Ruanda Stiftung

What Ruanda Stiftung does

Ruanda Stiftung is a German charitable foundation (Stiftung des bürgerlichen Rechts) established in 2007 by Prof. Dr. Christian Schleuning, headquartered in Landau, Rheinland-Pfalz. It is funded entirely by donations — from individuals, German schools, corporate partners (notably AOK Rheinland-Pfalz/Saarland employee payroll giving), other foundations (Schmitz-Stiftungen, Hubert-Beck Stiftung), and historically the German federal BMZ — and operates no commercial revenue lines. All administrative costs are reportedly covered separately, so donations are intended to reach beneficiaries directly.

The foundation delivers a portfolio of development programs to impoverished children and families in rural Rwanda and the Rwanda-DRCongo border region. Core programs include school construction and renovation (classrooms, latrines, water cisterns, solar lighting), school materials and uniform distribution, health insurance sponsorship through Rwanda's mutuelle de santé system (~1,050 children annually), livestock distribution (goats, chickens, pigs) for family income, microcredit loans (managed by CAJER with 96%+ repayment), support for Kabgayi Hospital's social service, and operation/construction of a residential center for disabled children in Rulindo. Beneficiary children are identified jointly with school leadership, teachers, parent representatives, churches, and local administration.

Operations are run by a small team: founder Prof. Dr. Christian Schleuning, Rwanda-based project manager Nathan Bukanda in Kigali, honorary member Carsten Schrader (reporting/publications), and external accountant Melanie Richter (büro concept). On-the-ground execution is delegated to local partners including Caritas Rulindo, CAJER, the Partnerschaft Rheinland-Pfalz/Ruanda coordination office, Kabgayi Hospital, Rwanda avenir, and the Maison d'Accueil l'Espérance. Recent activity (2024–2026) signals a deliberate geographic expansion into eastern DRCongo (Burhembo school extension, Mumosho health center), despite regional security risks. The foundation also maintains a publishing cadence (annual reports since 2007), a multilingual website, a YouTube channel, and recurring German school partnerships that drive both donations and awareness.

Name

Ruanda Stiftung

Legal name

Ruanda Stiftung

Website

https://ruanda-stiftung.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Ruanda Stiftung is a German charitable foundation founded in 2007 that delivers education, health insurance, livestock, microcredit, and school construction programs to impoverished children and families in rural Rwanda and the Rwanda-DRCongo border region, funded entirely by donations and implemented through local partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Foundation Services

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Protection & Child Rights (BPAGABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Maternal, Newborn, Child & Adolescent Health (MNCAH) NGOs (HLAJAKAG), International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs (EDADALAB), Special Education, Disability Support & Inclusive Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAH)

Keywords

• Charitable foundation services
• Humanitarian development aid
• School construction projects
• Microcredit lending programs
• Child health insurance

Headquarters

HQ city

Landau in der Pfalz

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: All revenue is generated through donations from individuals, companies, schools, and government institutions. No commercial products or services are sold.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ruanda Stiftung is a German charitable foundation that delivers development aid and humanitarian assistance to impoverished children and families in Rwanda and the border region with the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its programs span school construction, health insurance for children, livestock distribution, micro-credit, solar power/photovoltaic installations, nutrition, hospital support, and support for a disability center in Rulindo, implemented directly through a local project manager based in Kigali.

Product overview

Ruanda Stiftung is a German charitable foundation (gemeinnützige Stiftung) focused on sustainable development aid for children and families in Rwanda. The organization operates multiple interconnected programs including school support (construction, supplies, uniforms), health insurance sponsorship, livestock distribution (goats, chickens, pigs), micro-credit lending, solar energy installations, and support for disabled children. Rather than a unified product, the foundation offers a portfolio of development programs that address education, healthcare, nutrition, and economic empowerment for Rwanda's most vulnerable populations. Projects are implemented in close cooperation with local partners including schools, the Caritas organization, hospitals, and community groups.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• School Construction Projects (Schulbauprojekte)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 children per year provided with health insurance covering common illnesses such as malaria and diarrhea
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AOK Rheinland-Pfalz/Saarland (Mitarbeiter-Spendenaktion)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerAOK employees voluntarily donate €3.90 per month from their salaries to fund health insurance for impoverished children in Rwanda. This partnership enables approximately 1,000 children to be insured annually. The foundation administers the funds and ensures they are used exclusively for health insurance premiums.
• VfG-Versandapotheke (Kinder-Hilfsprojekt)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe VfG mail-order pharmacy runs a 'Children's Aid Project' for Rwanda Stiftung. Customers can add a donation (€0.50, €1, €2 or more) to their orders. VfG bundles donations and forwards them without deductions to the foundation.
• Partnerschaft Rheinland-Pfalz/Ruanda e.V. (Koordinationsbüro)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe partnership association, supported by the state of Rheinland-Pfalz (which has maintained a country partnership with Rwanda for over 25 years), operates a coordination office in Kigali. The Ruanda Stiftung cooperates closely with this office for project vetting, financial management, oversight, and monitoring of construction projects.
• 100% erneuerbar e.V.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe German renewable energy association supports the foundation through donations (€4,000 in 2012, €3,000 in 2012, €1,500 for solar projects) and fundraising events. Funds are used for solar power installations and water cisterns at schools.
• Erich-Kästner Realschule München (Patenschule Nyabuko)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSince 2012, the Munich school has maintained a school partnership with Primary School Nyabuko. Students collect donations through a bottle deposit program ('Pfandflaschen-Projekt'), raising approximately €420–€1,095. The school's teacher Uli Piller coordinates visits and fundraising.
• Carl-Orff-Gymnasium (Unterschleißheim)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerStudents raised €2,453.29 through a benefit rock concert. Funds supported roof repairs at Nyabuko school and the distribution of goats to children.
• Caritas RulindocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCaritas Rulindo is the local implementing partner for the Centre for Disabled Children (Maison d'Accueil l'Espérance) and the microcredit program managed through CAJER. The foundation provides funding while Caritas manages on-the-ground operations.
• CAJER (Collectif des Associations des Jeunes de Rulindo)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAJER is a youth organization under Caritas Rulindo that manages the microcredit program. It reviews credit applications, decides on loan disbursements, and monitors repayments. The foundation has provided €5,000 in microcredit capital, achieving a 96%+ repayment rate.
• Rwanda avenir (Frankreich)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe French organization Rwanda avenir is the lead implementing partner for the Maison de quartier project in Kimironko, a day care and community center for genocide widows and children. The foundation co-funded the nursery construction.
• Lichtblicke e.V. – Hilfe für Menschen in Not (Unterschleißheim)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerThis German association organizes an annual benefit concert to raise funds for worldwide charitable projects. In 2012 they donated approximately €5,800 from concert proceeds to support school reconstruction at Nyabuko.
• PROVIEH e.V. (Verein gegen tierquälerische Massentierhaltung)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPROVIEH partnered with the foundation on chicken projects for Rwandan children. They organized a henhouse auction ('Hühnerfest des Widerstands') and provided expertise on animal welfare for the chicken distribution projects.
• IBC Solar AG (Germany)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerGerman solar company IBC Solar donated a complete off-grid solar power system for Primary School Nkanga, enabling electricity for lighting and computer use.
• Grünhelme / Nelson Mandela Educational Centre (Ntarama, Rwanda)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Grünhelme organization trained apprentices who installed the solar photovoltaic system at Primary School Nkanga, which was donated by IBC Solar AG.
• Ärzteteam aus Karlsruhe (Dr. Christian Scheib, Dr. Frieder Speidel, Dr. Georg Schüle, Dr. Kilian Schöpfer, Dr. Katharina Schöpfer)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA team of eye doctors and a pediatrician from Karlsruhe conducted medical check-ups for approximately 350 children at Schools Busake and Nyabuko over 4 days in January 2015, organized in cooperation with the foundation.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Welthungerhilfe: Large German aid organization working on food security, rural development, and education in Africa. Overlaps in nutrition/livestock/school infrastructure programs and donor-based German foundation model.
• Misereor: Catholic German development agency funding self-help initiatives globally including Africa. Comparable as a German faith-rooted development donor, though broader in scope and scale.
• Brot für die Welt: German Protestant development service funding partner projects in Africa. Comparable as a German donor-funded international development organization with Africa programming, though far larger.
• SOS-Kinderdörfer: Large international organization supporting vulnerable children, including in Rwanda. Comparable beneficiary focus but much larger scale and broader geographic footprint.

Direct peers

• Kindernothilfe: German child-focused development NGO sponsoring children and education/health projects across Africa and other regions. Closely comparable in donor-driven aid model, child sponsorship focus, and German/Swiss governance structure.
• Andere Direkte Hilfe: Small German aid organization explicitly focused on direct project support in Rwanda and Africa. Highly comparable in scale, lean team, and Rwanda-centric programming.

Regional players

• Partnerschaft Rheinland-Pfalz/Ruanda e.V. State-level partnership association coordinating Rwanda-Rheinland-Pfalz cooperation. Direct operational counterpart to Ruanda Stiftung, sharing the same Rheinland-Pfalz state-level ecosystem and Rwandan coordination office in Kigali.

Others

• Caritas international / Rulindo: Caritas Rulindo is Ruanda Stiftung's primary implementing partner on the ground for the disability center and microcredit program. Comparable in mission orientation but operating as a Catholic charity network rather than an independent Stiftung.

Emerging players

• Grünhelme e.V. German aid organization building schools and infrastructure in developing regions. Ruanda Stiftung's own Nkanga solar project was installed by Grünhelme-trained apprentices, indicating direct operational overlap on school construction.
• Cap Anamur / Deutsche Not-Ärzte e.V. German emergency medical and humanitarian NGO operating in conflict-affected regions including DRCongo. Comparable through direct on-the-ground delivery and Rwandan/DRCongo presence, but with a humanitarian/medical lens.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/ruandastiftung

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ruanda Stiftung