In connection with the Health without Borders (Gezondheid zonder Grenzen) concept, Noud te Riele and I visited three projects in Germany as members of a fact-finding mission. “People want to feel useful”, so we heard at one of the projects from the mouth of Manfred Sauer, a passionate believer that knowing and feeling you are necessary is the core of human existence: it gives life meaning and forms the basis for a healthy life. Feeling useless is a recipe for descending into depression. 

Manfred Sauer in full flow

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Manfred, now in his early 60s, speaks from experience. At the age of 19, he recklessly dived into shallow water and shortly afterwards found himself in an unfamiliar English hospital with a broken spine: paralysed from his neck down. Many would simply lose heart and spend the rest of their life depressed in a wheelchair. Not Manfred. When he couldn’t find a special wheelchair to meet his needs, he had one custom-made. Then he went a step further – going his own way, he developed incontinence systems that helped people break out of their social isolation and find new self-esteem as a useful member of society. The sale of his systems earned Manfred a lot of money.

He ploughed the profits into his next venture: beside his factory in Lobbach (at Heidelberg) he built a bright and airy health and exercise centre where disabled people receive expert guidance to help them regain a sense of purpose and fulfilment. 

Complex of Manfred Sauer Foundation

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In a step-by-step programme they, together with their partners (and children), learn to give their life fresh meaning. It starts with accepting their new physical condition and regaining fitness. Extensive swimming and gym facilities are available in the main building. Next a diet is carefully compiled to meet the nutritional demands of the new situation. ’We are more interested in what petrol we put in our car than what we put in our bodies.’ ’Good pure food can greatly reduce the need for medicines,’ so Manfred knows from experience. The third step is to establish what the patient can still do. To this end, professional workshops have been set up where the patients can practice their craftsmanship skills – as a source of inspiration for the future.

The centre is open to everyone.’ Joe Average’ is also welcome to come for a meal and a work-out. And to induce the people in the village to become more involved in the project, the centre will soon boast its very own beer brewery. Manfred has lots more plans. He is, after all, only 65.

Beer mats Manfred Sauer Foundation

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The visit to the Manfred Sauer Foundation formed part of a trip taking in three projects where nature and health are connected. The group consisted of students and teachers from Van Hall Larenstein Vocational College, Hans Pijls, Joke Bloksma and Yvonne Feuerhahn of the architects’ firm Op Ten Noort Blijdenstein.
In our next weblogs we will tell you about the two other projects.