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ACTIVELY IMPROVE THE WORLD

Charity at The Circus

Our Projects

Participate & donate

Here at The Circus we have always felt a deep connection to the world around us, from our neighbourhood in Berlin to the places we have visited in the course of our travels. Over the years we have supported a number of organisations and other projects, from integration work here in Germany to charities around the world. 

An ongoing project The Circus supports is the ZelterPate homeless support centre here in Berlin. This incredible charity is close to our heart as its day centre is just around the corner, a place for people who are homeless, threatened by homelessness, permanently unemployed or those who live on the margins of society.

On an international scale, our projects are chosen through connections to the owners or our staff, that gives us a very personal relationship to them. So far we have supported charity projects in Gambia, Thailand, Djibouti, Russia, Lebanon and Mongolia. Read on to find out more about our current project and how you can donate and help us continue to support this important work.

Etive – Educate, Transform, Integrate, Value

This project takes us to the small town of Itacaré in the state of Bahia (Brazil). Our wonderful hostel receptionist Luciana has worked together with this wonderful NGO and put us in contact: www.etivdobrasil.org.
This time the Circus with your help is raising money to provide environmental education and enable etivdobrazil to reach and empower about 50 youths that come from some of the lowest income communities.
The Program is a transformative experience for the children and youth of Itacaré, equipping them with essential skills to address environmental challenges and become advocates for positive change.
We will be extremely proud to be providing funds for the payment of teachers, the acquisition of educational materials, computer equipment as well as providing funding for field trips. All donations are greatly appreciated, whether through our donation boxes on the reception or via our bank account.

 

Etive – Educate, Transform, Integrate, Value

This project takes us to the small town of Itacaré in the state of Bahia (Brazil). Our wonderful hostel receptionist Luciana has worked together with this wonderful NGO and put us in contact: www.etivdobrasil.org.
This time the Circus with your help is raising money to provide environmental education and enable etivdobrazil to reach and empower about 50 youths that come from some of the lowest income communities.
The Program is a transformative experience for the children and youth of Itacaré, equipping them with essential skills to address environmental challenges and become advocates for positive change.
We will be extremely proud to be providing funds for the payment of teachers, the acquisition of educational materials, computer equipment as well as providing funding for field trips. All donations are greatly appreciated, whether through our donation boxes on the reception or via our bank account.

 

Donate & Bank Information

Account holder:     Becker, Digel, Göppert, Hadfield, Hierath The Circus GbR
IBAN:                           DE25 1005 0000 0190 5941 28

Keyword:    Charity
BIC:               BELADEBEXXX

Oceansole – Turning pollution into flip flop art

Our latest project was not exactly new for The Circus. Since 2017 we have already raised more than €10,000 for our friends at Oceansole by selling their artwork in the hotel and hostel. Old washed up flip flops that are found and gathered up on Kenyan beaches are turned into wonderful works of art, including turtles, camels and elephants. And yes, if you’ve stayed with us before you might have noticed our fondness for giraffes. In the hostel lobby you’ll find Gustavo, a giant flip flop giraffe who has been looking after our guests for a while now. Of course, Gustavo is our friend and not for sale, but we do have smaller versions available to take home with you.Of course, when our mates at Oceansole are cleaning the beaches, they don’t only remove the flip flops but all the rubbish that has gathered there, and the money raised from selling their art goes towards cleaning the next section of beach. We helped them by raising donations to remove 10 tonnes of rubbish from the Indian Ocean beaches on the eastern coast of Africa.

Oceansole – Turning pollution into flip flop art

Our latest project was not exactly new for The Circus. Since 2017 we have already raised more than €10,000 for our friends at Oceansole by selling their artwork in the hotel and hostel. Old washed up flip flops that are found and gathered up on Kenyan beaches are turned into wonderful works of art, including turtles, camels and elephants. And yes, if you’ve stayed with us before you might have noticed our fondness for giraffes. In the hostel lobby you’ll find Gustavo, a giant flip flop giraffe who has been looking after our guests for a while now. Of course, Gustavo is our friend and not for sale, but we do have smaller versions available to take home with you.Of course, when our mates at Oceansole are cleaning the beaches, they don’t only remove the flip flops but all the rubbish that has gathered there, and the money raised from selling their art goes towards cleaning the next section of beach. We helped them by raising donations to remove 10 tonnes of rubbish from the Indian Ocean beaches on the eastern coast of Africa.

Centro Yanachaga - Help children find a home in Peru!

Our last project took us close to the birth place of one Peru’s most famous residents, Paddington Bear (and Anna our wonderful Hostel Manager). Centro Yanachaga is located in the mountainous jungles of Peru and is the brain child of two German teachers, who bought an old hacienda at the end of the seventies and transformed it into a home for children from families of extreme poverty. Today there are two parts, Quillazu is for girls, Yanachaga for boys. In 2022 there are 20 girls and 40 boys, all aged between 11 to 17 years old. The concept is that these youth have a home they like, and don’t have to worry about their daily survival. They live in groups of 5 with an adult responsible for them and can attend local schools in the morning as well as participate in workshops in the afternoon. At the Hacienda, the children learn essential life skills using real-life experience. They participate in daily farming tasks accompanied by teachers and workmen of the hacienda. The production includes honey, milk, coffee, chicken, fruit and vegetables etc. that are used for the meals for those children and people who work there, and can also be sold to the local stores. For this work, Centro Yanachaga has also received recognition for ecological efforts this year by the Peruvian government. Apart from that, there are afternoon activities like bakery and carpentry, as well as groups to improve language abilities and computer skills. Participation according to choices and timetable is obligatory during the afternoons on weekdays.

Our goal, with your help, is to provide the money for urgent repairs to the buildings behind the kapelle (the oldest part of the complex) so the rooms can once again but used for their original purpose as a living space.

Centro Yanachaga - Help children find a home in Peru!

Our last project took us close to the birth place of one Peru’s most famous residents, Paddington Bear (and Anna our wonderful Hostel Manager). Centro Yanachaga is located in the mountainous jungles of Peru and is the brain child of two German teachers, who bought an old hacienda at the end of the seventies and transformed it into a home for children from families of extreme poverty. Today there are two parts, Quillazu is for girls, Yanachaga for boys. In 2022 there are 20 girls and 40 boys, all aged between 11 to 17 years old. The concept is that these youth have a home they like, and don’t have to worry about their daily survival. They live in groups of 5 with an adult responsible for them and can attend local schools in the morning as well as participate in workshops in the afternoon. At the Hacienda, the children learn essential life skills using real-life experience. They participate in daily farming tasks accompanied by teachers and workmen of the hacienda. The production includes honey, milk, coffee, chicken, fruit and vegetables etc. that are used for the meals for those children and people who work there, and can also be sold to the local stores. For this work, Centro Yanachaga has also received recognition for ecological efforts this year by the Peruvian government. Apart from that, there are afternoon activities like bakery and carpentry, as well as groups to improve language abilities and computer skills. Participation according to choices and timetable is obligatory during the afternoons on weekdays.

Our goal, with your help, is to provide the money for urgent repairs to the buildings behind the kapelle (the oldest part of the complex) so the rooms can once again but used for their original purpose as a living space.

Pahar Trust - Renovating a School in Nepal

This charity project took us not just far away but high up:
High up? Is the Himalayas high enough for you? Why are mountains always sleepy? Because they n-Everest. Sorry… bad joke it will not happen again…..What’s funnier: mountain ranges or forests? Mountains, of course- they’re hill areas. Ahhh okay stop it….. Now serious. This time the Circus Hostel got together with Pahar Trust – a UK based charity that specializes in renovating schools in needy areas of Nepal. We came across the Pahar Trust though a former school teacher of Paul S. Since then, we haven’t been able to wait to get our teeth into raising money for this wonderful cause. Our goal with your help was to raise €4800 to renovate the Shree Prabhabkari Basic School. The work will be carried out within the existing building to offer a better environment for the kids to learn. This is a wonderful project, run by wonderful people helping a wonderful country. We are very proud to be part of it.

Pahar Trust - Renovating a School in Nepal

This charity project took us not just far away but high up:
High up? Is the Himalayas high enough for you? Why are mountains always sleepy? Because they n-Everest. Sorry… bad joke it will not happen again…..What’s funnier: mountain ranges or forests? Mountains, of course- they’re hill areas. Ahhh okay stop it….. Now serious. This time the Circus Hostel got together with Pahar Trust – a UK based charity that specializes in renovating schools in needy areas of Nepal. We came across the Pahar Trust though a former school teacher of Paul S. Since then, we haven’t been able to wait to get our teeth into raising money for this wonderful cause. Our goal with your help was to raise €4800 to renovate the Shree Prabhabkari Basic School. The work will be carried out within the existing building to offer a better environment for the kids to learn. This is a wonderful project, run by wonderful people helping a wonderful country. We are very proud to be part of it.

Zelter Pate

This time we wanted to stay close to home with our charity project. Tilman’s (one of the owners of the Circus) mother volunteered for many years for the social project ZelterPate which is located around the corner from our properties, in Prenzlauer Berg. They have been helping the homeless, unemployed, and otherwise marginalized residents of the neighbourhood for more than 15 years. Many of these people live in very precarious conditions. The centre has an average of 150 visitors during the winter months.

The day care center offers a free breakfast or lunch and hot drinks at a very low price. Visitors can also take a shower, wash their clothes, use the computer cabinet, or take part in various activities like excursions, table tennis tournaments or games afternoons.

Zelter Pate

This time we wanted to stay close to home with our charity project. Tilman’s (one of the owners of the Circus) mother volunteered for many years for the social project ZelterPate which is located around the corner from our properties, in Prenzlauer Berg. They have been helping the homeless, unemployed, and otherwise marginalized residents of the neighbourhood for more than 15 years. Many of these people live in very precarious conditions. The centre has an average of 150 visitors during the winter months.

The day care center offers a free breakfast or lunch and hot drinks at a very low price. Visitors can also take a shower, wash their clothes, use the computer cabinet, or take part in various activities like excursions, table tennis tournaments or games afternoons.

Help for the victims of the Beirut explosion

After the devastating explosion that took place in Beirut’s harbor on Tuesday, August 4th, and following months of economic and political decline, an estimated 300.000 people are left homeless and countless lives have been affected.

Together with the help of the Circus’ very close friend and colleague, Rani al Rajji, a Beirut citizen, architect and bar owner, we are raising money and organizing a street kitchen and psychological counseling to help locals deal with the trauma in any way we possibly can.

Our efforts to help Rani raise funds and support the people of Beirut in this challenging time resulted in €7.000  raised to help those who need it most.

Help for the victims of the Beirut explosion

After the devastating explosion that took place in Beirut’s harbor on Tuesday, August 4th, and following months of economic and political decline, an estimated 300.000 people are left homeless and countless lives have been affected.

Together with the help of the Circus’ very close friend and colleague, Rani al Rajji, a Beirut citizen, architect and bar owner, we are raising money and organizing a street kitchen and psychological counseling to help locals deal with the trauma in any way we possibly can.

Our efforts to help Rani raise funds and support the people of Beirut in this challenging time resulted in €7.000  raised to help those who need it most.

Active Future for children with disabilities in Belarus

This project was teamwork in the truest sense. Together with our long-term staff member and friend, Jared we teamed up to raise money to buy a special built running chair which enables disabled kids to have an active future.

It all began when jared met Dmitry, the organizer of Winged Angels – a running organization dedicated to the improvement of disabled children’s lives. Inspired through his own daughter who was born with cerebral palsy Dmitry’s lust for life and running made for a project that was impossible to resist.

The goal of €3.600 for the special running chair for the charity bas been reached with your help, gave disabled children the ability to go running with their friends and parents.

Active Future for children with disabilities in Belarus

This project was teamwork in the truest sense. Together with our long-term staff member and friend, Jared we teamed up to raise money to buy a special built running chair which enables disabled kids to have an active future.

It all began when jared met Dmitry, the organizer of Winged Angels – a running organization dedicated to the improvement of disabled children’s lives. Inspired through his own daughter who was born with cerebral palsy Dmitry’s lust for life and running made for a project that was impossible to resist.

The goal of €3.600 for the special running chair for the charity bas been reached with your help, gave disabled children the ability to go running with their friends and parents.

Bayasgalant education in Mongolia

This project saw the Circus teaming up with lovely people from the Swiss charity Bayasgalant. For 20 years they have been active in helping underprivileged children, youth and families in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

A team of twenty locals are currently offering children, mostly from the poorest of neighborhood and living under the poverty line, a chance to rejoin the school system through a day care center. These kids aged between 6 and 17, have often missed years of school and this their only chance to get catch up their education.  This school is helping 11 youths obtain further education so that they can go onto learn a trade, or even attend university.

Our goal, with your help, was to raise €4.400 to pay  half a year tuition fee for all the students. The donations were greatly appreciated and have helped children of Mongolia break out of the poverty trap.

Bayasgalant education in Mongolia

This project saw the Circus teaming up with lovely people from the Swiss charity Bayasgalant. For 20 years they have been active in helping underprivileged children, youth and families in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

A team of twenty locals are currently offering children, mostly from the poorest of neighborhood and living under the poverty line, a chance to rejoin the school system through a day care center. These kids aged between 6 and 17, have often missed years of school and this their only chance to get catch up their education.  This school is helping 11 youths obtain further education so that they can go onto learn a trade, or even attend university.

Our goal, with your help, was to raise €4.400 to pay  half a year tuition fee for all the students. The donations were greatly appreciated and have helped children of Mongolia break out of the poverty trap.

Vladivostok orphanage Extension

This project took the Circus east. Very easy, in fact. To Vladivostok, which is closer to Tokyo than Moscow. We got there though former Circus staff member Luba, who is now the owner of Ostpost, an Eastern-European café and book specialist.

Although Luba has lived in Berlin for many years, her heart is still in Vladivostok. She informed the Circus that the local orphanage needed an extension to the building, but had no funds to realize it.

With your help, we raised €3.500 and now orphanage Краевой психоневрологический дом ребенка (we really need to brush up on our Russian) or for short „KPDRVL“ has had a new extension built.

Vladivostok orphanage Extension

This project took the Circus east. Very easy, in fact. To Vladivostok, which is closer to Tokyo than Moscow. We got there though former Circus staff member Luba, who is now the owner of Ostpost, an Eastern-European café and book specialist.

Although Luba has lived in Berlin for many years, her heart is still in Vladivostok. She informed the Circus that the local orphanage needed an extension to the building, but had no funds to realize it.

With your help, we raised €3.500 and now orphanage Краевой психоневрологический дом ребенка (we really need to brush up on our Russian) or for short „KPDRVL“ has had a new extension built.

From Berlin to Djibouti: Football for refugees

The small East African country of Djibouti, itself a very poor country, it is one that has accommodated many thousands of refugees including over 40,000 refugees from the ongoing Yemeni civil war.

Eliese our Hostel Manager, had close connections to the German embassy in Djibouti. We thought- what could be a stronger force for the good in this world as the German Embassy and Circus Hostel/Hotel combo?

One of the problems identified at the Merkazi refugee camp is that there is nothing for the young people to do. The not-so-far-from-home was born: Football. With this in mind, we raised money to build a football pitch, supply footballs, provide training materials and kits for the youth there. In the name of friendship, we decided that the football pitch should be situated on the outskirts of the camp so that not only the refugees but also the locals can play.

What we thought to be a simple project, turned out to be a bureaucratic impossibility that even the German embassy could not sort out. We instead donated all the funds to https://www.savethechildren.org/us/where-we-work/yemen “Victory in defeat” we call this. Thank you for your generous help.

From Berlin to Djibouti: Football for refugees

The small East African country of Djibouti, itself a very poor country, it is one that has accommodated many thousands of refugees including over 40,000 refugees from the ongoing Yemeni civil war.

Eliese our Hostel Manager, had close connections to the German embassy in Djibouti. We thought- what could be a stronger force for the good in this world as the German Embassy and Circus Hostel/Hotel combo?

One of the problems identified at the Merkazi refugee camp is that there is nothing for the young people to do. The not-so-far-from-home was born: Football. With this in mind, we raised money to build a football pitch, supply footballs, provide training materials and kits for the youth there. In the name of friendship, we decided that the football pitch should be situated on the outskirts of the camp so that not only the refugees but also the locals can play.

What we thought to be a simple project, turned out to be a bureaucratic impossibility that even the German embassy could not sort out. We instead donated all the funds to https://www.savethechildren.org/us/where-we-work/yemen “Victory in defeat” we call this. Thank you for your generous help.

Sparrow Home Bangkok

Sparrow Home Bangkok provides temporary accommodation for kids aged between 1 and 7 who were born in prison and are waiting for their parents to be released. Care is provided in a family style environment, and Sparrow Home Bangkok supports visits to the children’s parents and also pays for the education of older children in their care.

If you are looking for a funny story, ask Jim who plucked one of the kids out of a pool while visiting Thailand. Your “I rescued a drowning Thai orphan” story gets more dramatic every time you tell it- right Jim?

Our goal was to raise €4.000 and support the eight kids who are currently living in the care of the Sparrow Home Bangkok. We are very happy to say that with your help this goal has been achieved!

Sparrow Home Bangkok

Sparrow Home Bangkok provides temporary accommodation for kids aged between 1 and 7 who were born in prison and are waiting for their parents to be released. Care is provided in a family style environment, and Sparrow Home Bangkok supports visits to the children’s parents and also pays for the education of older children in their care.

If you are looking for a funny story, ask Jim who plucked one of the kids out of a pool while visiting Thailand. Your “I rescued a drowning Thai orphan” story gets more dramatic every time you tell it- right Jim?

Our goal was to raise €4.000 and support the eight kids who are currently living in the care of the Sparrow Home Bangkok. We are very happy to say that with your help this goal has been achieved!

Bully Water Well in Gambia

Bully was one of our longest serving members of The Circus team and worked as a chef at Circus restaurant. He informed us of the dire drinking water conditions in his home town in Gambia.

Just half a year later The Circus raised nearly €9.000 and the village of No Kunda received brand new well! Bully himself actively supported the project and was involved with a number of the events. He created a three-course menu for the Gambian-themed evening at the hotel, while a friend of his played the music for the event.

With Bully behind the barbecue, the evening was a great success and totally delicious. Once the water well was up and running, Jared and Jim accompanied Bully to check it out in real life. The warmest of welcomes greeted them in Gambia- a wonderful experience.

Bully Water Well in Gambia

Bully was one of our longest serving members of The Circus team and worked as a chef at Circus restaurant. He informed us of the dire drinking water conditions in his home town in Gambia.

Just half a year later The Circus raised nearly €9.000 and the village of No Kunda received brand new well! Bully himself actively supported the project and was involved with a number of the events. He created a three-course menu for the Gambian-themed evening at the hotel, while a friend of his played the music for the event.

With Bully behind the barbecue, the evening was a great success and totally delicious. Once the water well was up and running, Jared and Jim accompanied Bully to check it out in real life. The warmest of welcomes greeted them in Gambia- a wonderful experience.

Schülerpaten Berlin

Our receptionist Jan brought our attention The Schülerpaten Berlin project, which brings together student mentors (of which Jan is one) with schoolkids in Berlin with an Arabic background.

The mentors work with the children, often in their own homes, and commit to a minimum of 1 year engagement with the students of at least 1.5 hours per week. What the work involves depends on the requirements of the student, but it can be monitoring homework, reading, and writing in German, or simply private support for the kids and their families.

In support of the mentors’ work directly with the families, Schülerpaten Berlin organises workshops and seminars for the mentors – both before and during their work. They also run events that the mentors and the kids/families can do together (such as visit to the Zoo), and an annual Sommer Fair that brings all the mentors, the families, and the members of the organisation together.

It brought us all lots of enjoy to support this fantastic charity, especially on the Berlin flea markets, selling lost-and-found for a good cause.

Schülerpaten Berlin

Our receptionist Jan brought our attention The Schülerpaten Berlin project, which brings together student mentors (of which Jan is one) with schoolkids in Berlin with an Arabic background.

The mentors work with the children, often in their own homes, and commit to a minimum of 1 year engagement with the students of at least 1.5 hours per week. What the work involves depends on the requirements of the student, but it can be monitoring homework, reading, and writing in German, or simply private support for the kids and their families.

In support of the mentors’ work directly with the families, Schülerpaten Berlin organises workshops and seminars for the mentors – both before and during their work. They also run events that the mentors and the kids/families can do together (such as visit to the Zoo), and an annual Sommer Fair that brings all the mentors, the families, and the members of the organisation together.

It brought us all lots of enjoy to support this fantastic charity, especially on the Berlin flea markets, selling lost-and-found for a good cause.