About us

Who we are

The Helping Hands Academy was not created at a desk. It grew out of personal relationships, many years of experience and joint work in The Gambia. Helping Hands Academy Gambia was co-founded in 2018 with the involvement of Michael and Maria Lascheit and Bereket Amanuel and was subsequently built up and further developed together with people and partners on the ground.

For several years, a significant part of this work took place directly in The Gambia. When the German co-founders’ centre of life shifted to Germany for longer than originally planned, their role within the Helping Hands Academy also changed. They gradually stepped back from board and leadership responsibilities in The Gambia. Today, responsibility for the organisation and its operational work on the ground lies with the independent Gambian board.

With the establishment of Helping Hands Academy e.V. Germany in 2025, the support work carried out from Germany was brought together within its own organisational structure. Today, we combine our close connection to and experience in The Gambia with professional project development, fundraising and grant acquisition, international partnerships and a predominantly volunteer-based team. HHA Gambia and HHA Germany work closely together, while remaining legally and organisationally independent and maintaining their own decision-making structures and responsibilities.

Our work has also been shaped by personal experiences between The Gambia and Germany. Lengthy visa and administrative procedures, as well as the required language examinations, showed us first-hand how important language skills, education and good preparation for new professional and personal opportunities can be. These experiences are one of the reasons why language training and educational programmes now have a permanent place in our work.

Together with people, professionals and institutions on the ground, we develop projects that reflect the actual conditions in The Gambia. Our aim is not short-term assistance or isolated activities. We want to strengthen existing structures, promote local responsibility and create opportunities that can last over the long term.

This is how the Helping Hands Academy connects Germany and The Gambia – personally, in partnership and with a practical approach.

Vision & Mission

Our mission

We work to make tangible improvements to living conditions where basic essentials are still lacking. To do this, we bring together education, health and sustainable development around a clear principle: solutions should not be imposed from outside, but developed together with the people who will sustain and build on them. We support existing structures, create new opportunities and bring knowledge, contacts and resources together where they can have a lasting impact. Sustainable development happens where local responsibility meets reliable support.

Our goal

Our vision is a Gambia where basic essentials become a matter of course: Children should have access to education. Clean water must not be a luxury. Medical care should be accessible, and childbirth should not become an avoidable risk. Young people should be able to gain qualifications that genuinely benefit them – with opportunities for work, income and a self-determined future in their own country. And those who choose an international education or career path should be able to pursue it with the right qualifications and preparation, through legal channels. No fleeing. No dead ends. Instead, real paths towards a self-determined future.

Our priorities

Our work focuses on three areas that are closely connected and essential to long-term development: Education & training We create access to learning, language qualifications, practical training and recognised skills – so that abilities lead to real career opportunities. Health & care We strengthen existing healthcare structures, support safe maternity care and help make basic medical care more reliable. Water & sanitation (WASH) Clean water, safe sanitation and effective hygiene are foundations for health, education and social development. Our goal is clear: to improve living conditions sustainably and create real opportunities – so that people can build a future where they call home.

Our Team

Behind Helping Hands Academy are people in Germany and The Gambia who contribute their experience, time and responsibility towards our shared goals.

Board of Helping Hands Academy e.V. Germany

Maria Lascheit

Chair

Maria is the Chair of Helping Hands Academy e.V. and embodies the personal connection between Germany and The Gambia that shapes our work. She brings a Gambian perspective to the association and is a key contact for dialogue with people from The Gambia and the Gambian diaspora. With her open and communicative approach, she makes connections, brings people together and helps ensure that HHA does not simply talk about The Gambia, but directly incorporates different perspectives and experiences into its work. Her main focus is representation, networking and personal exchange between people and structures in both countries.

Michael Lascheit

Treasurer – Project Development & Operations

Michael is the Treasurer of Helping Hands Academy e.V. and also plays a key role in the organisation’s operational development. His connection to Africa dates back to the early 1990s; in The Gambia, he has worked directly with local partners, institutions and project structures since 2019. Today, he regularly spends a large part of his time in The Gambia, where much of his family life also takes place. Germany is his homeland – The Gambia has long since become his home. These personal roots also shape his approach to Helping Hands Academy’s project work. At HHA, he develops and structures new projects, builds partnerships, coordinates processes and supports initiatives from the initial idea through to practical implementation. He draws on experience in business management, hospitality, logistics, digitalisation and international cooperation. His particular strength lies in bringing different topics and people together, finding pragmatic solutions and turning ideas into viable projects and sustainable structures.

Robert Leder

Deputy Chair · Head of Languages & Certification

Robert brings more than 25 years of professional experience in language education, language teaching, translation, exam preparation and certification to Helping Hands Academy. A particular focus of his qualifications lies in professional language teaching. Robert is a qualified language teacher under the British system for upper secondary education and holds the CertTESOL from Trinity College London, an internationally recognised qualification for the professional teaching of English as a foreign language. This enables him to combine advanced language expertise with methodological and pedagogical training for structured foreign-language teaching. His teaching experience has included work as a Visiting Lecturer at City University London as well as language training within the British military, where he taught German and was also involved in examination processes. Another important area of his expertise is his many years of experience with recognised language examinations. For almost ten years, Robert prepared learners for Goethe examinations from A1 to C1 and regularly conducted realistic mock examinations. In addition, he has practical experience as an examiner within both school and military examination systems. Robert also has extensive international experience in professional translation and certification. Since 1999, he has been a state-certified translator for English with a specialist focus on technical translation. He holds a Level 7 Diploma in Translation (English–German) from the Institute of Linguists / Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL), including specialist examinations in technology and social sciences, and has been a qualified member of the British Institute of Linguists for more than 20 years. He has also prepared prospective translators for the Diploma in Translation and today serves as a moderator for the CIOL Certificate in Translation. At Helping Hands Academy, Robert is responsible for Languages & Certification. The aim is deliberately not limited to offering language courses. His focus is on developing pedagogically sound language teaching, reliable quality standards, professional exam preparation and cooperation with internationally recognised examination and certification partners. This pedagogical approach is particularly important as Helping Hands Academy continues to develop its German-language programme: language skills should not simply be taught, but developed through a structured didactic approach, built up purposefully and aligned with recognised examination standards. Robert is originally from Augsburg and now lives permanently in The Gambia with his family. This enables him to combine his many years of experience within German and British educational and examination systems with the practical realities on the ground. As Deputy Chair, he therefore contributes a distinctive combination of language pedagogy, examination experience, professional translation, international certification and a permanent personal connection to The Gambia to the further development of Helping Hands Academy.

Board of Helping Hands Academy Gambia

Rose Bass

President

Rose combines extensive experience in public service with practical entrepreneurial expertise and a strong understanding of Gambian society and local structures. For more than ten years, she served with the Gambia Immigration Department, where her training included constitutional law and practical immigration and field operations. After leaving public service, Rose moved into entrepreneurship. Since 2018, she has built experience in the sale and distribution of food and beverage products as well as in the fashion and apparel sector. As President of Helping Hands Academy Gambia, she brings together her background in administration, organisation and business to support the local leadership of the organisation. Her particular strength lies in her practical knowledge of The Gambia, her organisational experience and her ability to bring people and different interests together.

Leopaul Bass

Secretary

Leopaul was born and raised in New Jeshwang and brings more than ten years of professional experience in stock control, warehouse organisation and documentation. From 2014 to 2025, he worked as a Stock Controller and Outstock Officer, where he was responsible for stock movements, inventory records and the reliable organisation of warehouse processes. Today, he works with General Petroleum Services Limited (GPS). Outside his professional work, Leopaul also takes an active role in his local community. As President of FC Jamma Ak Salam, a local youth football team, he is involved in youth development and community engagement. He also regularly supports the organisation of local community events, bringing together people, logistics and different participants. At Helping Hands Academy Gambia, Leopaul serves as Secretary and supports key organisational and administrative tasks. His experience with structured processes, documentation and coordination, combined with his strong local roots, is particularly valuable in this role. His particular strength lies in combining practical organisation, reliability and community engagement – supporting both the internal work of Helping Hands Academy and its connection with people on the ground.

Fina Gomez

Treasurer

Fina brings more than two decades of entrepreneurial experience in The Gambia. From an early age, she was introduced to trading and self-employment through her family and began taking on increasing responsibility after the death of her father. In the late 1990s, she gained her first practical experience in bookkeeping, stock organisation and the management of a small business. She later spent several years working in trade and distribution, learning first-hand how purchasing, sales, inventory management and customer relationships work in the Gambian business environment. Around 2001, Fina took the step into self-employment. What began with a small initial stock grew steadily over the years. Today, she manages three of her own shops, bringing extensive practical experience in trade, organisation and independent business management. As Treasurer of Helping Hands Academy Gambia, Fina combines this entrepreneurial background with a strong understanding of local processes and economic realities. Her particular strength lies in her practical approach, long-standing experience in handling money and goods, and her ability to take responsibility in a reliable and consistent way.

Other Team Members / Areas of Expertise

Melissa Ortega

Creative Director

Melissa joined Helping Hands Academy as one of its first volunteers and has played a major role in shaping our visual development ever since. As an experienced visual designer, she brings her background in branding, UI/UX and visual communication directly into our practical work. From refreshing our brand identity and developing brand guidelines to flyers, project materials, social media and the design of our digital applications, Melissa ensures that HHA presents itself clearly, professionally and consistently. She does far more than simply execute ideas: she asks questions, develops ideas of her own and helps us turn many individual projects and messages into a shared visual language.

Marvin Wöllner

Head of Medical Technology

Marvin combines practical experience in emergency medical services with technical and regulatory expertise in medical devices. He is also a qualified medical device safety officer. At Helping Hands Academy, he assesses medical devices and equipment, checks their suitability and safety for use locally and supports the specialist planning of our health projects. Another focus is medical sourcing: identifying suitable equipment, approaching potential donors and suppliers, and organising medical supplies. He also contributes his emergency medical services experience to practical first-aid and emergency training, as well as to the development of Field First Aid. His particular strength lies in bringing together medical requirements, technical safety, procurement and the real conditions of use in The Gambia.

Sithmi Rathnayake Mudiyanselage

Head of Social Media

Sithmi is responsible for Helping Hands Academy’s social media strategy and digital communications. She combines communication, international coordination and organisational experience, and studies North American Studies at Freie Universität Berlin. For HHA, she develops cross-platform content concepts, makes complex project information accessible and purposefully builds communities, professional networks and new digital contacts. She quickly turns strategic ideas into clear, practical processes and independently coordinates our social media work. A particular focus of her work is international communication, community building and connecting Social Media with Creative, Website and Digital & Data.

Akhila Puchakayala

Digital & Data Support

Akhila holds master’s degrees in Information Technology and Computer Science and combines this academic background with practical experience in data analysis, cloud technologies and digital processes. Her areas of expertise include AWS, ETL processes, data migration and data integration. At Helping Hands Academy, she supports the creation and development of digital structures – from website content and multilingual functionality to data analysis and reporting. Her particular strength lies in presenting technical relationships in a structured way and using them to develop practical digital solutions for HHA’s day-to-day work.

Isatou Jallow

Intercultural Networking Germany–The Gambia

Isatou Jallow connects The Gambia and Germany through her own life experience. Born in The Gambia, she lived and worked in Germany for more than 30 years and has been living permanently in The Gambia again since July 2026. As a long-standing interpreter for public authorities and courts, she knows the linguistic, cultural and practical challenges that life between the two countries can bring. At Helping Hands Academy, Isatou contributes her extensive experience to intercultural networking, exchange, and the development of new contacts and partnerships. Her main areas of focus are education, language and integration, as well as the development of sustainable perspectives on the ground. For many years, she has also been involved in agriculture and her own projects in The Gambia and Casamance. Her network in Germany, The Gambia and the wider region combines personal experience with strong local knowledge and creates new opportunities for collaboration and joint projects. Her special concern is to bring together people, experiences and ideas and thereby build sustainable bridges between Germany and The Gambia.

Bereket Amanuel

Gambia Expertise & Operational Project Coordination

Bereket has extensive knowledge of the social, administrative and practical structures of The Gambia. Through many years of experience, he understands local procedures, key contacts and decision-making processes and knows how projects can be prepared and implemented under the actual conditions on the ground. At Helping Hands Academy, he contributes this experience particularly to operational project coordination. He helps develop realistic approaches, involve the right stakeholders, coordinate the necessary steps in a logical sequence and move projects from planning into practical implementation. His working style combines strong local knowledge with a European perspective on planning, organisation, quality and reliability. Clear processes, discipline and a high standard of accuracy shape the way he works. This makes Bereket an important link between strategic planning and practical implementation in The Gambia. His strength lies in assessing local realities realistically while creating structures that allow projects to be implemented reliably, transparently and with a clear focus on results.

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Our Story

The Helping Hands Academy was not created at a desk. It grew out of personal relationships, many years of experience and joint work between Europe and Africa. As early as the beginning of the 1990s, initial professional assignments led to Somalia and Djibouti. Later, business and personal connections developed with Ghana and Togo – and eventually with The Gambia.

The organisational roots of today’s Helping Hands Academy Gambia date back to 2018. At that time, the non-profit O.P. Sheriff Sarr Manjako Children Football Academy was initially established. As the work expanded beyond sport and youth development, it gradually evolved into the Helping Hands Academy. The organisation was renamed accordingly, broadened its scope of activities and was newly registered under its current name in 2023.

With the first trip to The Gambia in 2019, business contacts increasingly developed into personal relationships. Together with Maria Lascheit, Bereket Amanuel and committed partners on the ground, this grew into an ever closer collaboration. One particularly important encounter was with Lamin, who was six years old at the time, and his family. Encounters became trust. Trust became family.

In the years that followed, a large part of the joint work shifted directly to The Gambia. Projects, relationships and structures developed from the actual conditions on the ground. When Michael and Maria Lascheit later based themselves in Germany for considerably longer than originally planned, their role within the organisation also changed. They gradually stepped back from board and leadership responsibilities in The Gambia. Today, responsibility for the organisation and its operational work on the ground lies with the independent Gambian board.

With the establishment of Helping Hands Academy e.V. Germany in 2025, the support work carried out from Germany was brought together within its own organisational structure. Fundraising, grant acquisition, project development, international partnerships, as well as technical and organisational support have since complemented the independent work of HHA Gambia. Both organisations work closely together while maintaining their own decision-making structures and clearly separated responsibilities.

Personal experiences between The Gambia and Germany have also shaped our work. Lengthy visa and administrative procedures, as well as required language examinations, showed us first-hand the importance of language skills, education and good preparation for new professional and personal opportunities. These experiences are one of the reasons why language training, vocational qualification and education now have a permanent place in our work.

The Helping Hands Academy therefore does not stand for short-term assistance or isolated activities. Together with people, professionals and existing institutions, we want to develop solutions that work under the actual conditions on the ground and remain viable over the long term. We want to strengthen existing structures, promote local responsibility and create opportunities that support people in building their own prospects for the future.

This is how the Helping Hands Academy connects Germany and The Gambia – personally, in partnership and with a practical approach.

Transparency

Responsible project work requires clear responsibilities, transparent decisions and traceable use of funds. That is why we openly show how the Helping Hands Academy is organised, how responsibility is distributed between the organisations involved and how projects, finances and results are independently reviewed.

Structure & Responsibilities

The Helping Hands Academy grew out of a collaboration between The Gambia and Europe that has developed over several years. Helping Hands Academy Gambia and Helping Hands Academy e.V. Germany work closely together, but are legally and organisationally independent entities, each with its own responsibilities and decision-making structures.

Helping Hands Academy Gambia was founded in 2018 and forms the operational heart of our work on the ground. It operates as an independent national organisation in The Gambia and possesses its own decision-making structures. The organisation is responsible for the practical implementation of projects in The Gambia and collaborates with local institutions, communities, authorities, professionals and other project partners.

Decisions regarding the organisation and operational work in The Gambia are made by the responsible structures of HHA Gambia. Members from Germany do not hold any special decision-making or directive rights within the Gambian organisation; rather—insofar as they are members there—they have the same membership rights as other members.

Helping Hands Academy e.V. Germany was established in 2025 as an independent non-profit association. Its primary purpose is to support the work and projects in The Gambia from Germany. This includes fundraising, grant acquisition, donation management, project development, technical and organisational support, international partnerships, as well as the documentation and tracking of funds provided from Germany.

This cooperation follows a clear core principle: operational responsibility lies where the projects take place. HHA Gambia understands the local conditions, structures and requirements, and therefore carries responsibility for practical implementation on the ground. HHA Germany contributes complementary resources, contacts, expertise, project structure, as well as access to donations and funding opportunities.

For jointly funded projects, objectives, budgets, responsibilities and reporting requirements are agreed upon in advance. The organisational independence of HHA Gambia remains unaffected by this. At the same time, HHA Germany bears responsibility toward its donors, funding partners and supporters to ensure that funds provided from Germany are utilised according to their intended purposes and are transparently documented.

The shared name identity, Helping Hands Academy, represents a common history, shared values and a joint objective. However, it does not imply a unified legal or organisational management. Both organisations work in partnership and assume clearly defined tasks within this collaboration.

The structure of the Helping Hands Academy is fundamentally designed for a measured, international evolution. Alongside the existing cooperation between The Gambia and Germany, we are currently working intensively on establishing a further structure in Italy. Looking ahead, we are also examining a prospective expansion or collaboration with independent structures in other West African countries, particularly Senegal.

Even in future expansions, the same principle will apply: local organisations act independently and carry responsibility on the ground; international partners support through financing, expertise, project development, networks and transparent guidance.

Governance & Independent Control

Independent decision-making structures and transparent oversight go hand in hand for us.

For larger projects, HHA Gambia can establish a project-specific Independent Project Monitoring & Audit Committee (PMAC). The PMAC is assembled anew for each larger project and tailored specifically to the venture at hand. It is therefore not a permanently established body for all projects.

It brings together three perspectives:

A representative of Helping Hands Academy Gambia from the finance department (the implementing organisation/carrier),
A representative of the directly benefiting institution of the respective project (user/beneficiary),
An independent financial expert licensed in The Gambia, such as an auditor, tax advisor, accountant or a comparably qualified and licensed professional.

Finances & Allocation of Funds

The responsible and transparent handling of donations and grant funds is one of the central principles of the Helping Hands Academy. Our goal is to ensure that the funds deployed benefit the intended project as fully as possible and that their use remains traceable retroactively.

For jointly funded projects, objectives, budgets, intended uses and responsibilities are clearly defined before work begins. Expenditures are documented on a project basis and allocated to the respective budget lines. Invoices, receipts, proof of payment and other relevant documents are maintained so that fund usage and project progress can be cross-checked against one another.

When procuring goods and making major investments, we ensure a transparent selection of suppliers and services. Wherever sensible and practical, comparative offers are obtained, comparing price, scope of performance and quality. However, the decisive factor for us is not merely the existence of a quote, invoice or payment voucher; we equally verify whether the specifically agreed services, quantities and quality levels have actually been delivered and correspond to the agreed project scope.