Nadine Oesterle Fundraising Project
News
23.10.2026 Christin Müller 840

pme Donates: Opportunities for Girls and Families in Uganda

"We don't want to make people dependent; rather, we want to help them become independent." (Nadine Oesterle) 

For many people in Germany, it’s hard to imagine that girls can’t go to school because of their periods. In Uganda, this is a reality for countless girls: They stay away from class, fall behind in their studies—and some eventually lose touch with their education entirely. Nadine Oesterle wants to change that. Through Yeshanah Mission, she educates girls about menstruation. But that’s only part of the work: Through sponsorships, the initiative enables children to attend school and supports families with educational programs and training that open pathways to self-sufficiency. The pme Familienservice has supported Yeshanah Mission with 6,250 euros.

What was your personal motivation for establishing the “Yeshanah Mission” family center in Uganda?

Nadine Oesterle: Yeshanah Mission is intended to become a family center where families are trained and equipped with skills that will support their independence, and to which a clinic will also be attached. 

For example, the family center will offer computer classes that enable local residents to keep pace with the rapidly advancing developments of our time.

The catalyst was our close contact with the families of the children in our sponsorship program, which gave us deeper insight into the concerns and hardships these families face. Through the family center, we want to look beyond education and empower families in the long term to provide for themselves independently. 


Nadine Oesterle (second from the left) and her team are working to help Ugandan families.

How exactly do you support the children? What specific projects have you already carried out, and which ones are still in the planning stages?

We support the children through sponsorships so that they can return to school or attend for the first time. Sponsors cover the school fees, but the families are responsible for school supplies such as uniforms and books, in order to involve them in taking responsibility for their children’s education. 

We now have 35 children in our sponsorship program, including one young man who is in college. We support the children and stay in touch with the local schools and the children’s relatives and families. 

With the support of Patenschaft+ we reach and empower girls and young women in schools and villages. Our educational program aims to educate young women about their bodies and empower them to make their own decisions.

We’ve just started offering training sessions for women. In these sessions, they learn how to sew their own washable hygiene kits using simple, locally available materials. This enables them to help others while also equipping them to start their own businesses by selling these hygiene kits. We’d like to expand this area further to promote self-reliance, broaden our reach, and achieve a long-term impact.

In addition, there will also be a section for startups in the future to provide families with financial start-up assistance. This includes training on topics such as how to start and run a business, how to write a business plan, and how to calculate income and expenses.

Can you tell us more about the “Patenschaft +” project?

It all started with sponsorship programs that enable children to attend school. But when we took a closer look, we found that only a fraction of the children go on to secondary school, and an even smaller proportion even finish elementary school. And this affects girls in particular.

One reason is that girls often fall through the cracks as soon as they start their periods, and another reason is the extremely high rate of teenage pregnancies. It’s a major taboo, and very few girls have received sex education or know how to manage their periods properly.


Health Education in Uganda: The girls receive washable hygiene kits.

They often end up missing school on the days they have their period, miss a lot of class, and eventually stop going to school because they’ve fallen so far behind. And that’s exactly where Patenschaft+ comes in.

We don’t just want to help children attend school; we also want to help ensure they stay in school. That’s why, through Patenschaft+, we visit schools, provide education about sexuality and menstruation, encourage the girls, and are there to listen to their questions.

In addition, every girl receives a washable hygiene kit so she can go to school even when she has her period.

Through outreach programs in villages and schools, you aim to reach people directly in their communities. What needs do you encounter most frequently in this work?

The average age in Uganda is about 15 years. This means there are an extremely large number of young people with limited prospects for the future and few opportunities in the job market. This is already having an impact on the situation in schools. The pressure on students is enormous. Even in kindergarten, children learn to read and write, take tests, and receive report cards. Great emphasis is placed on academic performance. 

What does sustainable aid mean to you in a country facing poverty, unemployment, and limited access to education and health care?

That is a very important question, and it is also the reason why we founded Yeshanah Mission. “Simply giving money” is not the solution to the problem; in fact, it makes it worse. We do not want to make people dependent; rather, we want to help them become self-reliant.

For children, it all starts with education. So many children don’t have the opportunity to go to school or learn to read and write. Education can help break the cycle of poverty.

Equipping parents with the skills they need so that they can eventually become capable of providing for their families again is the most sustainable form of assistance.

How does the MT:28 organization help you put your ideas into practice?

MT:28 is our guide in all areas. With their wealth of experience gained from working with missionaries around the world, they support us with advice and practical assistance. MT:28 also supports us by managing donations, ensuring that they reach their intended recipients.

One year later—What projects were you able to carry out with the donation from pme Familienservice ?

This year, thanks to the wonderful support from pme Familienservice , we were able to distribute 549 washable hygiene kits during our outreach efforts and also train 7 women to sew their own hygiene kits.

In addition, we have a major project planned for October in western Uganda, where we will visit two schools—each with 80 female students—and provide them with hygiene kits. We will also train 11 more women to sew hygiene kits.


Women are being taught how to sew their own hygiene products.

For more information about the "Patenschaft+" project, visit the organization's website: MT:28.

Social commitment of the pme Familienservice

The "pme donates" fundraising campaign has been running for five years, giving pme team members the opportunity to nominate charitable organizations in the fields of "international development aid," "social work," "climate and animal protection," and "culture" for a donation that they actively support. All team members then vote on the organizations they want to support. The organizations with the most votes receive a donation from pme Familienservice.

In 2025, five national and international organizations received a total of €50,000 in donations—a joint demonstration that social engagement is an integral part of pme's corporate culture.

zero Burnout among employees: What managers need to know

Man on a tightrope in the mountain
13.10.2021 Sabrina Ludwig 48575

Burnout among employees: What managers need to know!

When a team colleague returns to work after a burnout, colleagues and managers almost always ask themselves with some concern: How should we deal with him or her? Will he or she be back at work? Carola Kleinschmidt is a trainer and expert on burnout and knows how managers can manage this balancing act.

Psychologist and Managing Director of Oberbergkliniken. For many years, she established concepts for mental health in the workplace in companies. Kentgens gives many educational talks and workshops in companies of all sizes, and wherever she goes, she always encounters the same uncertainty: "How do I as a colleague or boss deal with the person coming back from illness?

This is a question that concerns a lot of people," explains Kentgens. "The questioners in another department have often seen someone come back to the office but only stay at work for a few hours and then go home again. And they asked themselves: Is he allowed to do that because he was ill? Will that always be the case now?".

Reintegration after burnout: in stages from four to eight weeks

"There is usually a misunderstanding here," explains psychologist Kentgens. Bosses and colleagues often don't know that those returning to work are doing a phased reintegration . During this time, they are still officially on sick leave and the health insurance companies pay the wage costs.

As a rule, a gradual reintegration takes four to eight weeks. This period gives returnees the opportunity to gradually acclimatize to everyday working life and their activities again - without too much pressure. "During this time, special arrangements apply that are underpinned by medical or therapeutic advice. There is an agreed step-by-step plan, which is ideally agreed between the returnee, the person receiving treatment, the manager, the HR department, the works council and the company doctor," explains Kentgens. This means that it is quite possible that only a few hours of work per day have been agreed initially or that other special regulations apply to the employee during this time. Ideally, the employee's resilience will increase continuously.

How to deal with a colleague?

Of course, colleagues who don't know this quickly see someone from the outside who is only able to cope with little stress. And it is not uncommon for this initial image of the returnee to become established. A vicious circle can begin: You don't trust the employee to do much - and thus deprive them of the chance to fully reintegrate into day-to-day business.

"We therefore advise managers to communicate the employee's current status within the company to the team. Temporary special arrangements that have been negotiated with the person concerned, such as no business trips or reduced customer contact, should also be communicated so that the team is aware."

Such agreements can still apply between managers and employees even after gradual reintegration. Even then, it is best to communicate this to everyone. This transparency makes it much easier to reintegrate the returnee into the team and prevents rumors, false consideration and gossip.

After the burnout: no false consideration

Once reintegration is complete, which is usually the case after four to eight weeks, the employee is healthy again and can be fully deployed in the company.

"After reintegration and when any special arrangements have expired, the employee is considered fully resilient again," explains Kentgens. From the psychologist's point of view, this is the right thing to do, as there is a risk, especially after a mental health crisis, that the person will remain in a certain protective posture - or be pushed into the corner of "he's no longer resilient" by those around him out of false consideration."

Such developments are counterproductive for health and, above all, for recovery," explains Kentgens. The aim of reintegration is therefore for the employee to be able to return to their old job with the usual stresses and strains. Ideally, after successful treatment, the employee's attitude, resilience and resistance to stress will have improved - including the ability to say "no" from time to time.

"The biggest concern of those affected is that they will be looked at the wrong way when they return to the company."

If the employee notices before returning to work or during the reintegration process that they no longer want to carry out certain activities that were previously part of their duties, then it is not up to the manager or team to automatically take them off their hands. Rather, it is up to the employee to change their tasks and workload, explains Kentgens. This means that they can negotiate their tasks with their manager and also at HR department level in order to make the work suitable for them.

Talks as part of the reintegration process can also be the place for such adjustments. For example, some burnout sufferers want to reduce their working hours or look after fewer customers than before, and in some cases also want to move to other positions with less responsibility. "This clear appeal to the personal responsibility and clarity of those formerly affected may sound rigid," says Kentgens. But she knows from the everyday experience of therapists who work with burnout sufferers: "The biggest concern of those affected is that they will be looked at the wrong way for months after returning to the company, that they are no longer trusted to do anything and that this is precisely why they will not be able to perform again". Clarity in the reintegration process counteracts this discrimination and is therefore beneficial - for everyone involved.

 

About Carola Kleinschmidt:

Carola Kleinschmidt is a graduate biologist, journalist and certified trainer (additional training in communication psychology, Schulz-von-Thun Institute/University of Hamburg).

She has been working on the topic of "health and the world of work" for 15 years. Stern magazine described her non-fiction book "Bevor der Job krank macht" (Before the job makes you ill) as "one of the best books on the subject of burnout". It has sold over 25,000 copies. Follow-up books: "Das hält keiner bis zur Rente durch" (2014), "Burnout - und dann?" (2016). Carola Kleinschmidt gives lectures and workshops in organizations and companies on the topic of "Good Work & Mental Health". www.carolakleinschmidt.de

 

 

 

Literature tip: "Burnout - and then?" (2016)

Every year, millions of people get back to life after a burnout. They all ask themselves: How will my life go on? Should I expect relapses? What and how much do I need to change in my life?

Carola Kleinschmidt has accompanied many sufferers over the years. She describes what life is like after the crisis, what difficulties arise in the new everyday life and what characterizes the people who leave the spiral of exhaustion behind them for good. Short interviews with experts place the individual experiences in a broader picture and explain which strategies are most suitable. The result is a comprehensive picture of how to find your way back to a positive attitude to life after a burnout and ensure that it stays that way.

 

Nadine Oesterle

Nadine Oesterle

Founder of Yeshanah Mission