Roger Winandy
Managing Director, MakeMeSmile-International
Maximilian Ullrich
Founder and Chairman, MakeMeSmile-International
Maximilian Ullrich
You have trusted us since 2008, this is why you can continue supporting us!
In all the years of experience in development cooperation, we have seen how much can be achieved even with small means. Every cent of your donation goes to where it is most needed. Make Me Smile employs only local staff; with university scholarships and training, they are encouraged to constantly develop their expertise. From the very beginning of each project, Make Me Smile consults the community to ensure holistic participation, which results in acceptance of the projects and has led to great success.
In addition to trusting Simon Peter and the project teams for so many years, we ensure transparency in Kenya by engaging an external auditor regularly, conducting regular project visits, and continuous project reporting. In Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and Luxembourg, our work is audited annually by the Ministry of Finance through external auditors.
Simon Peter
Working with Maximilian Ullrich, Roger Winandy and Make Me Smile International has been transformative for our communities in Kisumu County. Since we began this partnership, Maximilian’s commitment to transparency and local ownership has allowed us to grow from supporting 10 girls in 2009 to empowering over 40,000 children and their families today.
What I value most about our cooperation is Maximilian’s unwavering trust in local leadership. From our health centers and vocational training programs to our environmental initiatives, every project starts with community consultation and is implemented by local staff who understand the cultural context.
Maximilian’s approach ensures complete transparency through regular external audits, continuous project visits, and detailed reporting. This accountability gives our donors confidence that every cent reaches those who need it most. His support for capacity building has enabled our team to grow professionally while maintaining the highest standards of project implementation.
Together, we’ve built not just programs, but lasting change – whether it’s reducing teenage pregnancies from 68 to 11 through our educational theater, achieving 90% HIV viral load suppression among our beneficiaries, or seeing our vocational training graduates become successful entrepreneurs. This partnership proves that when international support combines with local expertise and community ownership, transformation is possible.
You can trust us because we’ve proven that development cooperation works when it’s built on mutual respect, transparency, and a shared commitment to empowering communities to help themselves.
— Simon Peter Otieno, Director, Make Me Smile Kenya
