The HLF – Heidelberg Laureate Forum (HLF) is an annual network meeting that brings together the recipients of the most prestigious awards in mathematics and computer science with 200 outstanding young researchers in these fields from all over the world.
This year’s Welcome Dinner for the almost 300 international guests from the scientific community from the disciplines of mathematics and computer science featured a very special keynote speech: Ute Clement and Antje Tschira, both from the German CAAS team, were invited to present CAAS.
They let the pictures do the talking and their presentation not only addressed the question of what the CAAS is, but also looked at how this project came about, what guidelines it follows and how the team works. Ruth Wetzlar, Managing Director of the HLF, had expressly asked for this, as there are numerous founders and activists of our own projects and NGOs among both the award winners and the Young Researchers, for whom it is not only interesting to hear what we are working on, but also how we are doing it.
The take-aways received a lot of positive feedback:
– It works because it is autonomous and has its own electricity and drinking water.
– A bi-national team is responsible for the planning and implementation of the center: this team is characterized by a high quality of cooperation, with diversity and competence as guiding principles.
– CAAS hat von Anfang an das Credo der Entwicklungszusammenarbeit sowohl auf deutscher als auch auf malischer Seite verfolgt: Wir tun es nicht für Menschen, wir tun es mit Menschen.
– CAAS has a clear profile: what do we do and what don’t we do?
– We do nothing that cannot be implemented locally
– The context – the village – is included as a relevant driver of development
– The added value remains in the country
Ute Clement and Antje Tschira were delighted and overwhelmed by so much positive feedback and the opportunity for discussion that evening. As it turned out, her presentation inspired a Nigerian post doc mathematician from Texas to start a mentoring program in rural Nigeria.
We are delighted with such a fruitful networking event. Our world needs international initiatives more than ever right now.
