Alexander “Basti” Bestle left us forever on March 26, 2025.

Almost twenty years ago, he joined the "Partnership with Alem Katema" association and contributed his strength, his wealth of ideas, his enthusiasm, and his energy. For many years, he served on the board, inspiring and advancing it through several terms. As a trained journalist, he successfully fulfilled the association's public relations duties during this time, becoming its face and voice. Alexander had a deep understanding of the situation on the ground. He was always exceptionally well-informed about events and the situation in Ethiopia and Alem Katema, and also had excellent connections there. He also built a broad network here in Germany. He was tireless and adept at informing interested parties, gaining potential supporters, and, in keeping with the partnership ideal, also worked for related organizations such as MfM, DÄV, and ProEthiopia. This enabled him to secure the participation of prominent figures and experts like Asfa-Wossen Asserate and Dr. Brandis from Menschen für Menschen (People for People) for engaging lectures and panel discussions on Ethiopia.

He shifted the association's focus from its primary emphasis on "education and culture" to other issues addressing people's current needs. For example, he organized support for the hospital by providing 65 modern hospital beds. He initiated the COVID-19 task force to protect the public and hospital staff with improved hygiene and equipment.

The lack of prospects for young people after completing their education motivated him to launch initiatives promoting employment and self-employment in order to combat emigration. Skilled at securing various funding opportunities, he initiated projects for weavers, textile production, the manufacture of everyday products such as paving stones, and for an internet café as a profit center. He conducted entrepreneurship training and, together with others, launched the SEED initiative to expand and strengthen these activities. He personally invested considerable time and effort to ensure the success of these projects on the ground.

That our association will likely be able to celebrate the opening of the urgently needed new kindergarten this year is primarily thanks to him. For years, the project's financing stalled. Without his initiative, the partnership association would not have been able to win the race between donations and inflation. He achieved the breakthrough with the enormously demanding, but also enormously successful, fundraising campaign, "Bricks for the Kindergarten." After two years of hard work, the association was able to issue the funding commitment for the project in the fall of 2022.

For almost twenty years, Basti was a driving force behind our partnership between Vaterstetten and Alem Katema. In Alem Katema, he was probably the best-known "Ferengie" (foreigner) after Karlheinz Böhm and the best ambassador for the partnership. The people there saw him as a true friend. His work, his friendly and enthusiastic nature earned him much affection and recognition in Ethiopia as well. Many expressions of condolence, honoring his initiatives, have come from there, especially from Alem Katema and Addis Ababa.

Only one thing was more important to him: his family. He put everything else aside for his three sons; spending time with his family was sacred to him. Now, a serious illness has taken him from their midst. Our hearts go out to his family.

We are losing a formative, outstanding supporter of the partnership who has achieved impressive results and with whom we share countless beautiful and valuable memories.

We are grateful for the successful time we shared, the friendship, and we mourn with the family. Amesegenallo, አመሰግናለሁ