Affair of the Heart: Aperam Recycling donates €5,000 for children with heart defect

Duisburg/Accra. Gerald Asamoah was born with a heart defect in 1978. Today, the former FC Schalke 04 professional football player and German national team member is fighting with his foundation to give children with heart disease in his home country of Ghana a new chance at life. This mission will be supported in December 2025 with €5,000 from the Duisburg-based company Aperam Recycling.

On Tuesday, December 9, 2025, the donation check for €5,000 was symbolically handed over to Jens Conrad, managing director of the Gerald Asamoah Foundation. It was presented by Alexander Turra, Aperam Recycling Head of Commercial Germany.

A matter close to his heart

Like the foundation itself, Alexander Turra comes from Gelsenkirchen, Germany, and has a close personal connection to it, as his eldest daughter was also born with a heart defect. He has been volunteering there for several years – this year, he even spent a week in Ghana in November to actively support the project.

Alexander Turra explains the reasons behind his trip and his experiences in Ghana: "I wanted to do more than just donate money, so I decided to support the team on site in person. Whether it was carrying boxes, handing out stuffed animals, or preparing dinner, I helped wherever I was needed. The sincere gratitude of the children and their families moved me deeply and had a lasting impact on my experience there."

Alexander's dedication to the foundation's mission has now also inspired his employer, Aperam Recycling, to make a donation that will make an important contribution to financing life-saving operations.

From emergency aid to sustainable care

In Ghana, only a fraction of the estimated 8,000 children born with heart defects each year are even diagnosed. The high cost of the necessary treatment and the lack of skilled personnel and equipment mean that a heart defect that is normally easily treatable becomes a death sentence. This is where the foundation's work comes in.

In cooperation with the Bonn-based support group “Kinderherzen” (Children's Hearts), the foundation organizes missions in Ghana's capital, Accra. In 2023, a 25-member team of volunteer doctors from the Duisburg Heart Center accompanied the first “heart mission” and gave 23 children the chance of a new life. Further missions followed in 2024 and 2025. A total of 85 children have already been helped.

In addition to the important pillar of “saving lives,” the foundation's work also focuses on Ghanaian hospital staff. The training and further education of local doctors and nursing staff is intended to contribute in the long term to establishing a functioning medical system with sustainable standards. Furthermore, investments are being made in reliable equipment infrastructure and diagnostic systems.

Helping to make hearts strong

The foundation promises that 100% of every donation will benefit children with heart disease.
Further information is available on the foundation's website at www.gerald-asamoah-stiftung.de/de/spenden.