Grundsätze
Unsere ethisch-moralischen Grundsätze
Seit unserer Gründung 1999 haben wir viel von unseren kenianischen Partnern und Mitarbeitern gelernt. Unser Ziel ist es, unsere Projekte so umzusetzen, dass die Kenianer langfristig davon profitieren und die Projekte schließlich selbstständig leiten und übernehmen können.
Fünf Grundsätze sind für die nachhaltige Umsetzung unserer Projekte besonders wichtig:
1. Cooperation on equal terms
Cooperation on equal terms in Germany and Kenya is particularly important to us. This includes honesty and transparency. We greatly value the opinions and perspectives of our Kenyan colleagues, because they are on the ground and can best assess how we can implement our projects in a sustainable manner. In cooperation on equal terms, there is also always room for respectful criticism and discussion in order to arrive at joint solutions and truly improve in the long term.
2. Trust
Cooperation on equal terms creates trust—we do not want hierarchies, but rather to discuss our ideas together on an equal footing. Trust and cooperation on equal terms are mutually dependent.
3. Empathy
A basic prerequisite for trust is empathy. Only when we are empathetic towards our fellow human beings can we work together productively and harmoniously. We always try to understand and accept what is going on with our employees and colleagues in order to be a really good team. Empathy is particularly crucial in an international working environment.
4. Respect
Without a high degree of respect, we cannot work productively with each other, especially across different cultures. Respectful interaction is therefore a basic requirement for working at DfA, especially for employees and volunteers who are interested in working in Kenya.
5. Intercultural competence This principle summarises the above values and goes beyond them. Respect, empathy, trust and cooperation on an equal footing are prerequisites for understanding each other across different cultures.
Different cultures have different approaches, customs, values, and perspectives. We want to approach our projects with an open mind and humility, and be receptive to "different" approaches. Treating each other condescendingly is an absolute no-go, especially in development cooperation.
We particularly require those who travel to Kenya to work in our dental clinics or social projects to uphold these values. We do not want to lecture anyone in our work in Kenya: we are much more interested in learning from each other in an unbiased and equal manner. At
DfA, we take a critical look at development cooperation in general in order to continuously improve ourselves and our work. Our motto: There is always room for improvement. And in doing so, we look first and foremost at ourselves.