She is more than just a tourist

Brigitte Sohne is more than a tourist. Working as a computer programmer in Krailling town close to Munich city in Germany, she has been donating for various activities of the Atheist Centre here.

Her husband Gerhard Sohne who is one of the best Lute makers in the world has also come to the Atheist Centre to see the different programmes that are being conducted here.

Ms Brigitte makes donations to several non-governmental organisations that are rendering services to people in distress.

Two French NGOs Terre des Hommes (Land of Humans, when literally translated) which works for child rights and developments and Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) are her favourites.

She came to know about Atheist Centre through her husband’s friend and Gandhian, Mark Lindley. After working as a computer programmer for different organisations Brigitte worked for a long while with the Bavarian Blind and Sight Impaired Organisation.

As a person who knows the “insides” of voluntary organisations, she said that NGOs should ensure that all the money they get should necessarily be spent for the purpose for they are donated.

Brigitte recalled how India had changed in nearly four decades. She had come as a tourist to the country 38 years ago. The roads were better now and there were more cars on the streets. She probably noticed the cars because Munich is the home of the world famous BMW cars. She also noticed that a lot of women were driving cars in India. The key to development was women, she said. The Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel was a very powerful woman.

“My elder sister was part of a generation in which only 11 per cent of the women went to university. By the time I grew up 25 per cent of the women went for higher education, but now 55 per cent of the women go to University,” Brigitte said.

Sixty per cent of the doctors in Germany were women and the courts in which the filtering was strictly by merit also had more women than men, she said.

Ms Brigitte Sohne makes donations to several non-governmental organisations that are rendering services to people in distress