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The chance for a better future

Our claim "Give youth a chance" is more than a simple statement for us - it is a goal we fill with life and which we feel committed to. And this goal is reflected in all our thoughts and actions.

The foundation offers ambitious and talented young people from economically precarious backgrounds new perspectives by providing them with a high-quality technical education. This is how they get the chance to lead their lives in a self-determined way and positively shape their future.

We demand and encourage personality

The foundation offers adolescents and young adults the necessary resources and access to a technical education in careers where qualified personnel are needed. In India and Costa Rica (until June 2024 also in Nicaragua), the Samuel Foundation provides education in its own centres with high quality standards and in close cooperation with authorities and companies.

Our training approach is holistic: technical skill training is supplemented by a set of general education subjects including a foreign language, as well as comprehensive personality training that makes our students fit for the modern working world.

Project specifics

India

Costa Rica

Nicaragua

Germany

Right on target: successful start in a job

At the end of their technical education, our students put their knowledge to the test during an apprenticeship period.

However, the foundation's concept does not end here. We actively place our graduates in qualified employment. And we succeed in almost all cases – last but not least thanks to the foundation's large cooperation network.

Our graduates leave our centres for technical education as motivated and self-confident people who have completely new perspectives for their future lives.

What you need to know about us

The foundation

The Hedwig and Robert Samuel Foundation was established in 1932 by the merchant couple from Düsseldorf of the same name. It is a non-profit foundation under private law which focuses on supporting economically disadvantaged young people in the area of technical education.

The founders

Robert Samuel was born in Düsseldorf in 1871 as the son of a merchant family that had moved from Heidelberg to Düsseldorf in the mid-19th century and enjoyed success in the tobacco trading business. He followed in his father's footsteps and in 1900 moved his uncle's tobacco shop into the building on Königsallee 14 / Blumenstraße 3, which at the time belonged to the city of Düsseldorf. He later acquired the property and in 1911 had the office and commercial building named Hohenzollernhaus built on it.

The Board of Directors

According to the statutes, the Board of Directors is the only official body of the Samuel Foundation and thus the supreme supervisory board of its activities at the head office as well as in the international branches.

Our Principles

The thinking, strategic planning and concrete actions of the Hedwig and Robert Samuel Foundation are based on the following guiding principles.

Our team

These are your contact persons at our head office in Düsseldorf and in our branches in Costa Rica, India, and Nicaragua.

Transparency

We are commited to transparency - learn more about our work, e.g. in our annual reports, which the foundation publishes regularly.

Jobs and career

Are you interested in a challenging job in a non-profit organisation within the educational sector?

Our history

June 3rd 1932 is the official birthday of the Hedwig and Robert Samuel Foundation. On this day, the Prussian State Ministry approved the establishment of the foundation on the basis of the submitted founding deed and foundation statutes, thereby completing the last necessary formal act.

Photo: Courtesy of Fe y Alegría del Perú

29.01.2026 | International

Launch of an educational cooperation project in Peru

The Hedwig and Robert Samuel Foundation will be entering into a partnership in a new project country on 1 February 2026: Peru. In the capital city of Lima, the foundation is launching a cooperation project that will give young people without training or employment prospects concrete access to qualified technical training and sustainable employment. Project approach: strengthening employability through practical trainingIn view of the high youth unemployment rate and the prevalence of precarious employment conditions among young people, the foundation's new project focuses specifically on improving the quality of technical education. Together with its Peruvian project partner Fe y Alegría del Perú, two technical training centres in Lima are being modernised with focus on training in the baking trade – a field with realistic employment opportunities and lower barriers to entry. The two bakeries in the training centres are being brought up to the latest technical standards. Building on this, practice-oriented short courses will be developed in which participants are taught all the relevant skills within a short period of time, enabling them to transition into employment or self-employment. Quality and practical relevance as key success factorsIn addition to infrastructure, the project focuses on the educational quality of training. Teachers' methodological and didactic skills are systematically strengthened to ensure modern, practical teaching. In addition, participants gain insights into real work processes in companies and work on practical projects that further deepen their skills. Another important component of the project is the promotion of entrepreneurial skills. Interested participants will be enabled in the course of the project to start their own small business in the baking trade, thereby securing an independent income in the long term. Our experienced local partnerWith Fe y Alegría del Perú, the Samuel Foundation is working with an established and highly recognised organization. For almost 60 years, it has been offering high-quality education to marginalised and low-income groups in Peru. The organisation is active in both, urban and rural areas and provides children, adolescents and young adults with access to free, comprehensive education. In addition, its services are also aimed at adults who wish to catch up on or supplement their school or professional education. Perspective: Sustainable impact and expansion of commitmentThe project will run for one year and has a total budget of around € 64,000. It is co-financed by the Small Projects Fund of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The aim is to successfully prepare a larger number of young people for working life and place them in jobs subject to social insurance contributions by sustainably improving the quality of training. This commitment also marks the start of further activities by the Samuel Foundation in the country. In the future, the experience gained will be used to expand the foundation's educational offerings and give even more young people fair opportunities for a self-determined professional future.