Behind the scenes with Lea

Lea founded UNDER Lea’s TRUST in 2020 together with her Kenyan partner and has been accompanying the organization in many different roles ever since. As founder, she is involved in numerous strategic and operational processes and, due to the current shortage of volunteers, is supporting almost all areas of the organization. Between leading the team, managing school processes in Kenya, fundraising, and adjusting to her new life as a mom, she is balancing many responsibilities at once. In this interview, she shares what drives her, the challenges she is currently facing, and why the school purchase holds such a special meaning for her. 💛

How long have you been volunteering with ULT and what motivates you?

I founded UNDER Lea’s TRUST together with my Kenyan partner in 2020. Since then, ULT has become a permanent part of my life. And I truly mean permanent. Not just as a project, but as something deeply rooted in my heart.

My motivation comes from so many moments. From my visits to Kenya. From the laughter of the children. From those proud looks when another student graduates. From the togetherness within our team. From the milestones we reach as a group. And most of all, from the purpose behind everything we do.

There is hardly anything more fulfilling than knowing that our work creates real futures.

Which projects or tasks are you currently working on, and which team are you part of?

Honestly? A little bit of everything right now.

Since we are currently experiencing a shortage of volunteers, I find myself involved in almost every team. This month I am writing the newsletter myself, supporting social media, handling back office topics, trying to simplify complex workflows, working in HR, building partnerships, focusing on fundraising, and staying deeply involved in our processes in Kenya.

It is a lot. Sometimes a lot a lot. But it also shows how much we as an organization rely on committed people.

How has teamwork and collaboration with other volunteers developed over time, and what positive changes have you noticed?

What moves me the most is that we have truly grown into a family.

In the beginning, many things were spontaneous, improvised, and emotional. Over time, we added a lot of structure. Processes became clearer. Tasks were distributed. Responsibilities were defined. That was important to keep our work efficient and prevent it from taking over all of our free time.

But no matter how much structure we build, we always make sure the fun remains. That we laugh. That we speak honestly with each other. That we support one another when things get stressful.

Professionalism and heart do not exclude each other at ULT. They belong together.

What are the biggest challenges in your voluntary work, and how do you deal with them?

As the founder and director of ULT, the biggest challenge for me right now is time.

I became a mom five months ago. Our son is now five months old. And at the same time, I am trying to continue leading ULT with full energy. It is beautiful, but also challenging.

On top of that, I carry responsibility for a large team in Germany and more than 700 children in Kenya. That responsibility is not light. It comes with pressure. Decisions carry weight. And sometimes it all feels very big.

But in those moments, I remind myself why we started.

What special highlights or successes have you experienced so far at ULT?

The school purchase.

Without a doubt.

We have been working toward this for years. And now we are standing at this point. Our name is on the school. We are part of the leadership. Seventy five percent of the purchase price has been paid. And we are in the final stage of fundraising.

Sometimes I can hardly believe it myself.

Seeing how an idea from 2020 turned into our own school is simply unbelievable. And it reminds me again and again that when people stick together, dreams can become reality. 💛

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