Aileen Puhlmann
Executive Board Member
Who we are.
Who we are
We are a non-profit organisation founded in Hamburg, St. Pauli, in 2010. Our commitment is to ensure that as many people as possible have the opportunity to improve their livelihoods in the Global South independently, in a self-determined manner, and in a sustainable way.
Our History
In 2025, Lemonaid & ChariTea e.V. will celebrate its 15th anniversary. A lot has happened since 2010, and 93 projects in seven countries have already been supported. Here you can get a brief insight into our milestones since the association was founded.
The Foundation was established with the founding of the beverage brands Lemonaid and ChariTea, the main sponsors of the Lemonaid & ChariTea Foundation. From day one, 5 cents per bottle sold of Lemonaid and ChariTea went directly to the Foundation to finance social projects, initially exclusively in the farming regions of the farmers with whom Lemonaid works.
Two projects each are supported in Paraguay and Sri Lanka and one project in South Africa.
Mexico becomes a project country with a first funded project and another project is added in Paraguay.
Mexico: +1 (Instituto Ñoño)
Paraguay: +1 (Escuela San Juan)
With Agnes Leder (Managing Director and Administration) and Aileen Puhlmann (Project Coordination Africa), the Foundation now has two employees.
For the first time, an official call for proposals is published to invite organisations in the project countries to apply to Lemonaid & ChariTea e.V. for funding.
An external advisory board with experts from various fields - including social entrepreneurship, international development cooperation, sustainable management and regional expertise in the project regions - is convened for the first time. Their perspectives contribute to the strategic direction of the association and ensure a high degree of accountability.
Agnes Leder leaves the Foundation and Hanna Brüning takes over project coordination for Latin America and communication.
Argentina, India and Rwanda become project countries.
A total of 20 new projects are being funded.
Argentina: +2 ( CEDEPO, FACAAL)
India: +2 ( Avani, Jyothi)
Paraguay: +2 (Fundacion Paraguay, Techo)
Rwanda: +5 (Teach a man, RSF, FoR , FoR , UNM)
South Africa: +6 (Nceduluntu, AFIT, Raymond, Bulungula, NEDA)
Sri Lanka: +3 (ECSAT, Sri Lanka Verein, PEaCE )
First land purchase project with the South African Rooibos cooperative Heiveld: “Good land for fair Rooibos”
Second and third calls for proposals launched.
In 2019, Marina Kuch becomes the third employee of the Foundation, responsible for project coordination in Asia, as well as monitoring and evaluation.
The sixth call for proposals launches, resulting in 4 new projects:
Mexico: +1 (PSYDEH)
Rwanda: +1 (UNM)
Sri Lanka: +2 (ECSAT, Sambol)
Emergency aid in Rwanda (Hand in Hand) for the reconstruction of houses damaged by an earthquake following a volcanic eruption.
Hanna Brüning leaves the Foundation, and Claudia Wondratschke takes over project coordination for Latin America and communications.
20 more projects are supported:
India: +4 (SOCEO, GENVP, COROAT, RWDT)
Mexico: +3 (DERMAC, PMC, Tijiothli )
Peru: +3 (APEDIK, CEDEP AYLLU, IDEKA)
Rwanda: +5 (AJECEL, HIHD, Mosaiq , RSF, STRYECI)
South Africa: +5 (ESST, Keiskamma, Khwa, Nkosinathi, Sozo)
Aileen Puhlmann becomes the Executive Director of the Foundation.
Emergency aid in Rwanda (HIHD) for the reconstruction of a greenhouse due to flooding.
10 new projects are supported:
India: +2 (FAT, SPRIT)
Mexico: +2 (EL Hombre, KOOX)
Rwanda: +3 (AIMPO, OSO, SEVOTA)
South Africa: +3 (Dream Factory, SEED, U-Turn)
The tenth call for project proposals is launched.
Madagascar becomes a new project country.
Two funded projects: “Mampita” and “CforC for Development”.
Maja Petersen becomes the new Project Coordinator for Africa.
The Foundation now has four permanent employees.
The Foundation celebrates its 15th anniversary.
We are launching a new two-phase application system in the eleventh call for proposals.
In the first phase, we received 554 applications from organizations in seven countries, from which 20 projects are to be selected in the end.
There is still much to do and we look forward to the coming months and years with excitement and enthusiasm.
Our Team
Lemonaid & ChariTea Foundation brings together individuals with a wide range of expertise, perspectives, and experiences. Our common goal: to strengthen just and equitable systems through collaboration with colleagues and partner organisations worldwide. By learning collectively and acting with purpose, we strive to drive sustainable transformation that impacts lives.
Claudia Wondratschke
Project Coordination Latin America, Communication, Deputy Managing Director
Maja Petersen
Project Coordination Africa
The External Advisory Board
The voluntary advisory board of Lemonaid & ChariTea Foundation plays a key role in advancing our mission. Its members provide strategic guidance, review project proposals, and ensure transparency in our decision-making. In doing so, they help guarantee that our funding supports projects that foster sustainable, long-term change and remain true to the foundation’s core values.
The advisory board brings together specialists from diverse fields such as social entrepreneurship, international development cooperation, sustainable business, and regional expertise from our project areas. Their collective knowledge strengthens the strategic orientation of our work and upholds a high level of accountability.
The current advisory board members are:
Prof. Dr. Markus Beckmann, Sustainability Management University of Erlangen
Francisco Layrisse, Social Entrepreneurship University of Erlangen
Pamela Orgeldinger, CARE Germany
Christstian Wiebe, Viva con Agua de St.Pauli e.V.
Alexandre Goutchkof, Consultant in international Cooperation
Jutta Wermelt, Opportunity International Germany
Milagros Hinojosa Guerrero, GFA Consulting Group
Shamila Borchers, Migrant Accellerator