7 days, 7 organizations, 7 donations! From November 23, 2020 to November 29, 2020, it was Happiness Week. Every day we supported a different charitable organization with various campaigns. And now that we've been able to celebrate this lucky success and hand over the donations to the organizations, we would like to say a huge thank you once again from the entire team! Without you, such a huge impact would not have been possible. You can find out exactly how the week went in our Lucky Week Review once again.

Honesty is one of the three pillars of junglück. With this in mind, today I would like to give you an insight into the work of the organizations so that you can understand transparent what happens to the donations.

The organizations at a glance

Tiertafel München e. V.
437 weekly rations of food

Tiertafel München e. V. is financed purely by donations and has been helping pet owners in need with food donations for many years. Thanks to Tiertafel München, people whose life situation has changed due to illness, retirement or unemployment do not have to part with their beloved pets. The association now supports more than 650 predominantly old and sick people, whose pets are often their last social contact. Tiertafel München was awarded the Bavarian Animal Welfare Prize in 2015 for this extraordinary work. We are delighted to be able to help this Munich-based charity in its mission by donating 1100 kg of food on the first day of Happiness Week!

Copyright Tiertafel München e. V.

Doctors Against Animal Experiments e. V.

1,150 euro donation against animal testing

Some of you may be puzzled at first, as we should think that Germany is a country free of animal testing. However, the work of Ärzte gegen Tierversuche e. V. shows us the opposite. There are still animal testing laboratories and outdated research methods. Of course, medical progress is important, but animal testing is the wrong way to go! Billions in research funds should be invested in ethically justifiable medicine with modern, innovative and animal-free test methods. Research involving animal experiments is simply nonsensical - there are alternatives: research into the causes and prevention of diseases is possible with human cell cultures and organ chips, for example. For us, there is no alternative to animal-free medicine. We will never test products on animals! And we believe this should be the norm.

Ärzte gegen Tierversuche e. V. (Doctors Against Animal Experiments) is committed to doing just that with scientifically sound publications, lectures and educational work. The association takes to the streets across Germany on behalf of animals to put pressure on the animal testing industry. On World Animal Day on October 4, 2020, for example, 15 animal welfare and animal rights associations protested in front of the German Bundestag and demanded an exit concept. They use political work to exert influence at federal and EU level and launch major high-profile campaigns, including petitions.

Copyright Ärzte gegen Tierversuche e. V.

LichtBlick Seniorenhilfe e. V. 

50 sponsorships for pensioners in need

Old-age poverty is a problem in our society that is not given much attention - so it's no wonder that most people are not aware of it. Without additional financial support, many older people would often not know what to do, as Seniorenhilfe LichtBlick revealed to us. The association takes on sponsorships for senior citizens so that they can afford small pleasures and simply be human again. You only have to read the personal life stories of the senior citizens to understand how much heart and soul goes into this project. It is a sad thread that runs through people's biographies: They have worked hard, but in old age they still have to turn over every penny twice to make ends meet and their pension is not even enough for the bare essentials. I can only recommend that you read these life stories, which unfortunately represent many people of this generation.

The LichtBlick association goes far beyond helping. In some cases, new family members are almost found through the sponsorships. LichtBlick employee Jelica Komljenovic and senior citizen Edith B. (90), for example, have known each other for 10 years. Or Wilhelm J., for whom the sponsorship gives him back some financial freedom: "Sometimes a new sweater when the old one has had its day, but mainly food" is what he can afford. 

Copyright LichtBlick e. V.

Mary's Meals

1 year of school meals for 100 children

"Mary's Meals makes the children smart, because once they have eaten, they can think." - Eliza, volunteer cook, Malawi. Mary's Meals is solid determined to keep its promise of a healthy meal a day for every child in its school feeding program and to reach even more children around the world. Children are encouraged to attend school to one day lift themselves out of poverty. Mary's Meals already feeds 1,667,067 children every school day in 19 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe and the Caribbean. And the concept works! In the places where Mary's Meals are distributed, school enrolment rates, attendance and academic performance are rising. Cathrine from Malawi says: "I can't concentrate in class if my stomach is empty. The phala [porridge] fills me up. I love it!"

Such success is not least due to the fact that at least 93% of all donations are used directly for the charity projects. Where possible, the school meals are sourced from small farmers in the region in order to support the local economy.
Even in the difficult current situation that has prevailed since the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus, the Mary's Meals team has made every effort to reach children at home. Working with governments, community leaders and their trusted partners, they have developed new distribution methods to provide children with food that is still sourced locally. But not only that, they also distribute soaps, hygiene information and Tone about the importance of hygiene rules. 

 

Copyright Mary's Meals

Plastic Free Planet

11,565 tons of plastic are removed from the sea

Remove plastic, avoid plastic, recycle plastic, fight poverty! These are the four pillars of the work of the Philippine organization Plastic Free Planet. They collect marine plastic waste by hand from beaches, estuaries or by boat directly from the sea. The plastic is then sorted, cleaned and processed, 90 percent of it into granulate, which is sold on to companies that use it to make reusable products. The organization is currently working on giving the remaining 10 percent to a company that could produce river fuel from it in the future. This would make it possible to recycle 100 percent of the plastic.
By paying above-average wages, they enable their employees to achieve a higher standard of living and combat poverty. To prevent further littering, dedicated teachers teach the children a sustainable way of life.
Mirasol, a single mother who has been confronted with marine littering since she was a child surrounded by the ocean, took on the task of setting up the project on site in the Philippines. "As a team leader, it's not always easy to get everything under one roof. When I look back at our beginnings, I never thought we would make it this far. It's a good feeling to look at the smiling faces of the people we've helped since we started. I wish only the best for future projects so that we can help even more of these people. All the hard work and stress has been worth it when you see that these people have been able to change their lives for the better." Mirasol Cereño, Team Leader, Philippines.

So far (as of October 2020), the association has been able to fish 576,348 kilos of plastic waste out of the ocean with the help of companies and private individuals and send it to trustworthy recycling companies. 

Copyright Plastic Free Planet

Eden Reforestation Projects

75,283 trees are planted

With every product sold, we support Eden Reforestation Projects and plant a tree. But why trees? Healthy forest systems provide a habitat for animals, Cleanse water sources, control flooding and erosion, supply the soil with nutrients and regulate our climate.
Eden Reforestation Projects therefore plants trees in countries that are so badly affected by deforestation that the communities lack food, shelter, clean water and education for their children. So it's about much more than just planting trees, because Eden Projects creates job opportunities in local communities. They teach the affected communities how to plant trees and harvest their crops. In this way, the inhabitants can be helped in the long term and their environment restored.
Deforestation has long been a problem, but especially in Madagascar. The mangrove forests there are one of the top priorities for biodiversity conservation. The deforestation of Madagascar's mangroves is destabilizing the coastline, making coastal communities increasingly vulnerable to storms and weather events.
In addition, Eden Projects conducts long-term monitoring of the progress and growth of the planted trees to ensure that the forests are growing successfully. This helps to ensure the safety of the young forests and secure a healthy future for the people.

The Madagascar reforestation project was initiated in 2007 in response to the large-scale loss of mangrove and montane forests. Since then, large areas of mangrove and dry deciduous forests along the coast and inland have been reforested. The organization's success to date can be seen in black and white in the 2019 Annual Report: 47 planting sites, 57,837,472 trees planted and 1,363 employees. 

Copyright Eden Reforestation Projets

People for people

2,295 euros in donations for well construction in Africa

The Menschen für Menschen Foundation has been providing sustainable development cooperation in Ethiopia for almost 40 years. In currently ten project regions, around 640 solid employees, almost exclusively Ethiopian, work together with the local population to implement integrated rural development projects. The NGO interlinks around 380 measures in the areas of agriculture, water, education, health and income and empowers people to improve their living conditions through their own efforts.

Can you imagine life without drinking water from the tap? It's hard for me too, but it's part of everyday life for many people. In Ethiopia, for example, only every second person has access to clean water. This is exactly where this organization is helping to provide access to clean water by building wells together with the local population. The reason is simple: clean water changes everything. In this video, little Birhane in Dano shows what the well in her village has changed for her.

With the generous donation from Happiness Week, the foundation can implement almost an entire hand-pumped well project and thus ensure access to clean water for many families. People - mostly girls or young women - often have to walk for miles to the nearest river or unpaved waterhole to fetch water, which is usually dirty and full of pathogens. The construction of hand-pumped wells and the building of spring catchments, including washing stations, improves the living conditions of an entire community. In addition to the shorter distances for the girls and women, fetching water becomes safer and easier. The goal is to ensure 25 liters per capita per day with the wells. "Since we have clean water, I can work better because I no longer suffer from stomach problems. And above all, my daughter is sick much less often." (Itataku Wale from the village of Fati in the Borena project area)

When people build a hand-pumped well for people, the whole community helps. In addition, a water committee is set up, which is trained by employees of the foundation to maintain the well and repair it if necessary.

Copyright People for People (Rainer Kwiotek)

These were the organizations with which we were all able to achieve so much together during our Happiness Week. We are incredibly grateful to have been able to share some of our happiness and will continue to do so in the future! Because we feel it is our duty, especially as a sustainable company, to take responsibility and inform you honestly about how we do this. 

And if you now have the feeling that you want to learn more about the organizations, or would like to support them further, then take a look at their websites!

Yours Marie