For human rights
Roland Berger, founder of the consulting company that bears his name unveiled plans for his own foundation on March 27. It is dedicated to protecting human dignity and promoting access to education around the world.
Each year, the foundation will honor individuals or institutions who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to human rights and dignity with the "Roland Berger Human Dignity Award" to be presented by German President Horst Köhler. The prize is endowed with EUR 1 million.
In addition, the foundation will support talented young people from less privileged backgrounds. By providing scholarships, the foundation will improve access to higher education. The organization also plans to support and create wider educational projects.
Berger will invest EUR 50 million of his own assets into the foundation initially, hoping to increase its endowment to at least EUR 150 million in the coming years. His work will be supported through an active Board of Trustees, which includes Dr. Gert Haller, Head of the Office of the German President; Barbara Lochbihler, Secretary General of Amnesty International's German section, Dr. Dieter Lenzen, educational scientist and President of the Freie Universität Berlin, and Berger's wife, Karin.
Each year, the foundation will honor individuals or institutions who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to human rights and dignity with the "Roland Berger Human Dignity Award" to be presented by German President Horst Köhler. The prize is endowed with EUR 1 million.
In addition, the foundation will support talented young people from less privileged backgrounds. By providing scholarships, the foundation will improve access to higher education. The organization also plans to support and create wider educational projects.
Berger will invest EUR 50 million of his own assets into the foundation initially, hoping to increase its endowment to at least EUR 150 million in the coming years. His work will be supported through an active Board of Trustees, which includes Dr. Gert Haller, Head of the Office of the German President; Barbara Lochbihler, Secretary General of Amnesty International's German section, Dr. Dieter Lenzen, educational scientist and President of the Freie Universität Berlin, and Berger's wife, Karin.
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His personal experiences, including his childhood in Nazi-Germany had been the motivation behind the foundation's inception, Mr. Berger said at the foundation deed presentation ceremony. "I was born in Nazi Germany. As a child, I witnessed the inhuman terror of the Gestapo. On a regular basis, our family home was searched by state henchmen. In 1944, the Nazis arrested and imprisoned my father. These years were the darkest in German history. Human dignity had no value, and many people were disenfranchised by the system," he said.
Despite the existence of international law to protect people from human rights violations, they remained under threat in many parts of the world, Berger said. "Take, for instance, current problems in Somalia, Chad or Sudan. In my opinion, two world wars and the Holocaust in the first half of the 20th century oblige us, as Germans, to show a particular commitment to protecting and promoting human dignity and human rights."
The foundation's award was thus aimed toward supporting important work defending human rights. Its aim was "to inspire people and communities to take action for human dignity."
Despite the existence of international law to protect people from human rights violations, they remained under threat in many parts of the world, Berger said. "Take, for instance, current problems in Somalia, Chad or Sudan. In my opinion, two world wars and the Holocaust in the first half of the 20th century oblige us, as Germans, to show a particular commitment to protecting and promoting human dignity and human rights."
The foundation's award was thus aimed toward supporting important work defending human rights. Its aim was "to inspire people and communities to take action for human dignity."
Improving access to education
The second aim of the foundation was to improve access to education particularly for children from underprivileged backgrounds. "Ultimately, the only reason I have achieved so much in life is that I had access to first-class education. As a result, I was able to develop my abilities and, I hope, make a personal and professional contribution to social progress," Berger said.
In explaining his desire to fund grants and stipends through the foundation's work, he pointed to the fact that only 36 percent of Germany's high school graduates pursued university degrees and that this rate was steadily declining.
A family's social strata also seemed to influence whether or not young people attended a university: While 83 percent of children whose parents have an academic background attend college, only 23 percent of young people from families without an academic tradition do so. Immigrant children in Germany were by far the most disadvantaged in this group, as even fewer pursue higher education, Berger underlined.
"We must remember that all of these people are an integral part of German society. If one in five immigrant children does not graduate from high school, and four out of ten do not complete vocational training, then the entire country suffers. The odds that these children will have access to post-secondary education and training are only half as high as for their German peers," he said.
"We are wasting a great deal of intellectual potential. To ensure our society's future success, we must support and foster these young people. This is the only way to guarantee our citizens an independent life," he concluded.
The Roland Berger Foundation aims to improve access to education in Germany in two ways: by providing talented young people from less privileged backgrounds with scholarships, and by funding educational projects at all levels – from pre-school to university.
If you have questions or comments on this or any other story, please do not hesitate to contact us
The second aim of the foundation was to improve access to education particularly for children from underprivileged backgrounds. "Ultimately, the only reason I have achieved so much in life is that I had access to first-class education. As a result, I was able to develop my abilities and, I hope, make a personal and professional contribution to social progress," Berger said.
In explaining his desire to fund grants and stipends through the foundation's work, he pointed to the fact that only 36 percent of Germany's high school graduates pursued university degrees and that this rate was steadily declining.
A family's social strata also seemed to influence whether or not young people attended a university: While 83 percent of children whose parents have an academic background attend college, only 23 percent of young people from families without an academic tradition do so. Immigrant children in Germany were by far the most disadvantaged in this group, as even fewer pursue higher education, Berger underlined.
"We must remember that all of these people are an integral part of German society. If one in five immigrant children does not graduate from high school, and four out of ten do not complete vocational training, then the entire country suffers. The odds that these children will have access to post-secondary education and training are only half as high as for their German peers," he said.
"We are wasting a great deal of intellectual potential. To ensure our society's future success, we must support and foster these young people. This is the only way to guarantee our citizens an independent life," he concluded.
The Roland Berger Foundation aims to improve access to education in Germany in two ways: by providing talented young people from less privileged backgrounds with scholarships, and by funding educational projects at all levels – from pre-school to university.
If you have questions or comments on this or any other story, please do not hesitate to contact us
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