Ambassador Senta Berger
Senta Berger is not only an outstanding actress. She is also passionately committed to humanitarian projects and has been an ambassador for ARCHEMED since 2013.
‘It’s just great what you’re doing here.’
These were the words of Senta Berger when she got to know the work of ARCHEMED at the end of 2011 on the occasion of the ‘Ein Herz für Kinder’ fundraising gala and appeared in front of a large television audience as a laudatory speaker for our association chairman Dr Peter Schwidtal. Peter Schwidtal talked about the organisation’s projects and tasks and invited the actress to get to know Eritrea personally. In March 2013, Senta Berger travelled to Eritrea for the first time together with the ARCHEMED team. With great warmth and no fear of contact, she made contact with the children on site and took an interest in their fate:
‘I saw little children who would have no chance of survival without the work of many doctors, nurses, carers, technicians and helpers. The grateful mothers who tenderly care for their children in the hospital wards. I have heard about heavily pregnant women who have to walk for days to get help, I have seen women who try to reach the paediatric ward with their premature babies — some of them only the size of a hand — so that the doctors can keep their premature babies alive. That made a deep impression on me.’
Since then, Senta Berger has been passionately committed to ARCHEMED’s projects and has personally accompanied many of our mission trips. At the end of 2022, Senta Berger travelled with us to Eritrea to visit the clinic for burn victims, which was in need of renovation, and to attend the opening of the large mother and child clinic in Keren. She is always deeply moved by the situation on the ground and by the commitment of each individual.
‘There are many people here with heart, perseverance, compassion and courage. I was able to see how cohesive the ARCHEMED teams are, without hierarchies or ranks, how good the mood is and therefore also the working atmosphere. Everyone wants to help the people in one of the poorest countries in the world.
Of course, I must not forget the local helpers: young doctors and hospital staff who learn from ARCHEMED employees so that they can help better in the future and work independently. ARCHEMED has set itself a great task and I would like to support this meaningful and important work as an ambassador.’