What We Do
Our foundation works in three ways.
Surgery in Vietnam. For years, we have found children with disabilities in remote villages and slums. We bring them and their families to hospital. We pay for the surgery, the aftercare and the years that follow. Around 400 children have had life-changing operations.
Education. We help young people, especially women, finish school, learn a trade and find good work. We pay for scholarships, training and mentoring, and we support their families so that school comes first.
Be Now. Our next big project is an art and learning centre with a hotel in Myanmar, run by people with disabilities. Read more about Be Now
To make this possible, we need your support. Every donation goes directly to helping young people get the education and training they need to succeed. I promise that I will pay all overhead, so every cent you give will go straight to those who need it.
How It All Beganโฆ
I was invited to a house in Saigon where families with very different disabilities live together and help each other. The blind carry the people who canโt walk, the deaf cook and together they make the best parties ever. Here I met Duyen. She and her two brothers are sitting in wheelchairs. I hired Duyen to find families with disabled children all over Vietnam and help them in a very unbureaucratic way. Duyenโs tough life made her the most compassionate and reliable specialist for the job.
We donโt only aim to heal the physical wounds or give short-term relief. When the surgery is done, we give long-term support to the whole family; pay for English lessons and training in creative skills, and do all we can to make sure our friends can support themselves and gain the security and happiness they deserve. Now, we are spreading our wings and additionally focusing on empowering young girls and women to gain education and help them become financially independent.
Be Now
An art and learning centre with a hotel, run by people with disabilities. Painting, film, dance, writing and ceramics, and a place where guests from all over the world meet the artists.
Read moreAbout Niko
I was born in 1960 in Cologne, Germany, and I am one of the survivors of Thalidomide. I was lucky to grow up in a loving and supportive family, which shaped my desire to help others.
After finishing high school, I started my journey by working to reunite immigrant families in Rwanda. Later, I found my way into the film industry, starting with simple jobs like carrying beer crates and making coffee for Rainer Werner Fassbinder. I went on to study film at New York University and The Film Academy in ลรณdลบ, Poland. Over the years, I directed and produced eight films, making me one of the very few film directors with a physical disability.
One of my most recognized films, Nobodyโs Perfect, explored the lives of Thalidomide survivors. In the film, we openly discussed our experiences while posing for a nude calendar. It won the German Film Award and led to a major campaign that secured a โฌ2.5 billion compensation payment from the German government for Thalidomide survivors.
Despite my success in filmmaking, I became increasingly frustrated with the entertainment industry's treatment of people with disabilities. I decided to step away and focus on making a real impact in other ways.
Over the years, I have founded a free film school in the Himalayas, helped visually impaired orphans in the Philippines, and freed children with disabilities from prisons in Manila.
Now, my focus is on helping young people, especially women, gain access to education and opportunities for financial independence. I believe that education is the key to breaking cycles of poverty and creating lasting change. Through our foundation, we provide scholarships, training, and mentorship to help people build better futures.
This work is only possible with the support of others. If you would like to help, please consider donating or spreading the word. Every contribution makes a difference!
Contact Us
Phone: +39 331 443 6610
The Niko von Glasow Foundation gGmbH
Register number: HRB 219716 B
c/o Juli von Glasow, Liegnitzer Str. 9, 10999 Berlin, Germany