When Real Projects Begin

Sometimes real projects do not begin with major conferences, desk strategies or long presentations. They begin with a journey, with a personal encounter, with a handshake, and with the trust that people are truly ready to start something important together.

Our visit to Côte d’Ivoire was exactly such a journey: to the Assinie-Mafia region, to the village of Assinie Mama. It was there that the project of MEcoVEA e.V. — Multicultural and Ecological Vision for Eurasia and Africa e.V. — received its first living, human and warm form.

As the MEcoVEA e.V. team, we did not travel there as observers or as guests for a single day. We came as people who wanted to listen, understand, see with our own eyes, and begin where this work is truly needed. For every member of our team, this journey became a personal experience — an encounter with another culture, with great human warmth, with the dignity of local communities, and with the clear feeling: this project must live.

It was not simply an exploratory trip. It was the first step of a humanitarian, educational and social project that seeks to connect Europe and Africa not through fine words, but through concrete actions.

Côte d’Ivoire met us as a country full of energy, dignity and momentum. One immediately senses that this is not a place simply waiting for help, but a country that is developing, building, seeking partners and opening itself to the world without losing its cultural and human strength. Precisely for this reason, this journey became for us an experience of trust, respect and future cooperation.

The MEcoVEA Team: Different People, One Common Purpose

A particular strength of our delegation lay in its composition. The MEcoVEA e.V. team was not a random group of travellers, but a small interdisciplinary working team. Each person brought their own experience, professional perspective and personal involvement.

The delegation included people from different fields: medicine, IT and digital infrastructure, investment and sustainable development, journalism, international communication, and the organisation of social and humanitarian projects. This diversity allowed us to look at the situation not one-dimensionally, but comprehensively.

The medical perspective helped us assess real needs in the healthcare sector and possible forms of support. The IT perspective showed how computers, remote learning, digital support and, in the long term, technical infrastructure could be developed. The investment manager looked at questions of sustainability, resources, partnerships and long-term development. The journalistic perspective helped identify human stories, understand the public significance of the project and document the journey in a way that can later be presented to partners, donors, media and international structures.

Only together did these perspectives create a complete picture.

That is exactly why the journey was so productive: we did not merely observe. We analysed, discussed, asked questions and considered how individual areas could be translated into concrete measures — from medical equipment and the hospital currently under construction to a school pilot project with German language lessons, computers and digital support.

Assinie Mama: Where the Project Became Reality

The first and most important entry point was the meeting with our local partner: César Aka-Khié, head of the Green & Safe Foundation.

With César, the tangible part of the project began — human, practical and direct.

From the very beginning it became clear: before us stood a person who does not merely speak about development, but works every day for his country, for the people, for the villages and for the future of the region.

For us, César became not only a partner, but a guide into the real world of Assinie-Mafia. He can bring people together, explain, organise, open doors and create trust. In projects of this kind, that is of inestimable value. Without local trust, international aid remains only a promise. With people like César, it becomes real action.

Through him we saw not only the organisational side of the project, but also the human one: the village, local expectations, the atmosphere, the responsibility. It is precisely through such partners that a European organisation can do more than simply “help”. It can work together with people, understand their lives and respect their decisions.

The Green & Safe Foundation also left a strong impression on us. It is a team of people who are deeply committed to their work, who know local needs, take responsibility and want to change life in their environment. They are not waiting for someone from Europe to come and solve everything. They work themselves, move initiatives forward, search for opportunities and build partnerships.

It was precisely with César Aka-Khié and the Green & Safe Foundation that the operational part of the project began. A working meeting was held, initial start-up funds were handed over, the needs of the village and the region were discussed, and further directions of joint work were defined.

The handover of the first funds was an important moment — not because the amount itself was large, but because of the sign it sent. We had not come merely to observe, talk or take photos. We had come to begin. In that moment, words became action. The project ceased to be only an idea and began to become reality.

For all of us, this was intense. When you stand next to people, see their faces and feel their expectations, responsibility takes on a different dimension. Then a project is no longer a point on a list, but a real commitment.

The Celebration Marking the Start of the Project: Joy, Dignity and Community Trust

One of the strongest impressions was our participation in a local celebration dedicated to the opening and beginning of the project.

It was not a formal event, but a living event of the community. Our team became part of a day full of music, greetings, smiles, conversations and that special atmosphere which can hardly be fully captured in a dry report.

On that day it became clear: the project is not perceived as an idea imported from Europe from the outside, but as a joint undertaking. It is the beginning of a path in which local partners, residents, traditional authorities and representatives of the administration are involved.

That is crucial. A real project cannot be imposed from the outside. It must be accepted by the people and become part of local life.

People were not expecting abstract promises, but concrete steps. At the same time, it was visible with what dignity they accepted partnership — not as a request for help, but as openness to joint work.

This atmosphere became one of the most important results of the journey. There, the project received its face and its heart.

That is why the photos of our team are so important: moments of encounter, handshakes, shared images with residents, children, local partners and community representatives. These images tell no less than the text: we were there, we saw, we were part of it, and we began this path together.

The King of the Region, Village Chiefs and the Power of Local Trust

A very important part of the journey was getting to know the traditional leaders of the region.

We met the king of the region, village chiefs, representatives of local communities and other respected personalities.

For our delegation, this was a special encounter. In Europe, we often think in terms of documents, institutions and formal responsibilities. On the ground, it became clear that in West Africa traditional leadership is not a decorative part of social life, but a living fabric of society. It means respect, memory, the connection between generations, trust and responsibility towards the people.

When a project receives attention and support at this level, it becomes part of the local space. Therefore, for its sustainability, not only official papers, contracts and international partners are decisive, but also the connection with the community. People must feel that they are being listened to and that the initiative brings value to their lives.

These encounters left a strong impression. In every conversation there was hope — but not passive hope. It was active hope: hope for development, education, medicine, infrastructure and new opportunities for children and families.

During those days, Assinie Mama became for us more than a village on the map. It became a place where one can see how international cooperation emerges from simple human things: trust, respect, attention and the willingness to work together.

Assinie-Mafia: Meeting the Mayor and Moving to the Official Level

After the local start — the meetings with César Aka-Khié, the Green & Safe Foundation, traditional leaders and residents — the next central step followed: the transition to the official municipal level.

One of the most important results of the journey was the meeting with the mayor of the municipality of Assinie-Mafia, Pierre René Magne Woelfell. This meeting became a real breakthrough.

We presented the project, explained our plans, our cooperation with César Aka-Khié and the Green & Safe Foundation, as well as our intention to develop projects in education, healthcare, social support, infrastructure and partnerships.

We did not come with an abstract presentation, but with an initial understanding of what we had seen on the ground, with contact to the community, with a local partner and with a serious desire to work.

The mayor not only listened attentively. He expressed direct support for the initiative, approved the start of the work, confirmed the importance of the project for the region and made clear that the administration was ready to accompany this work at the municipal level.

For us, this was a strong signal. Every serious project needs not only the trust of residents, but also the trust of the competent authorities. The support of Mayor Pierre René Magne Woelfell means that the chosen direction is correct and that the partnership with César, the Green & Safe Foundation and local actors has a real perspective.

It was particularly important for us to see that the local administration is already actively working on the development of the region. One example is the hospital currently under construction, which is intended to represent a significant step for the medical infrastructure of the municipality and the surrounding villages.

We are therefore not entering an empty space, but a region where there is movement, planning and concrete construction work. This makes our initiative not an isolated episode, but part of a broader development process.

Agreement with the Mairie of Assinie-Mafia: The Official Foundation of the Project

A central result of the journey was the cooperation agreement with the Mairie of Assinie-Mafia. It was signed after the meeting with Mayor Pierre René Magne Woelfell and forms the official basis for the further work of MEcoVEA e.V. in the region.

This agreement marks the transition from a good initiative to a municipal partnership. Before that, there had already been meetings with César Aka-Khié, work with the Green & Safe Foundation, participation in the celebration marking the beginning of the project, and contacts with traditional leaders. The agreement with the Mairie now gave the project official status and confirmed that the administration of Assinie-Mafia sees serious development potential in it.

Within the framework of the agreement, central areas of work were identified: education, including school infrastructure, digital support and the possibility of a pilot project for German language lessons; healthcare, including medical equipment and further support for the hospital under construction; social support; energy, including possible solar solutions; international partnerships, exchange of experience and the involvement of further partners.

For MEcoVEA, this is of fundamental importance. We do not want to build a project on a single contact or a single encounter, but to create a sustainable system in which each partner plays their role: César Aka-Khié and the Green & Safe Foundation as direct access to the local community; the Mairie of Assinie-Mafia as the official municipal partner; local NGOs and international contacts as a social network for further work.

The First Concrete Gift: A Dental X-Ray Device

It is particularly important that things did not remain at the level of words and signatures.

The first practical step was the preparation of the handover of medical equipment: a Sirona ORTHOPHOS XG digital dental X-ray device.

For us, this is both a symbolic and practical step. Medicine is one of the most important pillars of the project. When we speak about medical equipment, we are no longer talking about abstract help, but about an instrument that can actually serve people.

Such a device can make an important contribution to the development of medical capacities in the region — especially in connection with the hospital under construction and Assinie-Mafia’s need for modern medical infrastructure.

The device is currently being prepared for handover. The mechanism for incorporating it as a municipal donation has been coordinated, and we are awaiting final scheduling with the Embassy of Côte d’Ivoire in Berlin for the official handover.

This next step is intended to consolidate the work already begun and to show that the project is developing not only at the level of the local community and municipality, but also at the diplomatic level.

At the same time, the mayor requested a list of further equipment needs and possible areas of support. This is the right and mature approach. Assistance should not be based on the assumptions of the external partner, but on the actual needs of the region.

For MEcoVEA, this first medical gift became an important symbol. It shows that we do not want to be useful someday and only theoretically, but already now: with a concrete need, concrete equipment and concrete people who can be helped by it.

Education: German, Computers and a School Pilot Project

A particularly inspiring direction is the preparation of a pilot project to introduce German language lessons at a school in Assinie-Mafia, with special attention to the village of Assinie Mama. The specific school is to be identified together with local partners, the administration and, where necessary, the relevant educational structures.

The idea is simple, but powerful: to give children an additional educational instrument and open a window to Europe.

German is not only the language of Germany. It is access to educational opportunities, professional perspectives, international exchange, technical training, future internships and a new cultural horizon.

MEcoVEA e.V. intends to provide technical and organisational support: computers, digital equipment, the search for and involvement of teachers, the development of a remote or hybrid teaching format, and support for the learning process through partners from Germany.

It is important that this project be developed correctly: not as an external initiative without coordination, but with the support of the local administration, with the involvement of the school and, where necessary, with the approval of the Ministry of Education of Côte d’Ivoire.

The support of Mayor Pierre René Magne Woelfell and his approval of such an initiative are therefore of great importance. An educational project can only be sustainable if it is embedded in the local system and is not perceived as an experiment from outside, but as a real opportunity for the children of the region.

There is something very moving in this undertaking: a small school, children, computers, first German lessons, teachers from Germany joining remotely or on site. And behind it all, no abstract geopolitics, but a simple human hope.

The hope that education can open doors. That a child from Assinie-Mafia can discover new possibilities for themselves. That Europe and Africa can meet each other not through stereotypes, but through a classroom, a book, a computer screen, a teacher and the first German sentence learned.

For our team, this project became particularly personal. Education is not only infrastructure. It is what remains after every journey, every photo and every document. When a child gains a new language, a new skill and new access to knowledge, then the project truly works.

Rotary Conference: International Dimension, New Contacts and an Agreement with an NGO

Another important part of the journey was the participation of our delegation in a Rotary conference.

For us, this was an opportunity to present the MEcoVEA e.V. initiative to a broader circle of people who have been providing practical assistance and working in international partnerships for many years.

Rotary represents a network of people who understand that development does not begin with grand words, but with tangible measures: education, healthcare, clean water, support for children and local communities, professional exchange and sustainable projects.

At the conference, we reported on our journey to Assinie-Mafia, the work with César Aka-Khié and the Green & Safe Foundation, the support of Mayor Pierre René Magne Woelfell, the planned handover of the dental X-ray device, and our plans in the areas of education, German language teaching, digital support and medical infrastructure.

During this conference, a memorandum of cooperation was also signed with a local NGO: L’ONG Côte d’Ivoire urbaine.

While the agreement with the Mairie gave the project a municipal foundation, this memorandum became an additional civil-society and partnership pillar.

The conference allowed us to establish many new contacts with civil-society organisations, professional circles, local initiatives, the Rotary environment and people who understand the needs of the region well. These conversations were important because they gradually create a broader network of trust, without which no serious international project is possible.

It became clear there that the MEcoVEA project in Côte d’Ivoire does not have to remain a single local action, but can become part of a larger international network of cooperation.

Memorandum with L’ONG Côte d’Ivoire urbaine: The Civil-Society Pillar of the Project

The memorandum signed at the Rotary conference with L’ONG Côte d’Ivoire urbaine became another important result of the journey.

If the agreement with the Mairie of Assinie-Mafia forms the official municipal foundation of the project, then the memorandum with L’ONG Côte d’Ivoire urbaine forms its civil-society and partnership support.

This is an important element of the future system. The project must not depend on a single person, a single structure or a single channel. Real development needs a network of partners who complement each other and help the project take root in local reality.

L’ONG Côte d’Ivoire urbaine is an Ivorian civil-society organisation working in the field of social development, social support and the strengthening of local initiatives.

For us, it is an important partner because such organisations build bridges between international support and real people on the ground.

They know local needs, understand the social context and can help where an external partner without local experience would find it difficult to orient itself.

Together with the Green & Safe Foundation, César Aka-Khié, the support of the mayor, the involvement of traditional leaders, the contacts made at the Rotary conference and the openness of local NGOs, exactly the kind of structure is emerging that is necessary for sustainable results.

From Pilot Project to Model

The journey demonstrated an approach to international assistance that does not stop at declarations, but begins with action.

The project has concrete steps: meetings, the handover of initial funds, an agreement with the Mairie of Assinie-Mafia, preparation of medical equipment, discussions about the school and educational programme, participation in the Rotary conference, new contacts and a separate memorandum with a local NGO.

At the centre are local partners and structures that know the region and enjoy trust on the ground: César Aka-Khié, the Green & Safe Foundation, L’ONG Côte d’Ivoire urbaine, representatives of the villages and traditional leaders.

Out of all this, not a random chain of contacts is emerging, but an architecture of the project: local community, traditional authorities, municipality, NGOs, international partners and Rotary. This connection of different levels turns an idea into a viable model.

For MEcoVEA e.V., transparency is crucial. All steps must be traceable, documented and coordinated. Trust is based not only on good intentions, but also on clean organisation, clear responsibility and the willingness to fulfil commitments.

For our team, this was an important realisation: even a small project can be substantial if it is built correctly. If there is trust. If local partners are involved. If authorities provide support. If traditions are respected. And if impressions are turned into concrete work plans.

For us, Assinie-Mafia is therefore not only a place for humanitarian aid. It is a space for medicine, education, digital infrastructure, international connections, local development, public communication and long-term sustainability.

Côte d’Ivoire: A Country of Growth and Opportunities

Côte d’Ivoire left a strong impression.

It is a country with a young population, with a tangible desire for development and a clear sense of momentum. Here, the future is not an abstract concept. It is created through roads, schools, hospitals, new contacts, international partnerships and the work of people.

In the Assinie-Mafia region, this is particularly visible. Here there is natural beauty, great potential, tourist attractiveness, human dignity and a strong desire for development.

For us, it was particularly important not only to see problems, but also to see the strength of the country.

Côte d’Ivoire is not a territory of poverty, as it is sometimes superficially perceived in Europe. It is a country of opportunities, growth, human energy and great potential. Precisely for this reason, cooperation must be built on respect, trust and equality.

As the MEcoVEA team, we left with great gratitude: for the welcome, for the trust, for the openness, for honest conversations and for the opportunity to get to know the country not through foreign stereotypes, but through people with whom we are now connected by a shared task.

Why This Journey Was Important

Above all, this journey showed one thing: the project is alive.

It no longer exists only in documents, correspondence and plans. It has received faces, places, voices, photos, encounters, handshakes and first real results.

We saw children, families, villages, local leaders, representatives of the administration, activists and partners. We felt that the project is needed — and that people are waiting for it.

For MEcoVEA e.V., this is an important moment. Assinie Mama and the municipality of Assinie-Mafia can become a first example of how a small European organisation, together with local partners, develops a sustainable, honest and practice-oriented model of international cooperation.

Not a model based on grand words. Not a model in which Europe speaks and Africa listens. But a model in which partners meet each other at eye level, discuss concrete challenges, respect local realities and begin to act together.

For each of us, this journey became more than a business visit. For some, it was the beginning of an educational project. For others, it opened up a perspective in the medical field. Others recognised the strength of local communities, the potential of the country or the possibilities of digital development. In the end, we all felt the same thing: there is a task here.

What Comes Next

A great deal of work lies ahead.

The official handover of the Sirona ORTHOPHOS XG dental X-ray device must be completed. Further needs for medical equipment must be coordinated. Support for the development of the hospital under construction must be organised. An educational pilot project must be prepared, a specific school for German language lessons must be identified, the technical basis must be created, teachers must be found, new partners must be involved and the humanitarian engagement must be expanded.

But the decisive thing has already happened: trust has been created.

There is a partner on the ground: César Aka-Khié. There is a strong local structure: the Green & Safe Foundation. There is the support of the mayor of Assinie-Mafia, Pierre René Magne Woelfell. There is a signed cooperation agreement with the municipal administration. There is a first concrete sign: the Sirona ORTHOPHOS XG dental X-ray device. There is a hospital under construction and a clear understanding of the medical needs of the region. There is the idea of a pilot project for German language lessons in a local school. There is the involvement of traditional authorities, regional leaders and village representatives. There are new contacts from the Rotary environment, a memorandum with L’ONG Côte d’Ivoire urbaine — and there is the MEcoVEA e.V. team, in which medical, digital, investment-related, journalistic, humanitarian and organisational experience come together.

Above all, there is the strong feeling that everything is only beginning.

This journey was not an end, but the beginning of a long path. A path on which Europe and Africa meet each other not through reports or political slogans, but through concrete work, human closeness and the shared will to shape the future. A future in which assistance becomes partnership and partnership becomes development.

Assinie-Mafia is already far more than a pilot project. It is a starting point. If this path continues with the same trust, respect and energy, the project in Assinie Mama can become an example of a new form of international cooperation: human, honest, practical and sustainable.

For us, for the team of MEcoVEA e.V., this story is only just beginning.