Aktionsgruppe "Kinder in Not" e.V. celebrated its 40th anniversary on 12th September 2023.

Actually, everything began with a coincidence. In 1982, Gisela Wirtgen, an entrepreneur from Windhagen, received a letter that would change her life. A Filipino Father had randomly selected German and French companies in a trade journal and asked in a letter, among others, Wirtgen GmbH for help. The roof of his school, St. Peter Academy in Alegria, had partially burnt down. His community in the remote southwest of the island of Cebu was desperately poor and lacked the financial means to repair the building. In order to be able to maintain the educational offer for the 260 pupils of the high school, Father Cana was in urgent need of help. Gisela Wirtgen made a donation and thought that was the end of the matter for her.

However, it soon turned out that the burnt roof was not Father Cana's only concern. The building looked more like a barn than a school - bare concrete floor and rough brickwork all around. The flames had not only destroyed the roof truss, but also the inventory and the school books. Besides this, financing the salaries for the Father was a balancing act. Time and time again, the eight teachers had to wait for their salariessta. There was no state support for the high school.

Reinhard Wirtgen recommended that his wife take a look at the situation on site. Finally, in March 1983 Gisela Wirtgen and her son Jürgen travelled to the island of Cebu. The poverty of the families living there left a lasting impression on both of them. Back in Germany, Gisela Wirtgen thought about how she could help the school in the long term. Her own long-standing commitment as a godmother for a large German aid organisation gave her the idea to look for permanent supporters for the Philippine school in this way. Together with 6 fellow campaigners, Gisela Wirtgen finally founded the Aktionsgruppe "Kinder in Not" on 12 September 1983. In the same year, it was recognized as a non-profit organisation and entered in the register of associations.

Even after 40 years, the Aktionsgruppe is still committed for the rights of disadvantaged girls and boys. Currently, the association supports about 50 aid projects in the Philippines, India and Brazil. "Kinder in Not" would like to take this anniversary as an opportunity to thank all donors who have made this work possible from the bottom of their hearts!