The German VSA has elected a new board. We welcome Erika Wertlen and thank Dr. Eva Hert for her continuous support!
The German VSA is the Association of Friends of the South African VSA. We support the work of the South African VSA financially and by sending German weltwärts volunteers who live and work in Grahamstown for one year each.
Vice-chairwoman now is Erika Wertlen.
Slovak and South African by birth, Erika Wertlen comes with a looong and colourful history of academia, literary & performing arts, and especially teaching and outreach work. An active member of the Village Scribe Association since 2011, there was simply no question but to add support and contribute to this utterly invaluable NGO when it came into being. “Every emancipation is a restoration of the human world and of human relationships to man himself” and, in this day and age, it is imperative to empower the most vulnerable in society via access to information and cogent, meaningful understandings of the ICTs that permeate our everyday lives.
Treasurer is Eva Hert.
Eva Hert is a German Biologist who did research on evolutionary ecology in Malawi and South Africa in the early nineties. She and her husband lived in Grahamstown, South Africa and got to know the Village Scribe Association through personal contact with Ron and Anna Wertlen. “The idea of bringing computer literacy to the youngsters in the townships convinced me as it opens up an entire cosmos with lots of opportunities”, says Eva Hert, “Young people in remote places or in underprivileged living situations can connect to the world and thus can find out about what to do with their lives. ”
Chairwoman of the board is still Anna Wertlen.
Anna Wertlen co-founded the VSA ten years ago while she lived and raised her children in Grahamstown, together with her South African husband Ronald Wertlen. Facing the tremendous inequalities in society, she decided to take action and to bring knowledge to the youth of Joza believing that education is the key to solving a huge variety of problems that the community encounters every day. “I experienced that the Internet as well as travels to foreign countries enhance international understanding. Thus, I want to enable young South Africans and Germans by giving them the same experience.”
We are looking forward to a long and prosperous partnership!