I applied to an aid agency for a long-term mission to Nepal.

At such times, one does things such as:

applying for missions abroad,

walking along a pilgrimage route,

retreating to a cloister.

There are many possibilities nowadays for getting through or getting around

a state of discontent.

Anyway, in 2009 I was in such a state of discontent,

discontented with my job, and a little with my overall situation,

although I might add, it was a first-world problem,

it was not a real problem.

My problem was: I was 27 and could imagine exactly

what my life would be like in 10, 20, 30 years.

It was totally predictable.

For me, that predictability was frightening -

to say the least.

Basically, I had a full-blown quarter-life crisis -

professionally and personally.

I just didn't know: Should I continue along a safe career path,

choose the easy way?

Or what if I threw the dice of life again

and saw what happened.

What would then be in store for me?

Those were the thoughts I had.

At that time, I was an independent travel journalist

for a daily newspaper.

As I said, more of a first-world problem -

travel journalism was, despite my fear of flying,

my ultimate dream job.

I got to travel around the world for free,

stay in good, very good, hotels,

and travel around the country in a very privileged way.

But from time to time I also traveled to very underprivileged countries,

developing countries,

where, to be sure, there is more to see and say:

idyllic villages with friendly, smiling locals,

who - despite their poverty - express so much happiness and joy.

However, this is the type of pictures and clichés

that characterizes a travelogue.

But after a while, this became a sticking point for me.

I was doing too little, just scratching the surface.

Besides it was a little pretentious of me

to write, make judgments, about a country that I really didn't know properly.

That was something I wanted to change.

I wanted to get to know countries properly

in order to write more authentic articles, and to satisfy my personal interests.

How does one get to know a country better?

By living among the people, with the people, in their homes,

not in a hotel,

by occupying oneself with the challenges and the problems of the people,

and by working with the people.

At least this was the answer that I gave myself to these questions.

And that was what I wanted to do.

Beyond that I wanted to do something meaningful.

I wanted to contribute, do something good.

And after a trip to Nepal this feeling became even stronger.

Although I had been to developing countries before,

Nepal touched me the most.

Until 2006, there was a 10-year civil war going on,

which left behind not only countless orphans,

but also numerous economic and social problems.

With a per capita income of 550 euros a year,

Nepal is the poorest country in South Asia,

and one of the 20 poorest countries in the world.

A quarter of the population live below the poverty line.

Almost a fifth of the population suffer from malnutrition.

40% of the adults cannot read and write.

All these facts, in connection with many personal stories and experiences

that I experienced on this trip,

struck me at a time when I was ready and open to change,

when I wanted to change things myself.

After my return, my decision was certain.

I quit my job, and applied to an aid agency.

And I'd like to give you a short excerpt of the reply

my application received, because it's an unforgettable one:

"We are an internationally operating organization,

and very serious in what we do.

We are not a rescue center for a fun-seeking globetrotter,

who happens to just think she wants to live in Nepal,

and is looking for someone to fund her stay."

Hello? Are they kidding?

My application was quite serious and well-meant,

at least I thought so,

and this reply was abysmally and brazenly offensive.

It knocked me right over,

and, of course, I immediately wrote an emotional answer -

but, fortunately, never sent it.

(Laughter)

Instead, I turned that quite intense feeling I had

into doing something good.

I used it as driving force to start my own company:

"Karmalaya, heart work and soul travel" -

a company that basically offered exactly what I had been looking for,

namely the possibility to travel around a country differently,

the possibility to get to know a country well

by being able to live and work with the locals,

and certainly not just anywhere, but in selected development projects.

Karmalaya can be divided into two words.

"Karma" and "Laya" -

it means a place where one can acquire good karma,

where one can do good deeds.

It sounds a little esoteric, but it's not.

Karmalaya is a "social travel business."

We use tourism as a tool for sustainable development,

or one might say we use "voluntourism" as a tool

for sustainable development -

volunteering and tourism combined -

because people who travel with us do meaningful volunteer work

during their stay.

They pay for their trip the way they would with other organizers,

but they spend their time differently.

They live with local families,

and the main goal is not as much relaxation

or sightseeing as possible,

but real intercultural exchange,

social engagement and the broadening of one's horizon.

To that end, our participants are engaged, according to qualifications and interests,

in varying projects.

Through our work,

we can promote sustainable tourism in regions

which would otherwise have no prospect of classical tourism,

simply because the necessary infrastructure is missing.

Furthermore, we can promote sustainable projects.

We can initiate and fund our own sustainable projects.

We also finance ourselves 100%, and are not dependent on donations.

This is important to us for our long-term commitment.

We started our work in 2010 in Nepal,

last year we expanded our commitment to Uganda.

And now?

After more than four years we asked ourselves -

in the meantime I got married,

and my husband and I work professionally as a team as well -

the inevitable question at such a time:

Do we continue in the same way,

or what if we were to think even bigger?

What if we took our development ideas further?

What if development were not only to mean social commitment and sustainable travel,

but development in its entirety, individual personal development included,

or, more specifically, individual leadership development.

Essentially there would then be a new, an additional, company.

A company aiming at companies

with a different focus but with the same philosophy as Karmalaya.

"Is it something we want," was the next question,

"a new company?"

Of course, we did.

We love business owners and their creative businesses,

because we tick the same way, we speak the same language,

we dream the same dreams, we understand the challenges.

That's why this year we presented Karmalaya along with a second company:

"KALiiS."

And with KALiiS we foster creative businesses in their development

and initiate development projects

that we support with the help of outstanding people.

We support participants, owners of creative businesses

and their workers with individual development coaching.

Coaching that includes the personal,

social and intercultural development of the participants,

and coaching that prepares them for development aid.

This is all provided by KALiiS.

A commitment that besides a meaningful exchange of knowledge

also has another huge advantage.

It shows you in a relatively short time where you stand,

or where you are,

where you perhaps have prejudices you aren't aware of,

where you possibly aren't flexible enough, too narrow in your thinking.

It also shows you what you are really good at,

it shows you your strengths.

Perhaps you are much more creative than you thought.

Or perhaps you discover greater depths of composure in yourself.

The serenity to accept things you can't change,

and the strength to change things that you can change.

And you can change a lot, even in a short time.

We know it's possible. Here is an example.

Here are Ruth, Rose, Margaret, Lydia and Sylvia.

They are five wonderful women from Uganda -

with sad stories and with talent.

They make beautiful, handmade necklaces - and they've done that for years.

And for years, nothing has happened.

Simply because they had no market for them,

because they did not know how to improve the quality,

because nobody told them which designs they might consider.

We wanted to help these women

and that's why we founded a product label this year:

"KALiARE Empowerment Products" -

products that will free the people from their poverty

provide them with an income, and allow them a future.

Yesterday, our online shop went live.

(Applause)

And we are starting with a "First Empowerment Edition" -

a limited edition of 1,000 necklaces from our ladies.

The sale not only provides them with an income for a year,

but also makes it possible for us to make the project much bigger.

This first edition is sort of social crowdfunding

and product start in one.

Those who would like to give support can do so by buying a necklace,

or you can travel with us directly to the project,

travel to the women and become actively engaged.

Further ahead, we don't want to give work to just 5 women,

but to 50 or 100,

and not only in Uganda,

but also in Nepal and other project countries

in which we will work in the future.

But this product area

is only one project within the scope of our integrated projects.

We work in all core areas,

in entrepreneurship, education and health,

in infrastructure and environment,

because the work in only one area is too little.

What happens to the children while the women work?

Exactly.

This year we founded two childcare centers in Nepal and Uganda.

Everything works together perfectly within the scope of our integrated projects,

and the whole makes more sense than each project by itself.

We place the participants according to qualifications

in the various projects.

The exact possibilities only emerge when they start working together.

To conclude, I would like to take you on a journey.

Please, close your eyes.

Imagine you are in Africa, in the rural heart of Uganda.

You sit at a wooden table, and you are happy and full.

You have just had lunch with your guest family.

There was plantain puree, "matoke," delicious.

The walls are bare.

Here inside, it is pleasantly warm.

You look out of the window

and see children running by on the reddish-brown road.

Their nimble feet stir up the sand.

You look at your forearms.

There is a thin layer of orange dust on them, too.

The children laugh and call your name for fun.

You are glad they don't call you "mzungu" anymore -

white skin.

You don't know what time it is.

But soon you'll get up

and go along the dirt road, where the children still run.

At the end of the street is a big tree.

Here you'll meet Lydia.

Sitting in the meadow, in the shade of the tree,

you'll talk about the new designs for her necklaces together.

As always, you will talk with your hands and feet.

Later the other women arrive too.

They smile at you expectantly, until you start an English lesson,