09 January 2014 - The University of Goettingen held a Filipino cultural show and fund-raising event on 15 December 2013 as part of its efforts to generate donations for typhoon-affected students of Visayas State University, its partner university in Leyte province, Philippines.  The event was held at the Paulinerkirche (Alfred-Hessel-Saal), Papendiek 14, Goettingen.

Prof. Dr. Hiltraud Casper-Hehne, Vice President for International Affairs of the University of Goettingen, expressed her condolences to and concern for those affected by the calamity, particularly the communities in Leyte province, following the impact of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).  She noted that Goettingen's partner university, the Visayas State University, was hit especially hard by the typhoon, with students and faculty having lost both loved ones and livelihoods.

Dr. Casper-Hehne informed the public that the University had embarked on an extensive aid campaign, “Nothilfe Philippinen,” where donations are to be used to provide emergency aid scholarships for a great number of students of Visayas State University.   The aid campaign was set up as a result of meetings among Filipino students, researchers and scholars living in Goettingen, and representatives of the University's Presidential Board and International Office.

Mr. Adrian Cruz, First Secretary and Consul of the Philippine Embassy in Berlin, noted in his remarks that amidst the devastation, the typhoon-affected communities are rising again and an important aspect of the rebuilding should be credited to the resilience of the Filipino people “who choose to look at themselves not as helpless victims of a calamity, but as strong survivors of a tragedy.”

The cultural show and fund-raising event featured presentations by the University of Goettingen’s Faculty of Forestry, and Philippine dances performed by the Bamboo Filipino Magkabalikat Langenhagen. The highlights of the event were the poignant personal accounts of Leyte-based Filipino scholars about the damage caused by the typhoon, and the slow but steady progress to normalcy taking place in their communities.

The aid from Goettingen is being organised by the association "Georgia Augusta International" which is hoped to be strongly supported by the whole region of southern Lower Saxony.  Interested parties who wish to contribute may get more information through the weblink: www.uni-goettingen.de/en/209753.html or by directly contacting the Office of the Vice President for International Affairs at the following contact address:

Professor Hiltraud Casper-Hehne
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Vice President for International Affairs
Wilhelmsplatz 1, 37073 Göttingen;

Phone: +49 (0)551 39-4320
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: www.uni-goettingen.de/de/110984.html    END