2/28/2023

Aachen, Germany, February 28th, 2023 – The Federal Association of Thalidomide Victims (Thalidomide Association; Bundesverband Contergangeschädigter e.V.) and the Grünenthal Foundation for the Support of Thalidomide-affected people (Grünenthal Foundation; Grünenthal-Stiftung zur Unterstützung von Thalidomidbetroffenen) announced a new platform for joint dialogue. After continuously intensified personal and informal contact over the last years, a joint Dialogue Forum shall now provide a new institutionalized framework for the exchange between those affected by Thalidomide and the Grünenthal Foundation. The aim of the cooperation is to implement joint long-term projects that help Thalidomide victims and their relatives in addition to the established support systems. The dialogue forum is intended to become a platform that consolidates the cooperation and enables a regular exchange on future issues.

The event kicked off with a meeting between the board of the Thalidomide Association and representatives of the Grünenthal Foundation on February 27, 2023, in Aachen. The joint wish of the Grünenthal Foundation and the Thalidomide Association is to address issues sustainably. Expectations and ideas were exchanged and possible fields of cooperation in the overarching areas of "provision of knowledge about Thalidomide" and "mobility" were discussed, as well as ideas on how to proceed. Also, tasks and new dates were set.

Udo Herterich, Chairman of the Federal Association of Thalidomide Victims, comments on the intensification of the cooperation: "I think we shall look ahead instead of back. The exchange and dialogue with each other are very important: How will we cope with the major tasks that lie ahead of us in the future? I trust that jointly with us and the Grünenthal Foundation, the German Federal Contergan Foundation, politics, other associations and experts will sit down forming workshops and expert groups. The Dialogue Forum is thus an approach for a new level of cooperation."

Tom Hermes, member of the Grünenthal Foundation team: "The Grünenthal Foundation and the state-owned Contergan Foundation both ensure that the living conditions of those affected are improved. What began ten years ago with an initial exchange with the North Rhine-Westphalia state association is now being expressed in a nationwide Dialogue Forum. We would very much like to thank everyone involved for the trust that has been placed in us over the years."

Members of the owner family of Grünenthal have been actively supporting the rapprochement between the Grünenthal Foundation and those affected for years and are involved in the work of the Grünenthal Foundation as members of the Board of Trustees.

About the Federal Association of Thalidomide Victims (Bundesverband Contergangeschädigter e.V.)

Since 1963, the Federal Association of Thalidomide Victims has been a recognized umbrella organization for people affected by Thalidomide and their relatives in Germany. The Federal Association of Thalidomide Victims is the point of contact for those seeking advice (those affected, their relatives and, for example, therapists from different disciplines) as well as for those interested in the topic of Thalidomide, e.g. Politics, doctors, science, the public and its members.

Further information can be found under www.contergan.de

About the Grünenthal Foundation for the Support of Thalidomide-affected people
(Grünenthal-Stiftung zur Unterstützung von Thalidomidbetroffenen)
The Grünenthal Foundation was established at the beginning of 2012 and thus integrated Grünenthal's initiative for hardship cases, which has been in place since 2011. Their task is to improve the quality of life of people harmed by Thalidomide. Personal communication with those affected is the key to the success of the foundation. The team takes time to get to know the needs of each individual. In this way, it can offer support services that start where they make a real difference in the lives of those affected. The focus is on help that makes life in one's own home easier, promotes contact with other people or aids in practicing a profession. To date, the Grünenthal Foundation has supported more than 780 victims in almost 3,500 causes. In addition, she has carried out various nationwide and international projects.

For more information, see www.grunenthal-stiftung.com.