The Story of Rainbow Garden Village - How it all began

An internship abroad that laid the foundation for today's volunteer organization.

In 1999, after the first semester of my teacher training course, I packed my things for an internship abroad at a school in Ghana. They say that first impressions count. That saying still holds true for me to this day. The open-minded and positive West Africans and their completely decelerated attitude to life sparked my passion for the African continent. Even today, more than 20 years later, I am extremely grateful for this valuable experience.

Construction of the first student accommodation in Ghana - This is how the Rainbow Garden Village came about

My originally planned four-week mandatory internship in Ghana turned into two and a half impressive years in no time. As a teacher, I saw where there was a lack of educational opportunities for children and I wanted to change that. With the support of students from the Freiburg University of Education, I set up the first student accommodation:

Small African round huts with thatched roofs painted in bright colors and bordered by a tropical garden. The community of Anyiniatiase provided the property and in return I promised to improve the educational situation of the children at Lake Bosomtwe. This promise is still the driving force behind the Rainbow Family today.

How Rainbow Garden Village got its name

These colorful round huts with the tropical garden in a mystical setting on the shore of the crater lake Bosomtwe ultimately led to the name "Rainbow Garden Village", mainly because of the many rainbows that could be seen almost daily over the lake. Our small team slowly started to grow and the villagers called us the Rainbow Family.

Our career

In the same year I arrived, I founded the NGO (Non Governmental Organization) Rainbow Garden Village in Ghana and developed an educational concept for primary school children with the responsible chiefs (mayors) of the surrounding lakeside villages.

Shortly afterwards, the first teaching students traveled to the “Rainbow Garden Village” in Ghana. My fellow students lived in the small village during this time and supported me in my plan to teach the children around Lake Bosomtwe and thus improve the educational situation in this rural region of Ghana - a promise that is still valid today was adopted in 30 other countries worldwide.

The great learning results of the children and the positive response from the village communities at Lake Bosomtwe motivated me in 2007 to transfer my educational concept to other African countries. Next up were Tanzania and South Africa as new RGV locations.

In 2013 we then moved the RGV headquarters from Ghana to Munich. The Rainbow Garden Village GmbH and the association Rainbow over Ghana eV emerged from the former NGO.

The special feature and challenge now lay in being able to offer volunteering on other continents as well. In 2012 and 2016, other countries in Africa and Asia were added. I look back on this time with great pleasure, because it was a very travel-intensive time in which new networks were founded and new projects brought to life. Immersing myself in foreign cultures and the associated adventures and experiences shape me and thus the RGV philosophy in particular - and I would like to pass this enthusiasm on to our volunteers.

From the RGV student accommodation to today's organization for volunteer work and internships abroad

The South Africa location took shape under the leadership of my former fellow student Verena and her South African husband Jemaine. And in Tanzania, team leader Lukas started projects with his Tanzanian wife Flora. As in Ghana, we initially offered social projects in both countries.

The personal connection to my target countries and the idea of ​​becoming one big family is still extremely important to me and the cornerstone of our success. Today I am all the more pleased that our originally small Rainbow Family in Ghana has grown into a large and global community. This is the true value of our organization and I am particularly proud of this community.
I really wanted to continue to pursue the community spirit and so in 2022 things came full circle, because Rainbow Garden Village returned to its roots as a non-profit organization. With the change of name to Rainbow Garden Village gGmbH, I have come a step closer to my goal of giving something back to the world and society.

An organization with a global community that is active in more than 30 countries around the world has emerged from the original student initiative. More than 12.000 volunteers have made a significant contribution to this success, so we have great Milestones were able to achieve and achieve a positive and measurable impact at our locations.

I wish our volunteers and interns the same positive experiences abroad that I was able to have. A time abroad that can give you cultural experiences and life-changing experiences is invaluable! My first big time abroad had a positive impact on my life and I am grateful for that.