Auma Obama is the New Member of the Jacobs Foundation’s Board of Trustees

Zurich, July 19, 2010
The Jacobs Foundation’s Board of Trustees has appointed Dr. Auma Obama as a new member. Auma Obama works as a Global Technical Advisor for the aid organisation ‘CARE International’ and – like the Jacobs Foundation – actively promotes educational and development opportunities for young people. The Jacobs Foundation, with its registered office in Zurich, provides funding and support worldwide and has an annual funding budget amounting to approximately CHF 35 million for projects benefiting young people and their integration into society. Its Board of Trustees is made up of personalities with international backgrounds and with experience in the fields of educational practice, science and politics. The former Swiss Federal Councillor Pascal Couchepin is the most recent addition to the Board of Trustees.

Dr. Auma Obama studied German Language and Literature from 1981 to 1987 at Heidelberg University, obtained her PHD from the University of Bayreuth and later studied at the Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie (German Film and Television Academy) in Berlin. For about three years, she has coordinated the ‘Sports for Social Change Initiative’ of the aid organisation CARE International from Nairobi.

As a member of the Jacobs Foundation’s Board of Trustees, Auma Obama will in future use her expertise to help make decisions which will create a brighter future for children and young people in Switzerland and all over the world. ‘In order to reach their full potential, young people need to have the freedom to decide what they want to do in life. Education, no matter whether it is at a village school in Africa or at a tertiary institution, gives them a choice of different careers. I want to support the Jacobs Foundation in its efforts to provide promising and innovative forms of support, hence having a positive impact on bringing about social change,’ emphasises Auma Obama.

The Chairman of the Board of Trustees Dr. Christian Jacobs expresses his joy at the valuable addition the new member will be to the foundation as follows: ‘International character, the exchange of ideas within society and between different cultures, combined with a consistent science-driven focus on practical experience are major mainstays of our self-image. Ms. Obama shares our motivation and will be able to provide us with fresh impetus, ensuring that children and young people are well-equipped for the future.’

As early as 2009, the Jacobs Foundation welcomed Auma Obama during the forum organised in Nairobi entitled ‘Productive Youth Development through Sport in Africa’. The participating experts considered the opportunities and limitations of sport as far as the development of children and young people is concerned. (Documentation and recommendations available on http://www.jacobsfoundation.org Dialogue and Network Building). During a visit to the Jacobs University Bremen in March 2010, Obama met international students on the campus and gave them important encouragement and advice concerning their future career plans.

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