People for People Foundation – Karlheinz Böhm’s Ethiopia Aid

People for People Foundation – Karlheinz Böhm’s Ethiopia Aid (German: Stiftung Menschen für Menschen – Karlheinz Böhm Äthiopienhilfe) is a German non-profit foundation dedicated to development cooperation in Ethiopia. It was founded by the Austrian-German actor Karlheinz Böhm (1928–2014), who turned to humanitarian work after a widely noted 1981 television appeal, and it has operated under the guiding idea that people in Ethiopia should be enabled to build self-determined lives through their own efforts. The organisation is headquartered in Munich and works both in Germany, where it raises funds and conducts public education, and in Ethiopia, where it implements its programmes. The foundation describes its vision as a just society in which sustainable living and equal opportunity allow every person to shape their own life. Its work follows an integrated approach organised around five focus areas: sustainable agriculture and food security, water and hygiene, education, health, and social development and income. Rather than short-term relief alone, the organisation emphasises long-term rural development — improving farming and livestock methods, combating erosion, reforestation, building terraces for stable soils, promoting model farmers, producing compost and fuel-saving cement stoves, and supporting market-oriented crops such as vegetables and coffee. It reports activities across thirteen project areas in Ethiopia and publishes success stories and annual reports to document its impact. In Germany the foundation runs fundraising campaigns, a magazine (NAGAYA), a media library, school lectures and an Ethiopia blog, and it maintains transparency and compliance structures including external audits, internal controls, a code of conduct, anti-corruption guidelines, procurement rules, travel-expense rules, an investment policy and a complaints procedure. It also engages in public events and cultural partnerships, such as opening a café in Munich and appearing at the ELBJAZZ festival in Hamburg. The organisation is a private, non-profit foundation rather than a listed company, and it continues to operate as an active charitable brand under the name Menschen für Menschen.

The organisation traces its origins to the actor Karlheinz Böhm (1928–2014), who became the driving force behind what is now Stiftung Menschen für Menschen – Karlheinz Böhm Äthiopienhilfe. Following his public appeal, the foundation was established in 1981 and began working with people in Ethiopia. Böhm remained the organisation's founder and guiding figure until his death in 2014; the foundation's own materials describe its work as continuing in his footsteps for more than 40 years. From the outset the foundation pursued an integrated approach rather than isolated charity. Its programmes in Ethiopia have combined food security through improved cultivation and livestock methods, erosion control, reforestation and resource protection with water and hygiene, education, health, and social development and income generation. Over the decades this approach expanded to thirteen project areas, and the foundation developed flagship activities such as promoting model farmers, building terraces for stable soils, producing compost and fuel-saving cement stoves, and supporting marketable crops including vegetables and coffee. In Germany the foundation built a fundraising and public-education operation. It publishes the NAGAYA magazine, maintains a media library and downloads, gives school lectures, runs an Ethiopia blog, and engages in campaigns such as Classrooms 4 Life under the HIGH FIVE 4 LIFE umbrella. It also appears at public events and cultural partnerships, including opening a café in Munich and participating in the ELBJAZZ festival in Hamburg. To safeguard donated funds, it established transparency and compliance structures: binding principles and rules, a code of conduct, anti-corruption and complaints procedures, procurement rules, travel-expense rules, an investment policy, and external and internal audits, alongside annual reports. The foundation remains an active non-profit brand headquartered in Munich, working in Germany and Ethiopia.

• 2026

  Foundation reports activities across thirteen project areas in Ethiopia and publishes Annual Report 2025.

• 2014

  Founder Karlheinz Böhm dies; the foundation continues his work.

• 1981

  Foundation established following Karlheinz Böhm's public appeal; work with people in Ethiopia begins.

A German non-profit foundation running long-term, integrated rural development and humanitarian aid in Ethiopia, funded by donations and guided by transparency and self-help principles.

• Integrated rural development programmes

  Combined food security, water, education, health and income activities across thirteen project areas in Ethiopia.

• Model farmer programme

  Trains farmers in improved methods so their success inspires others in the village.

• Terraces for the future

  Soil stabilisation and erosion control through terracing for stable soils and richer harvests.

• Fuel-saving cement stoves

  Locally made stoves that save fuel and reduce smoke, sold to farmers at a heavily subsidised price.

• NAGAYA magazine

  Foundation magazine published as part of its service and communication offerings.

1. 1Menschen für Menschen – official website homepagemenschenfuermenschen.de
2. 2Erfolgsgeschichten aus Äthiopien – Menschen für Menschenmenschenfuermenschen.de
3. 3Service - Unsere Angebote für Siemenschenfuermenschen.de
4. 4Transparenz und Compliance - Stiftung Menschen für Menschenmenschenfuermenschen.de
5. 5Wikidata: People for People Foundation – Karlheinz Böhm’s Ethiopia Aidwikidata.org