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By helping them to develop a stronger character for a successful start in life, the NO LIMITS project shows young people what they are capable of achieving. If young people do not have support at home, they often find it difficult to perform well at school or in training. It is a problem that also affects pupils from socially disadvantaged families at a secondary school in Munich. As part of the NO LIMITS project they attend various workshops designed to foster their talents, creativity and self-esteem.

Knorr-Bremse Global Care is supporting Dein München with workshops for a group of participants from a secondary school in Munich. A special feature of the project is that the youngsters come into contact with people who have themselves succeeded in working their way up “from the bottom”. Former NO LIMITS participants are also on hand as youth ambassadors, offering advice and practical assistance. They are people the target groups can relate to and include 19-year-old Nitisha, who came to Munich with her family from Nepal via Italy in 2012 and is now studying business and administration. 17-year-old Nawid escaped the war in Afghanistan with his brother at the end of 2015, and now attends a technical college.

Climate change is affecting more and more people around the world. In Kenya, small-scale farmers and families in the counties of Machakos, Makueni and Kitui are among those suffering the impact: The region is struggling with dramatic fluctuations in rainfall and frequent periods of drought, which restrict agricultural production and lead to food and water insecurity. Nearly 40 per cent of people living in these areas are undernourished. Women and children in particular are severely affected.

Knorr-Bremse Global Care and arche noVa joined forces with the African Sand Dam Foundation to tackle the problem. Their main project involved constructing sand dams in dry riverbeds. The project team carried out the work in close ooperation with local authorities and the local population.

The dammed water raises the groundwater table. Hand pump wells are installed near the sand dams so that local people can use the water for their own personal requirements or for farming. Self-help groups have been set up and receive instruction and training on maintaining and repairing the dams. In addition, the farmers are offered courses where they can learn about new cultivation methods that increase production and crop yields. Over 5,000 people are benefiting from the project, which will enable them to live more independent lives in the future.

The regions of Lambayeque and Piura in the north of Peru are frequently severely affected by the weather phenomenon known as “El Niño”. The floods and landslides caused by the heavy rainfall can destroy the livelihoods of many families. Knorr-Bremse Global Care is supporting the German Red Cross and its Peruvian counterpart Cruz Roja Peruana in conducting a pilot project in forecast-based financing in the two regions. This innovative concept is designed to improve disaster forecasting. With the help of the funds provided, the Red Cross can carry out a science-based risk analysis, selecting the necessary weather forecasts, and defining thresholds and relief measures.

In the future, if a disaster is forecast, the inhabitants of these regions can be warned in good time, enabling them to take precautions, minimize damage and safeguard their livelihoods.