On July 12, 2001, Maria L. Prean, along with six other individuals, founded three independent
charitable associations in the European countries of Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, all operating
under the name “Vision für Afrika.” These associations continue to work closely together to achieve
their shared objectives.
The following key themes are defined in the statutes:
Purpose:
The association is a non-profit, charitable organisation and has existed since July 12, 2001.
The purpose of the association is:
- Development aid through promotion in economic and social areas (combating poverty and hardship
in developing countries), providing assistance and support, and offering charitable services. - To demonstrate charity and responsibility towards children, adolescents, and young adults in
need—regardless of gender, race, or religion—worldwide, particularly in Africa. It aims to alleviate
hardship by implementing measures to support young people and their immediate social and national
environments within the framework of a holistic development aid program.
The association aims to contribute to fulfilling the biblical mission of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus
Christ based on the Bible, through both word and deed.
In 2002, Maria L. Prean, along with three other individuals, founded an NGO in Uganda called “Vision
for Africa, International.” Its purpose was to manage the objectives of the European associations as
their legal representatives, ensuring the distribution of donations locally in Uganda and documenting
this process through accurate records and reports for the associations.
Thanks to the excellent collaboration between the three European associations and the NGO in
Uganda, over 5,000 students in approximately 180 partner schools were provided with free
education through sponsorships and donations within just a few years.
Construction of a primary school and a vocational school for boys began in 2004, and to date, eight
Vision for Africa International training centers have been established using donations from Europe.
These facilities will house approximately 2,300 supported students and vocational trainees by 2025.
Furthermore, around 2,400 students attended approximately 160 partner schools throughout
Uganda, and around 600 university students attended various universities across Uganda until 2025
(two in Kenya, one in Rwanda).
From around 2021, during the COVID-19 crisis, which also severely impacted Uganda, the smooth
cooperation between Europe and the NGO in Uganda broke down. The management style of the
NGO “Vision For Africa International” disrupted the positive collaboration with European associations by failing to provide proper documentation of the intended use of donations for Europe or by failing to demonstrate our
oversight. Consequently, from 2024 to mid-2025, several attempts at mediation and restructuring,
including those with the assistance of a German lawyer, were ignored and rejected by the Ugandan
NGO’s administration. A Ugandan auditor was also commissioned to investigate the suspected
irregularities.
A new NGO called “VFA Ministries Uganda” was founded in Uganda in 2025 to handle the distribution
of donations and carry out work on the ground. Dedicated staff are now working to put the work
with the partner schools back on a sound financial and legal footing.
We in Europe are committed to ensuring that the children continue to receive support so that their
school fees can be covered and that sponsors will once again confidently make further donations for
their sponsored children. Unfortunately, there has been a significant setback, as many sponsors have
withdrawn their support for their sponsored children.
The European associations will ensure that the students whose funding has been reduced can at least
complete their schooling or vocational training. We hope to regain the trust of former sponsors so
that they can resume their support.
We continue to trust in God’s ways, which will open up for us to pursue the good plan that was once
established: to provide an education for poor children.
We therefore ask for your donation, whether to support a child or to bless us with donations so we
can cover outstanding sponsorships.
At this point, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who has supported us over
the past almost 25 years.
Thank you for every donation received, and we are delighted and grateful to everyone who continues
to support “their” sponsored child, takes on a new sponsorship, or blesses us with donations! We
thank you all for your trust in sharing our hope that this “vision” will continue!
May God bless you all, each and every one of you!