I am Dr. Gerlind Anders, a general practitioner with a degree in tropical medicine from Marburg, Germany. During a medical mission in Uganda in 2019, I met Samuel Ssabagereka, a medical laboratory technician at the Kiboga District Hospital. I was impressed by his German language skills and his support for young orphans who would have had little chance of education without him. Since Samuel's help was limited by his low salary, I suggested covering Zaburon's (then 16-year-old) school fees. My "inner anger" drove me on: how could such a gifted student not have a chance at education? One sponsorship soon turned into several, especially during the coronavirus emergency. Thanks to the support of Pro Interplast Seligenstadt, it developed into an entire school with boarding facilities. As a member of the association, I was asked in 2021 if I had a project, as donations had been received but no medical teams could be deployed. No one could have imagined the scale this project would take.

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A little about my background: My great-grandfather, Samuel Walter, was a teacher in the German colonies of Cameroon and Togo at the end of the 19th century. Even as a child, I was interested in old photo albums from Africa. Following a medical mission in Cameroon in 2012, I had the opportunity to visit the school where my great-grandfather had taught. An audience with the king (Deido) of the local tribe (Bonabela) was a memorable experience. He was grateful for the very valuable influence of the Germans, for example in the field of education. As a great-granddaughter, I took this in quite consciously, but had no idea that one day I would meet a Samuel and play a key role in the establishment of a school in Africa.