THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
Kenyan-born social entrepreneur and advocate for African girls, women and families in Germany, Virginia Wangare Greiner, is one of the two recipients of the ‘HeroinesAward 2024’ (HeldinnenAward 2024).
Awarded by the Alice Schwarzer Foundation, the ‘HeroinesAward’ recognizes women who fight courageously and with dedication to improve the situation of women, whether through their professional work, social engagement or personal commitment.
Ms Greiner is the founder of Maisha – African Women in Germany e.V., a self-help organization for African women in Germany. Founded in 1996, Maisha, which means “life” in Swahili, assists African families with various challenges typically faced by immigrants, such as residence permit issues, interactions with authorities, difficulties encountered by children in kindergartens and schools, as well as problems related to discrimination.
Maisha has also been actively involved in various projects to raise awareness about the harmful effects of female circumcision and to support victims of forced prostitution within the African community.
Ms Greiner has received numerous awards for her efforts to integrate African immigrants in Germany. In June 2006, she was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit by then-President of Germany, Dr Horst Köhler. She was the first person of African origin to receive this national honour.
The second recipient of the ‘HeroinesAward 2024’ is Dr Cornelia Strunz, a German medical doctor and managing director of Dunkelziffer e.V., an organization that campaigns against the sexual abuse of children and offers support to affected children and young people. Ms Strunz is known for her commitment to child protection and actively works to provide support and therapeutic help to victims of sexual abuse. Dunkelziffer’s work includes both prevention and intervention in cases of sexual abuse, and the organisation is dedicated to improving education and awareness in society to protect children from such abuse.
The awardees will be presented with the ‘HeroinesAward 2024’ on October 25 at a ceremony in Berlin’s Rotes Rathaus.
Waris Dirie, the Somali-born author of ‘Desert Flower,’ will deliver the laudatory speech for Dr Cornelia Strunz, while the speech for Virginia Wangare Greiner will be given by Prof Dr Jürgen Wilhelm, who has been involved in development aid for many years.
The prize was first awarded in 2023 to the Iranian women’s and human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, who was released from Evin Prison in Tehran three days after receiving the honour.
The award ceremony is open to the public. The registration deadline is October 10. To register, please contact: mail@alice-schwarzer-stiftung.de.
