Cadus e.V.
Cadus e.V. is a German humanitarian aid organisation that provides emergency medical aid and other humanitarian services in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip, among other places. [1]
The Articles of Association and the CADUS Code of Conduct form the framework for the activities of the association. In addition, CADUS has signed the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs in Disaster Relief and is committed to the internationally recognised Humanitarian Principles. As part of the WHO EMT structure, CADUS is committed to the minimum standards defined there for medical response teams.[2]
The activities of the association are based on full-time employees and volunteers alike. A broad network of diverse trades that combine creativity and critical thinking has made CADUS what it is today: an exceptional humanitarian emergency relief organisation that develops innovative solutions and concepts in its makerspace while carrying out humanitarian missions in highly complex crises.[3]
Four Areas Of CADUS’ Commitment
1. Emergency Response
Cadus provides medical and technical support in crises, conflicts and disasters. Cadus's support is needs-oriented; Cadus's deployment concepts are mobile and modular. Previous, current and future areas of operation include migration and refugee routes, camps, sea rescue, active conflict zones, pandemics and natural disasters.
Cadus upholds humanitarian principles. If Cadus observes violations of these principles or the denial of basic human rights, it works to make this transparent. Wherever possible, Cadus supports those affected and confronts those responsible.
2. Innovation
Cadus develops effective concepts for overcoming new humanitarian challenges. The base for this is Cadus's Crisis Response Makerspace in Berlin. Cadus works together with research institutions, developers and other organisations in Germany and internationally.
Cadus loves interdisciplinary work and combines its operational experience with science and craftsmanship. Cadus's own developments are documented and published. Cadus uses and supports open source tools and is keen to share its knowledge and skills.
3. Cooperation
Cadus works with local partners wherever possible. Cadus relies on the integration of regional resources, capacities and existing knowledge, strives to strengthen local structures and prefers local procurement. Wherever possible, the recipients of its humanitarian work are involved in all phases of project design and implementation.
Cadus is a reliable partner for agreements and plans sustainable exit strategies. Cadus contributes to local capacity building through on-site training and the provision of teaching materials and resources. Cadus also builds up resources and shares them with other organisations: equipment, storage and transportation capacities, knowledge and skills.
4. Information
Cadus researches and carries out targeted public relations work. Cadus organises lectures, workshops, discussion events and contributes to scientific publications.
As part of this critical approach, Cadus examines the humanitarian sector and Cadus's own role, thereby addressing the political and social impact of humanitarian aid. When planning and implementing projects, Cadus takes the respective context into account.[4]
Organisation
In mid-2014, the organisation Phoenix e.V. was founded as a registered association, which was renamed Cadus - Redefine Global Solidarity a year later. Prior to this, the organisation existed formally as Wind säen.[2]
The aim of the organisation is to initiate projects for medical care, the construction of semi-permanent shelters, trauma relief and water supply and disposal in underserved and remote areas and crisis regions and to support existing projects.[3]
Cadus is currently managed by Sebastian Jünemann and Lysann Kaiser. Both have many years of experience in medical humanitarian aid, for example with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (ICRC).[4]
Projects
AERU – Airborne Emergency Response Unit
The aim of the AERU project, which is being carried out in cooperation with the Humanitarian Pilots Initiative (HPI), is to develop a platform-independent emergency parachute system for airdropping aid weighing 80 to 120 kilograms in order to provide cost-effective humanitarian aid in regions that are difficult to access.[5]
Crisis Response Makerspace
Based on FabLabs, Cadus wants to develop new solutions for application scenarios with a research and innovation network of universities, colleges and the maker scene. The development is to be kept in the public domain in order to make it accessible to other non-governmental organisations. Parts of the Open Health HACKademy, a hackathon for health technologies, also took place in the makerspace.[6]
Mobile Hospital

The Mobile Hospital is a project for a mobile hospital in the north of Iraq and Syria. It consists of two lorries and several treatment and operating tents that can be set up and dismantled quickly. The mobility of the hospital is of crucial importance, as health centres are frequently attacked in the region. The mobile hospital has ten treatment places and an operating table and is run by 10 helpers, including three doctors.[7][8]
Together with professors from the Beuth University of Applied Sciences and the Berlin University of Applied Sciences, a crisis-capable monitoring system for mobile hospitals was designed (remo²hbo), which is being developed via a mailing list and GitHub in an open development process.[9] The associated vehicles include an equipment lorry from the German Federal Agency for Technical Relief that has been reactivated through donations.[10]
Search and Rescue Mediterranean Sea
In 2015, the organisation raised money for a boat to support sea rescues off Lesbos.[11]
In 2016, they operated the sea rescue ship Minden off the Libyan coast together with the organisation LifeBoat.[12]

University of Mosul
Cadus launched a fundraising campaign for the reconstruction of the University of Mosul, which was destroyed by the Islamic State, by selling T-shirts and bags with motifs of students and artists from Mosul.[13]
Ukraine-Aid
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Cadus has been supporting Ukrainian victims by providing tools, consumables and mobile makerspaces (tool trolleys)[14], which are used, for example, to supply energy, insulate buildings and carry out other repairs. The Tolocar (after "toloka", mutual aid) project, which consists of at least six vehicles, was financed by GIZ and HIWW, among others.[15]
In December 2023, Cadus concluded a cooperation agreement with Karasin University in Kharkiv.[16]
Gaza-Aid
CADUS is the first German Emergency Medical Team (EMT) to provide medical aid in Gaza together with the World Health Organisation (WHO). The team consists of a total of eight people and will provide aid in Gaza for three months.[17]
Criticism
During the humanitarian mission in Qamishli in northern Syria (2018), the German Cadus aid worker Martin Lautwein and his Australian colleague were abducted and held captive and tortured in the Syrian secret service's Far' Falastine prison. Both were released after 48 days of detention and torture thanks to diplomatic efforts by the Czech Republic. In 2020, Lautwein filed a complaint against those responsible for the Syrian regime.[18][19]
In 2023, Lautwein also sued Cadus, accusing the organisation of breaching its duty of care. He had not been adequately prepared for his mission by the organisation and no visa had been organised for him by the Syrian government. Even after his release, he was not offered any medical or psychological help by Cadus. Cadus rejected the allegations made by Martin Lautwein.[20]
Weblinks
- Bericht über Cadus auf 3sat (6:22 Minuten)
- Mossuls Befreiung vom IS-Regime – Unterwegs mit einer Hilfsorganisation I Y-Kollektiv Dokumentation on YouTube
- Interview im Podcast Logbuch Netzpolitik
Individual references
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ "Cadus e.V. Chronologischer Abdruck/Historischer Abdruck. Amtsgericht Berlin (Charlottenburg) VR 31402". Gemeinsames Registerportal der Länder. Justizministerium des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen. Archived from the original on 2016-02-18. Retrieved 2019-06-19.
- ↑ "Vereinssatzung" (PDF). 2016-02-20. Retrieved 2017-10-27.
- ↑ admin. "Our team". cadus.org. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ↑ "AERU. Airborne Emergency Response Unit. Airdrop Capacities for Disaster Relief". Humanitarian Pilots Initiative. Archived from the original on 2019-05-03. Retrieved 2019-05-03.
- ↑ "MatchMyMaker_SvensStorySpendenaufruf". YouTube (in Deutsch). be able e.V. 2021-04-03. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
- ↑ Anja Meyer (2017-01-31). "Helfen unter ständiger Bedrohung". Berliner Morgenpost. Retrieved 2017-10-27.
- ↑ Social Impact. "Hilfe, wo sich keiner hintraut". enorm Magazin. Archived from the original on 2019-05-03. Retrieved 2019-05-03.
- ↑ "Remo²hbo. Robustes und reparierbares Vitalparametermonitoring im mobilen Krankenhaus (repairable patient monitoring in mobile hospital boxes)". Remo²hbo. HTW Berlin. Centrum für biomedizinische Bild- und Informationsverarbeitung CBMI. Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin. Archived from the original on 2019-06-05. Retrieved 2019-07-02. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Jonas Grünwald (2018-01-12). "Mobile Hospital. Von der Idee bis zum Einsatz". CADUS Blog. CADUS e.V. – redefine global solidarity. Archived from the original on 2019-09-20. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
- ↑ "Berliner Organisation sammelt Geld für Rettungsboot". Der Tagesspiegel. 2015-11-17. Retrieved 2017-10-27.
- ↑ Erik Gaitzsch, Neda Ghotbi (2016-11-07). "An der Grenze der Zivilisation". Der Tagesspiegel. Retrieved 2017-10-27.
- ↑ CADUS e.V. (2017-12-15). "Schenken und Gutes tun!". Facebook. Retrieved 2019-05-06.
- ↑ "Mobile Crisis Response Makerspace Ukraine - Cadus e.V. - Redefine Global Solidarity" (in Deutsch). 2023-02-07. Archived from the original on 2023-04-14. Retrieved 2023-04-14.
- ↑ "Home - Tolocar Project". Retrieved 2023-04-14.
- ↑ Instagram-Beitrag von CADUS (@cadus_org) am 18. Dezember 2023
- ↑ "CADUS in Gaza" (PDF) (in Deutsch). 2024-02-17. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
- ↑ Lena Kampf, Philipp Reichert (2020-11-10). "Folter in Syrien: "Die wollen die Menschen brechen"". tagesschau.de. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
- ↑ "German aid worker sues Syria's intelligence services over claims of torture". North Press Agency. 2020-11-11. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
- ↑ Philipp Reichert (2023-09-11). "Entführung und Folter in Syrien: Deutscher Helfer verklagt NGO". tagesschau.de. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
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