Anna has been working on the strategic direction and further development of CADUS in close collaboration with her fellow board members and the co-chairs since 2016. She emphasizes how important it is to her “to support our well-trained and highly committed team in the development and deployment of innovative and solidarity-based solutions for humanitarian crises and emergencies. “Anna studied social work in Berlin and is a trained behavioral and communication trainer.

Ayla is responsible for the project management of CADUS deployments abroad. At the Berlin headquarters, she is also responsible for process design and internal communication.

Cami is responsible for setting up and maintaining our volunteer pool, integrating volunteers and onboarding them into our organization. Together with Daniele, she manages the crewing for the CADUS missions and organizes their mission-specific training.

Cami was and is involved in many different ways:
“I ran my own catering business for almost 10 years and have been cooking for political actions, camps and festivals for as long as I can remember – that’s why I also run the CADUS Kitchen Module, a ready-to-use mobile kitchen that can cook wherever it’s needed and am currently writing an international cookbook that doesn’t use fresh produce but still offers healthy and culturally sensitive food.

In addition to CADUS, I have been organizing LARP events for 14 years, which often deal with dystopian worlds and their consequences. I use this knowledge to design simulations and hostile environment awareness training courses at CADUS.

I took a winding path until I ended up in humanitarian aid, where I always wanted to go. I know that humanitarian aid and emergency response are not the answer to all questions. But for me, international aid is an important, human step and a valuable way of dealing with privilege, history and consternation outside of the political arena.

Clara is responsible for setting up our medical structure in accordance with the WHO Emergency Medical Team structure. To achieve classification as an EMT Type 1 Mobile, Clara coordinates the writing of medical Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), as well as the development of our clinical processes, and manages communication with both the WHO and other EMTs. She supports the development of clinical capacity in our teams by conducting training sessions.Clara trained and worked in nursing in the UK.

Clara on the motivation for her commitment: “As someone who owes my life to a well-resourced healthcare system that treated me as a young child, I knew it was down to luck that I was born and raised in a country that could provide me with the life-saving care I needed. As a direct result, I have always wanted to work towards a world where all people, regardless of where they are born, have equal and non-restricted access to healthcare.

Before and after getting my Bachelor degree in nursing (paediatric specialized), I found my passion for humanitarian work and realized I wanted to develop and channel my skills into this field after spending a year working with refugee communities in France, Greece and Lebanon. My love of learning led me to complete my Professional Diploma in Tropical Nursing at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, before moving to Berlin in 2021 to study a Master’s in International Health and to go on to start my position here at CADUS in February of 2023.
Outside of work and studies, I am part of a global health research group and have the privilege of carrying out research that hopes to improve global cancer care. In my spare time I enjoy baking (especially for my CADUS colleagues!), yoga, dance and anything that involves learning about new cultures and places.”

Corinna is a founding member of CADUS, and has since held various positions in different areas of the organization. Today she heads the Support Services department. This includes Communications, IT, Finance, Logistics and the administration of the Berlin head office. Corinna is also active in research. She is currently working on a project in the field of information and communication technology. Furthermore, she is also regularly deployed internationally as part of a CADUS emergency response team.

Together with Uli, Florian makes sure that all laptops work and are up to date, is available for all IT problems and is always on the lookout for errors and optimizations. He works in the office, in the makerspace and on the road.

Florian on his work at CADUS: “I’m very happy to be part of the team and to be able to help keep the technology running so that everything is a little more pleasant during the important assignments and in the Berlin office.”

Imke looks after all permanent employees at CADUS. This includes supporting recruitment processes, drawing up contracts, developing HR-relevant policies and SOPs, structuring and promoting personnel development.

Jonas has a variety of tasks at CADUS: as part of the Communications team, he makes the background, difficulties and successes of our projects transparent and brings the concerns of those affected by crises and disasters to the public. In the WASH sector, the biologist is responsible for all project areas relating to (drinking) water and hygiene. Jonas also keeps things running smoothly by taking on administrative tasks for the association.

Jonas says about the goals of his work: “What is particularly important to me is a lasting change in the social conditions that lead to war, exploitation and oppression and the role that humanitarian aid can play in this.”

Kristin is the head and heart of the technical department. This is not only about the overall management of our technical department at the headquarters in Berlin, but also about everything that is used in the field of technology for CADUS in various crisis areas around the world.

As Department Lead for the technical department, Kristin works closely with all other departments, because “technology” is part of every area of work at CADUS in one way or another.

In Ukraine, Kristin got our “Mobile Makerspace” concept program up and running and was the team lead for several months.

About his work at CADUS, Louis says: “After 5 years as a paramedic, my perspective has become increasingly focussed on understanding patients as individuals with stories, which in the past has motivated me to pursue diverse professional roles- From documenting crimes in Bosnia to aiding in conflict zones like Ukraine, my commitment towards CADUS extends beyond boundaries. CADUS goes beyond professional experience; it’s about instilling empathy against injustice for a better world. Two years here have taught me that true humanitarian value lies in passion, and the sense of a global community. My involvement in crises is a dissent against indifference, a commitment to justice. Working at CADUS, to me, is a stand against the status quo, a resolute effort for human dignity.”

Lysann manages CADUS together with Sebastian.
‘A boat is safe in the harbor. But this is not the purpose of a boat. (P. Coehlo)
Lysann on her motivation to join CADUS: “Unfortunately, daily news flooded with mainly negative updates. We swiftly try to assist those affected by crises and conflicts or even natural disasters. Humanitarian organizations are often in one place for a very long time. For me, working for CADUS also means going where nobody wants to go and operate. By that I mean helping affected people where the images are no longer shown in the media. I hope I can contribute on that matter and help to ship CADUS safe and sound in that direction.
I grew up in Thuringia, where I also completed a nurse training program in a rural hospital and was drawn to Berlin, where I studied Medical Education and later International Health at Charité. After several years of working in Berlin, I found my passion to work in the humanitarian sector. For over seven years, I worked with MSF and ICRC in various war and conflict zones and with a big humanitarian need. Since August 2023 I am working for and with CADUS as a Co-Chair.”

Mat supports the day-to-day administration and drives ongoing projects. One of his main focuses is writing project proposals and MEAL.
Before CADUS, Mat worked in international development. After work, he is involved in organizations fighting against the housing policy emergency and gentrification crisis in Berlin.

Matthias Grott is a member of the Board of Directors and has been a volunteer at CADUS since the association was founded in 2014. After completing his civilian service as a paramedic, he studied physics and is now researching the planets in our solar system. At CADUS, he shapes the strategic development of the organization together with the members of the Executive Board and the members of the Management Board.

Matthias says about his commitment:
“I am delighted to be able to make a contribution to a fairer and more humane society at CADUS. We help people in acute emergencies, create sustainable prospects and work together to create a fairer world.”

Mike heads the medical department at CADUS. His tasks include the medical supervision of our international programs, the coordination of the EMT classification under the WHO, the scientific supervision of research projects and the representation of the medical department to external partners.

Mike is a medical doctor with training in emergency medicine and internal medicine. His experience in international and local emergency medicine and his academic background in international health have deepened his commitment to creating a positive global impact for the most vulnerable people.
He enjoys playing and watching soccer, editing short films and listening to Bossa Nova LPs.

Nico coordinates all the work in our Berlin Crisis Response Makerspace and supports the ongoing projects there. The CADUS vehicle fleet is also managed by Nico.

And how did Nico come to CADUS?
“After working as a carpenter and on various construction sites for a few years and realizing that I loved the trade but lacked a bit of added social value, I decided to turn to humanitarian aid.
I joined Cadus in April 2022 as part of an internship, when I was studying “international emergency and disaster relief”. Since then, I have been looking after the Makerspace in Berlin, supporting the technical side of our emergency aid projects and making my craft expertise available to the humanitarian world wherever I can.
I am motivated by the desire for a fairer world and the hope that I can contribute to this with like-minded people at Cadus.”

Together with Thorsten, Sarah leads our mission on the ground in Ukraine.

Sarah talks about her daily tasks:
“I’m responsible for overseeing all our operations in Ukraine from an infield perspective. Day to day, I support our Medevac and Training teams in making sure they have everything they need in order to work. I make sure our programs are in line with the needs in the area that we work, meet with partner organizations so that we’re working together as best as possible, and scope out new and emerging needs that we can help to fill. I also keep an eye on the security situation and make sure our programs here have a balanced approach to risk. I conduct rapid security assessments whenever the team travels to new locations that are closer to the front line than our base of operations and work together with the back office to develop policies that help to keep our people safe.
Outside from work, I climb (mediocre-ly), kayak (very poorly) and enjoy traveling and live music.

Sebastian founded CADUS in 2014. Since then, he has headed the organization, with a particular focus on emergency response.

Sebastian studied biology, education and organizational psychology, but his heart has always beaten primarily for emergency medicine. He has been regularly involved in humanitarian aid for various organizations since 1999 and has worked continuously in a managerial capacity in the rescue service alongside his studies. In 2014, he provided the initial impulse for the founding of CADUS.

Simon is part of the PR team, specifically for social media and public relations.
From social work and the establishment of a screen printing collective to involvement in various cultural and event projects in Berlin’s subculture, as an active part of a collective pub business and engagement in self-organized structures – these are the experiences that ultimately led Simon to CADUS and to humanitarian emergency aid.

Tankred keeps CADUS ready for new missions and is constantly working to improve our readiness. He is also our contact person for the WHO EMT network. Tankred keeps a close eye on all current disasters and crises and evaluates our options for providing assistance. He must also maintain a good overview of our own capacities.

How did Tankred come to CADUS?
“After training and working in the rescue service and professional fire department, I left my secure job to study emergency and disaster relief and then found my profession and vocation in humanitarian aid. Fortunately, it worked out. The international exchange with organizations and people who come from all over the world to help in special places has formed many acquaintances and friendships for me over the years.”

Together with Sarah, Thorsten leads our mission on the ground in Ukraine. He keeps the mission running, looks after the team and solves all kinds of problems on a daily basis. Security in the mission, the humanitarian situation in Ukraine and the representation of CADUS there are other important areas of responsibility.

Thorsten is a trained paramedic and has completed further training as a deminer.

He says about his motivation for the work: “I have always been drawn to and worked/volunteered in international assistance and humanitarian aid. With CADUS I had the chance to make it my full-time profession. I highly identify with the collaborative and open approach CADUS shows.

As IT admin, Uli provides all employees with access to data, tools, connections and hardware. At the same time he keeps unwanted access away.

Uli describes his daily work as follows: “Introducing and explaining new tools, processes, data security, basic and advanced knowledge about everything that processes data, has a keyboard or an IP address. Bring material and personnel up to date. Always between troubleshooting and driving things forward. Mostly to be found in the office, looking at one or more screens, talking to employees and sometimes pulling electronic devices or cables between blinking things in the makerspace.”