The Federal President has awarded Jörn Bernhardt the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Cross of Merit on the Ribbon) for his many years of commitment to development cooperation in Awassa, southern Ethiopia. At a ceremony for invited guests (family and EDGET), the decoration was presented by State Councillor Liv Assmann at Hamburg City Hall. Congratulations! The association celebrates together with Jörn.
Jörn Bernhardt’s speech on the occasion of the ceremony at City Hall:
Dear Ms. Assmann, dear Gundi, dear LLL family (and esteemed ladies and gentlemen), what a surprise! I was quite shocked when I read the letter delivered to me on December 11, 2025. A Federal Cross of Merit. For me? Voluntary work is something I consider self-evident! And don’t I have many people around me who would deserve it just as much?
Many thanks to the Federal President and to YOU, MS. ASSMANN, for shining a light on our work with today’s ceremony. I gladly accept this honor on behalf of all of us. Thank you, Ms. Assmann, for organizing this celebration!
My first thanks go to my wife GUNDI, who has walked almost 50 years of this path with me — and to my large family! You were the one who breathed life into our association … at a nearby primary school, the EDGET BAANDNET Primary in Awassa, our place of work in Ethiopia. As a former teacher, and since 2009 as a principal — and above all as GUNDI — your inner compass has always pointed toward CHILDREN. You have always deeply felt how UNJUST the living conditions of these CHILDREN are in comparison.
A big thank you goes to the members of our association. THANK YOU for your tremendous support — without you, this success story would not have been possible!
My last assignment for German development cooperation was the starting point for Ethiopia never letting us go again… LIVE, LOVE & LEARN became our association’s motto. After my retirement in 2010, I continued working voluntarily — while Gundi worked as a principal — and I traveled to Ethiopia 13 times until 2020, often accompanied by individual association members.
Our small nonprofit association in Hamburg is tiny, but our partner organization on the ground has grown large. How is that possible?
It has something to do with my JOB as a development worker. Let me add a few remarks to paint the background more clearly: My path as a development worker actually began in the summer of 1984 with a trip to Zimbabwe, and in autumn 1986 professionally as a trade fair manager in Swaziland! From that grew — over 40 years — experiences in many countries and at all levels of development cooperation: as a development worker, as an integrated expert, as a volunteer for the Senior Expert Service, and at times as a government advisor for GIZ in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. In short-term assignments I wrote reports and worked as a consultant. Over time, I gathered a wealth of experience that has been useful — and still is — for our association.
My last posting before retirement in 2010 was ETHIOPIA, where the story of our association began in 2007.
Our unique feature developed from my professional background: A new form of help for self-help. Fundraising takes place locally in Ethiopia, by advising our partner on how HE can acquire financial resources. “Education is the key” — Our donations fund 200 scholarships for girls up to university graduation, school construction, women’s start-ups, and income-generating activities for young people… things that would otherwise not be possible locally.
Over 20 years, a registered nonprofit association has grown on a solid foundation. That shoe shiners and street children can become doctors, pharmacists, teachers, social workers, nurses, and engineers has become part of our everyday project reality. Our project focus today — in 2026 — remains in Awassa, Ethiopia, and for several years also in the slums of Kampala (Uganda).
One of my supervisors abroad once asked me: “Jörn, what actually drives you!”
As a post-war child, born in 1947, I grew up with parents and grandparents who concealed essential parts of their past. Many questions remained unanswered after my grandfather and father died. There were never any clarifying conversations. New research opportunities opened my eyes to long-hidden truths — the final piece of the puzzle fell into place just now in APRIL!
Unconsciously and partly consciously, I felt the urge to do GOOD, to HELP, to make AMENDS for my children. The answer to my former supervisor’s question from 2006 has become clear to me in recent years.
My tears have shown me that the post-war generations (my eldest son is 54) still carry a “secret burden.” But how do we stop this process of passing on old traumas? I still feel this drive, I am “clearer than ever,” and I work with JOY in my voluntary role.
ETHIOPIA, with its more than 80 ethnic groups, carries historical burdens and suffers from brutal internal conflicts that go largely unnoticed by the global public — historically complex and full of contradictions. We are only a grain of sand in world affairs, but we cannot accept the suffering of CHILDREN and young people caused by the politics of adults (mostly men). As a nonprofit association, we intervene!
With the founding of the first orphanage, the story of LIVE, LOVE & LEARN began in 2006. We want to continue writing this story for many years. I will continue traveling for Live, Love & Learn and the SES as long as I can… with my wife’s clear COMPASS in my luggage.
Hamburg, May 4, 2026 Information, contact, and donations at www.edget.org
