Berlin, 23 June 2026
Friedensdorf International is an organization that helps injured and sick children from war zones and crises areas around the world through the provision of medical treatment in Europe.
AfricaNewsAnalysis’ Health Editor, Cornelia Musah met with Ms Olivia Höche, Berlin Coordinator of the organization for an exclusive interview at the Capital Congress on Medicine and Health.
According to Ms Höche, Friedensdorf has, through its sustainable projects, improved medical care in various countries worldwide as well as the promotion of social awareness through their peace education work.
She revealed that her organization was at the Capital Congress to seek collaboration with doctors and hospitals to play a role in the treatment of children in need of medical treatment in Germany.
Their focus, she says was to assist children who could not secure medical treatments in their home countries, adding that, “often these children must stay for years without any treatment, or they receive treatment which wasn’t successful.
“So, we bring the children to Germany, we prepare them, we give them vaccinations for example when they arrive as well as proper meals which helps (them) to heal.”
She says that the children are taking to hospitals throughout Germany until their full recovery and then they are sent back to their families in their home countries.
Asked how the children were selected, Ms Höche says that they have partner organizations, in Angola, The Gambia, Afghanistan, and other Asian countries.
She says in Angola, their partner organization known as Peace Village travels round all the provinces in the country to talk about the organization and look for families and children that need help.
Friedensdorf doctors travel to Angola several times a year and talk to the families about the medical cases after which they decide which children could get treatment in Germany. Those who qualify for treatment in Germany are brought here by charter flights.
Several hospitals in Germany supports the organization work in Germany. These include religious hospitals, private hospitals such Helios, Asklepios and Sana Clinics, as well as University Hospitals amongst others, whose assistance is free of charge, says Ms Höche.
According to her, the children are taken to Germany alone without their parents who are given assurance that their children would be returned to them after their treatment.
Most of the children have sibling and therefore it is practically impossible for the parents to leave them behind and travel to Germany, adding that Friedensdorf could only take care of minors and not adults who may not want to return and thereby creating problems for the organization in their future activities of bringing more needy children.
The public could help the organization through various means. For example, through linking doctors to them, with donations, food supplies, by volunteering, visiting the children in hospitals, playing with the children in various town particularly in Oberhausen.
Nearly 100 children come from Angola in small groups, and they are rotated with those whose treatment have ended.