aim of BUKO is to expose structural injustice between North and South and to press for changes towards a fair economic and political world order. BUKO has about 200 member groups. Since Germany is one of the world's largest exporters of drugs, BUKO became interested in the economical and health implications of the trade with pharmaceuticals and medicinal products. Thus in 1980 Pharma-Kampagne was founded.

Activities of Pharma Kampagne: Pharma-Kampagne is an independent non-profit NGO and dependant on donations. We monitor the marketing practices of the German pharmaceutical industry in Third World Countries. We try to stop unethical practices such as the sale of dangerous, useless and irrational drugs, the distribution of misleading information and unethical promotion. We also work on the rational use of drugs and problems of the health system in Germany.

Pharma-Kampagne is a public awareness raising campaign group. We organise action weeks and street theatre tours, do continuous press work, lobby politicians and pressure industry for a change in marketing behaviour in Developing Countries.

Our campaigns against the marketing practices of Boehringer Ingelheim, Hoechst, Schering, and E. Merck resulted in the withdrawal of a number of hazardous drugs. We successfully lobbied for a German export control law for pharmaceuticals. Pharma-Kampagne is a member of Health Action International (HAI), the Women's Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR) and the International Society of Drug Bulletins (ISDB).

The association "Schulwälder für Westafrika e. V." (School Forests for West Africa) - together with the "Youth and Environment Club" in Ghana - works for the preservation of the rainforest and for a climate-friendly and healthy environment. In order to inspire pupils in Germany and Ghana for nature and its protection, the association arranges partner schools between the two countries. In this way, pupils and teachers from Germany and Ghana can work together for the forest/rainforest. Practical action promotes sustainability education and a sense of responsibility for people in other countries. In addition, pupils learn to dedicate themselves to a project in the long term. While pupils in Ghana plant and maintain trees for shady places in their schoolyards with the motto "solar lamps/ football as an incentive for tree planting", pupils in Germany start tree planting in different places. In connection with global learning, the pupils can exchange information about the living conditions in the respective other country, e.g. these topics: Climate protection (tree planting/forestation of the forest or rainforest/tree nursery), biodiversity (animals and plants), energy (solar lamps with the possibility of charging the mobile phone), health and poverty (solar lamps instead of paraffin lamps), education (computer centre in Nyakrom, environmental education materials for primary schools), climate (including seasons), consumption of resources (trees as firewood), conservation of resources (chains made of recycled paper), consumption (clothing, food and housing), children's rights.

Protestant Academy of Berlin

We support teachers in Switzerland at all levels in their daily work by giving them impulses for their lessons which are directed towards a viable development in a global society. We sell and lend over 800 tried and tested teaching aids in German, French and Italian language. We provide teacher training. We inform and advise with relation to Global Education. We are part of a network of national and international organisations having similar aims.

The North German mission, with its head office in Bremen, was founded in 1836 by Lutherans and Reformed Christians. Since 1847, it has been involved in development projects in West Africa. Now the NM works on behalf of its associated churches: the Bremische Evangelische Kirche, the Evangelisch-Lutherischen Kirche in Oldenburg, the Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche, the Lippische Landeskirche and (since 2001 as an equal partner) the Eglise Evangélique Presbytérienne du Togo and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana. The NM helps people in Togo and its neighboring country, Ghana, West Africa, to improve their standard of living. The Protestant churches in Ghana and Togo are the NM's partners on site. Their church services strengthen the people's faith and lead to the foundation of new parishes. The NM also supports social projects that promote humanitarian development,. Within these projects the NM fulfills diverse tasks, such as supporting schools, hospitals, and health care centers, programs for women, projects for youth welfare and agriculture, training in crafts and skills. Furthermore, the NM promotes self-help groups that organize their own courses against illiteracy for women, reforestation projects, and the training of unemployed youths In addition, the NM helps to establish contacts between people of different cultures by organizing workshops, partnerships among parishes, and conferences (for example to establish a dialog between Christians and Muslims).

The NM is financed by Church subsidies and other means; every donation goes entirely to Ghana and Togo. Without these donations, projects of the associated churches could not be carried out and many people would remain without aid.