Project Team
29.6.2009
Click here to find an overview of the staff working on the realisation of the exchange programme "Go Africa... Go Germany..." in the Federal Agency for Civic Education.
Thomas Krüger
Foto: bpb/Lars Welding (Germany) - President of the Federal Agency for Civic Education/ bpb, born in Buttstädt in 1959,
initially trained as a skilled plastics and elastomer processor
from 1976 to 1979, before beginning a Theology degree
and, subsequently, working as a vicar. In 1989, he
embarked on his political career as one of the founding
members of the Social Democrats in the former German
Democratic Republic (SDP) and was the party's Chairman
in (East) Berlin and a member of the
"Volkskammer" (People's Chamber) in the German Democratic
Republic until 1990. From 1990 to 1991, he was first
deputy to the Mayor of East Berlin as well as city councillor
responsible for internal affairs at Berlin Municipal Council
and in the Joint State Government. Between 1994 and
1998, he was a Member of the German Bundestag and then took two years' parental
leave. Since July 2000, he has been President of the Federal Agency for Civic
Education/bpb. Thomas Krüger has been, and is, also actively involved in the cultural
and social sphere. Since 1995, he has been President of the child support
organisation Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk e.V., since 2003, a Member of the Kommission
für Jugendmedienschutz (KJM) (Commission for Youth Media Protection) and
since April 2005, a member of the jury of the Hauptstadtkulturfonds (Capital Cultural
Fund) in Berlin.
Dr Katja Böhler (Germany) - Project Manager, born in Eisenach in 1971, a
lawyer by training, studied in Berlin and Cape Town and
completed part of her mandatory legal training in Harare,
Zimbabwe. She is co-founder of the organisation Lawyers
for Development and Association. Dr Böhler was
coordinator for the priority area "Fokus Afrika: Africome
2004-2006" of the Federal Agency for Civic Education/
bpb. She is currently serving in the Ministry of Science,
Research and Culture of the State of Brandenburg.
Holger Ehmke (Germany) - Head of Department, born in Lübeck in 1953, Germany.
In 1973, he began his study of Biology, German
language, Social Science and Education at the universities
of Aachen and Cologne. He subsequently studied
Art and African Science in Cologne. From 1979 to 1981,
he was a member of the academic staff at
the Institute for Eastern European Studies and Education
in Cologne. Between 1981 and 1983, he was the
editor of a scientific journal "Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte".
From 1983 to 2000, he was head of the
planning staff of the Federal Agency for Civic Education/
bpb and from 2001 to 2006, head of the Cultural Department
of the bpb and different project groups of the bpb.
Since 2007, he has been head of the department for civic education dealing with
young people who have a low affinity towards politics.
Wiebke Kohl (Germany) - Project Staff, born in Bonn in 1981, studied Political
Science, Public Law and History at the universities of Bonn and
Catania/Italy. Since 2006, she has been working for the Federal
Agency for Civic Education/bpb. In 2007, she accompanied the "Go
Africa... Go Germany" scholarship holders to Namibia. In 2008, she
was involved in the programme development for the Tanzanian
section of "Go Africa...Go Germany".
Sabine Wicher (Germany) - born in Karl-Marx-Stadt in 1979, studied Political Science, Romance Languages and Intercultural Communication at the universities of Chemnitz and Granada/Spain. She has worked for different NGO's, foundations and enterprises in and outside Germany and is currently working as a research assistant to a Member of the German Bundestag. In 2007, 2009/10 and 2010/11, she was involved in the programme development for, and in charge of the realization of the German section of "Go Africa...Go Germany".
Patricia Otuka-Karner (Austria) – Project Staff 2008/09, born in 1980, studied
theatre studies at the university of Vienna. After
completing her Masters of Philosophy she moved
to Uganda where she is currently working on a film
production while pursuing her PhD researching the
culture of the Karimojong.
Allan Mugisha (Uganda) – Project Staff 2008/09, born in 1977, studied business
administration, majoring in marketing, at Makerere
University Business School and graduated in 2004. He
chairs some of Ugandas Youth Programmes such as:
Mbarara Youth Programme. He is also an HIV/AIDS
campaign strategist for the western part of Uganda.
He is currently working as a managing partner in a
marketing, event management and communication firm
called MEC-Uganda.
Melanie Ewert (Germany) - Project Assistance 2008/09 and 2009/10, born in Berlin in 1983, has been
studying North American Studies, Political Science and Geography
at the University of Bonn since 2004, after completing an
exchange year in Toronto, Canada. She spent two semesters at
Sciences Po in Grenoble, France, and completed an internship
at the Goethe Institute in Boston, USA.
Nicola Schröder(Germany) – Project Assistance 2008/09, born in 1979, studied
philosophy, english literature and economics at the
universities of Freiburg/Breisgau and Bonn. She
worked for the Federal Agency for Civic Education
between 2005 and 2008. She was in charge of the
realization ot the German part of "Go Africa...
Go Germany 2008/2009" at the latest.
Rhaban Schulze Horn (Germany) - Administrative Staff, born in Bonn in 1965, completed
an apprenticeship as a goldsmith in 1991 before he
started working for the federal administration as a graduate in
office management (Diplom-Verwaltungswirt). He has worked at
the Federal Agency for Civic Education/bpb since 2001. He has
meanwhile completed a Master's in European Administration
Management and is employed as a civil servant in the higher
intermediate service at the Division "Target Groups with no Affinity
for and Knowledge of Politics".
Janette Vetter (Germany) - Administrative Staff, born in Räckelwitz in 1981, completed
her training as a middle-grade civil servant in 2001.
Since then, she has been working for the Federal Agency for
Civic Education/bpb, first in the departments for cultural media
and events and, since 2007, in the department for hard to reach
learners.
Nadine Krüger (Germany) - Administrative Staff 2008/09 and 2009/10, born in Frechen in 1982, completed
her training as a middle-grade civil servant in 2007.
For a year she worked for the Department for Rural Development
and Real Estate Regulations at Cologne Regional Authority. Since
2008, she has been working for the department in charge of the
education of young people with a low affinity towards politics at the
Federal Agency for Civic Education/bpb.
Miriam Shabafrouz (Germany) - Responsibility for the Common Paper 2008/09 and 2009/10, born in Heidelberg in 1980, a
former scholarship holder and social scientist working for the
German Institute of Global and Area Studies in Hamburg, will
oversee the scholarship holders during the programme and –
using her experience as one of last year´s students – will organise
the teamwork. This common paper will be a visible output of
the exchange programme and one of the elements contributing
to the development of an African-German network of scholars,
academics and young professionals.
Dr. Klaus Schott (Germany) - Attending Physician, born in Neuwied/Rhein in 1961,
studied human medicine at the University of Cologne. Between
1990 and 2003 he passed a train for internal medicine with specialisation
in gastroenterology in several hospitals in cologne.
Since then he has an own physician's office for especially internal
medicin in Cologne-Rodenkirchen.
