Ida and Franz Welmann Education Fund - providing hope to future generations
Who were Ida and Franz Welmann?
Ida and Franz were a German couple who lived in a small German town of Marl near Essen.
They grew up in a rural community and had to enter working life early on. Especially Ida was never given the opportunity to gain more than a primary education but instead had to help in the family business from a very young age. Despite having left school early themselves, Ida and Franz always pointed out the importance of education to their family.
One of GMA’s Trustees is the grand-daughter of Ida and Franz Welmann. On the occassion of her wedding, she and her husband decided to donate to GMA to establish an education fund in memory of Ida and Franz with a hope to support children in the most deprived communities in the world. The first collaboration is underway with a school in Pakistan and a future partnership in Kenya will be established when sufficient funds are secured.
The Brick Kiln Labourers of Pakistan – a community without hope for the future
2.1 million people Pakistan are tied into bonded labour of some kind and effectively live in modern-day slavery. Brick kilns are among the most notorious sites of this human rights violation with labourers working more than 15 hours a day, 7 days a week with no regular wages. The lack of wages puts them into an ongoing precarious situation where any unexpected expense (e.g. medical costs) puts an impossible strain on their family finances. Brick kiln owners exploit this situation by offering loans to their labourers at
extortionate interest rates. Most families are tied into debt that is passed on from generation to generation. Children are born into poverty and in a country without free education the family debts usually mean that going to school remains a distant dream.
The Ida and Franz Welmann Education Fund will address this issue by offering education to children of brick kiln labourers.
How can you help?
GMA’s Ida and Franz Welmann Education Fund will provide tuition fees, uniforms and stationary supplies. The initial funding donated by our trustee is supporting 10 children for the 2021/22 school year. The broadening of the reach of the fund to include a school in the slums of Kibera in Kenya and the continuation of the current scholarsips will depend on the generosity of GMA's supporters.
For every 60£ we raise, another year of support for a child is secured. To support as many children as possible, GMA has launched their 2021 winter appeal under the theme of "The Gift of Education".
Every donation, small or large, will make a huge difference to the success of this project.
To donate online today via Paypal or by card, please use the donate button or click here: DONATE online
To donate by bank transfer or cheque, find all necessary information here: Offline Donations
To find out more about this project email info@globalminorities.co.uk
