Our team

Our team

Stephanie Bunk

My name is Stephanie, I am a co-initiator of the project and have been involved from the beginning. I work as a psychologist, lecturer in meditation and Ayurveda and have been running my own yoga center in Markdorf since 2014. The school project is one of my most important projects. If children are given the opportunity to find themselves and their potential holistically at an early age, the door will be open to them early on in a life that makes them a conscious creator and designer of their life in joy, abundance, balance and inner peace.

Martina Kugler

I am Martina, mother of two children. I am a trained PTA and garden therapist.

At the Earth in Balance Congress 2018, I attended the keynote speech “School for Happy Children,” which inspired me to get involved. I have been supporting the project from the beginning.

Since spring 2023 I have been realizing my heart projects “Garden Gnomes” and celebrating the annual cycle festivals in the yurt.

I am the guardian of the yurt and the on-site contact person for events and rentals.

Natascha Ralfs

I am a Waldorf class teacher, life and learning counselor, coach and master in resonance according to Kutschera.

"I am really looking forward to the creation of Ananda and to our launch. There is still a lot to do before then and I am very excited to see where we will find our place. It is important to me to create a space with the children that allows everyone to feel comfortable and to learn easily and to be happy."

ANANDA International

Peter Nfon

I am Peter, originally from Bamenda - Cameroon. I am a qualified teacher of physics, mathematics and environmental sciences with more than 10 years of teaching experience. I have had the opportunity to work extensively in the humanitarian and community development field in Cameroon, including for organizations such as the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Society, the Cameroon Red Cross and the Community Initiative for Sustainable Development in Bamenda (Cameroon). My previous experiences and training have motivated me and made me want to put myself more at the service of the people.

Driven by this vision, I founded the non-profit NGO Sustainable Actions Africa to address some of the challenges my community faces such as lack of access to health facilities, education, energy, food, water, sanitation and hygiene services. We established the Pathfinders STEM Hub, a dynamic center for underprivileged children and youth to transform education through STEM instruction with a focus on hands-on learning in a community currently facing the Anglophone conflict that has resulted in more than 3,000 civilian deaths to date.

Promoting a healthy balance between our inner self, our outer world and the interaction between these two makes the ANANDA concept a must, especially in vulnerable communities like Bamenda - Cameroon. We are open to people of goodwill who identify with this vision and want to join us in making the ANANDA project a reality in Bamenda (Cameroon). I am delighted to be able to represent the ANANDA project in Cameroon.

Our history

In December 2018, we set out to establish a free school for the children of the future.

The starting point was the "Earth in Balance" seminar at the Siddha Center in Markdorf, and over time a team emerged that is determined to make the shared vision of this new school - this "place of encounter and learning" - a reality. In the summer of 2019 we founded an association, Ananda eV. We submitted our educational concept to the regional council in Tübingen in February 2020 and have been in constructive exchange ever since. There are still a few steps that separate us from approval. Numerous children have already pre-registered with us (i.e. they are interested in going to ANANDA as soon as it opens) and we are urgently looking for a place where our school can open its doors as soon as possible.

Our vision

Ananda, a place of encounter and Learning wants to offer children and young people the opportunity to develop their potential and to remain in harmony with themselves, their fellow human beings and nature. We assume that the child has a spiritual origin and that at birth on earth it already carries inherent knowledge that can be remembered, deepened and expanded.

The goal is to live in a balance between one's inner self and the outer world, which includes both self-respect and respect for all other life.  

Ananda wants to create a space in which freedom, appreciative communication and equality create a community that enables everyone to learn holistically with head, heart and hand.