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Last edited: 23 January 2024      
This article is about an entity that either no longer exists or that may no longer be active in solar cooking promotion. It is retained here for archival purposes.

German Aid for Afghan Children logo

German Aid for Afghan Children (GAAC) was founded by Reinhard Erös with his wife, Annette in 1998. They draws on extensive experience of organizing affected people, following the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan and working with them to extend relief and rehabilitation support. “Looking at the desperate situation the people of Pakistan are facing today, we realized that this gigantic task can only be tackled if everyone pitches in with whatever resources they have” said Dr. Reinhard Erös, President GAAC Germany.

This NGO has been working on the basis of education and medical supply in small towns and villages with UNO, NATO and other international aid organizations in India, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Albania, Rwanda and East Timor. Since its foundation, the organization has supported Afghan children and women in east Afghanistan by establishing medical and educational units. The NGO is not government funded but relies on the German people such as students, doctors, engineers, laborers and even the poor.

Reinhard Erös visits projects several times a year to check the ongoing work and developments and personally pays the teachers, doctors, engineers, builders, carpenters and all others involved. This is the best way to ensure that the donations are put to economic and efficient use. Annette Erös and the adult sons Veit, Urs and Welf accompany Reinhard Erös regularly and support the work on location in Afghanistan. The 19-years old twins Cosima and Veda support from home. They do office work and help prepare lectures and exhibitions. The family’s work for Afghanistan is entirely honorary: no salary, no expenses, no allowance.

With the assistance of dedicated Afghan staff, they are building, running and supporting peace schools, mother-child hospitals, basic health units, orphanages, workshops for the production of solar panels and many other projects in the Eastern provinces of Afghanistan and in refugee camps near the Afghan border. All projects are established with the peaceful future of the country in mind.

“Currently we are providing food rations including flour, oil, pulses, tea, sugar, milk and water. These are immediate steps to relieve some of the basic problems of hunger; however there is a need to look beyond the current catastrophe and see what is to be done for the rehabilitation of thousands of people.” added Dr. Reinhard Erös. The objectives of GAAC Relief Aid is to extend relief assistance to people affected by the 2010 floods in Pakistan by providing shelter – construction materials such as cement, brick or corrugated iron sheets including electricity and solar cooking equipment, and also helping farmers to restart their farming by providing goats, seeds, fertilizers etc, to them. The GAAC current aid package is to reach 1000 people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

News[]

  • January 2011: The flood affected Pakistani people of Swat received solar-powered energy generators for electricity and solar-powered cooking equipment, funded by a leading Berlin-based non-governmental organization, German Aid for Afghan Children (GAAC). The organization has begun a one million Euros worth relief and reconstruction work in the Khyber Pakhtunhwa's districts worst hit by floods. GAAC had announced in 2010 the distribution of solar-powered lithium-ion batteries to generate electricity and solar cooking equipment for the planned 1000 families of Swat, Nowshera, Pabbi and Bannu districts. - Right Vision News
  • August 2010: In the wake of recent flooding in Pakistan, German Aid for Afghan Children (GAAC) has increased its aid efforts by providing building materials for new housing, and some simple prefabricated shelters. The houses will include solar powered lithium-ion batteries, generating electricity for the family living in the house, and also solar cooking equipment, which will ease the difficulty of cooking foods. This will help prevent further deforestation, as residents struggle to find cooking fuel. - The Daily Mail