Familie im Fokus – Focussing on families

Schlagwörter

Africa, Afrika, ausbildung, Benefizveranstaltung, Bildung, Bildungspatenschaft, Bildungspatenschafts-Programm, charity, Children, cooperation, Deutschland, donation, Dritte Welt, Education, Eine Welt, Information, Kinder, Kooperation, nothilfe, one world, Patenschaft, Ruanda, Rwanda, scholarship, Spende, sponsorship, stipendium, support

Wie in meiner Nachricht vom 3. März schon berichtet, hat unser 1Welt-Kreis eine Kooperationsvereinbarung mit der Ruandischen NGO „Hoffnung für’s Leben“ geschlossen.
Dieser Vereinbarung waren intensive Gespräche mit Vorstandsmitgliedern vorausgegangen, in denen wir auch über ein erweitertes Konzept für unser Projekt nachgedacht haben. Denn es ist nicht sinnvoll, ein Patenkind isoliert von seinem sozialen Umfeld zu sehen.
Deshalb werden auch die Familien der Patenkinder mit folgender Zielsetzung in unsere Unterstützung einbezogen:

• die Haushalte finanziell in die Lage versetzen, in die Bildung ihrer Kinder zu investieren, indem sie Mittel bereitstellen, um ihr Wissen darüber zu verbessern, wie dieses Ziel erreicht werden kann.
• In Ruanda haben die Dorfsparprogramme und landwirtschaftlichen Genossenschaften gezeigt, dass sie dazu beitragen, den wirtschaftlichen und sozialen Status gefährdeter Haushalte zu verbessern.
  Daher sollten wir nicht nur die Bildung von Kindern in den Blick nehmen, sondern auch ihre Familien dazu befähigen, das Kind zusammen mit dem Bildungspatenschafts-programm des 1Welt-Kreises zu
  unterstützen.
• Den Familien kann zum Beispiel geholfen werden, Ziegen, Hühner, Hasen oder Schweine zu kaufen, mit der Absicht, dass diese Tiere und ihre Nachkommen eine Ressource für die finanzielle Unabhängigkeit der jeweiligen Familien werden.

As already reported in my message of 3 March, our 1Wordl-Circle has concluded a cooperation agreement with the Rwandan NGO „Hope for Life“.
This agreement was preceded by intensive discussions with board members, in which we also considered an expanded concept for our project. Because it does not make sense to see a foster child isolated from his social environment.
Therefore, the families of the foster children are included in our support with the following objectives:

• empower households economically to invest in their children’s education by providing the means to improve their knowledge on how to achieve that aim.
• In Rwanda the microfinance proven village savings programs and cooperatives of agriculture have shown to help improve the economic and social status of vulnerable households.
  Thus we should consider in addition to making children’s education available, but also empowering their families to also be in support of the child along with 1World-Group sponsorship.
• For example, the families can be helped by buying goats, chickens, rabbits or pigs with the intend that these animals and their offspring can be a resource for financial independence for the respective families.

[ Partly machine translation ]

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Ruanda-Mission erfüllt – Rwanda-Mission accomplished

Schlagwörter

Africa, Afrika, ausbildung, Bildung, Bildungspatenschaft, Bildungspatenschafts-Programm, charity, Children, collaboration, cooperation, Deutschland, donation, Dritte Welt, Education, Eine Welt, handicap, impaired, Kinder, nothilfe, one world, Patenschaft, Ruanda, Rwanda, scholarship, Spende, sponsorship, stipendium, support

Zehn Tage war ich hier in Ruanda. Meine Heimreise steht kurz bevor. Nun steht fest, daß ich das Ziel meiner Reise erreicht habe. Ich habe einige Patenkinder besuchen dürfen, darunter solche, die ich bei meinen früheren Reise noch nicht kennenlernnen konnte, da sie neu im Projekt sind. Doch das Hauptanliegen meiner Reise galt Gesprächen mit einem künftigen lokalen Kooperationspartner und ich bin froh sagen zu können, daß wir die Zukunft unseres Bildungspatenschaftsprojekts haben absichern können, soweit es in unserer Macht steht.
Nach mehreren Einzelgesprächen und Diskussionen mit den Vorstandsmitgliedern der lokalen NGO mit dem schönen Namen „Hoffnungs für’s Leben“ haben wir eine Partnerschaftsvereinbarung treffen können und freuen uns, mit ihnen gemeinsam das Projekt in Zukunft fortzuführen. Unser „Mann vor Ort“ wird auch weiterhin am Management des Projekts beteiligt sein. Doch die Fülle der Aufgaben ist durch ein oder zwei Personen schlicht nicht zu bewältigen. Im Übrigen ist eine enge Zusammenarbeit mit lokalen zuverlässigen Partnern unverzichtbar. Die Auswahl der wirklich bedürftigen Kinder bzw Jugendlichen für unser Projekt kann kein Ausländer mit absoluter Sicherheit leisten. Dafür fehlen die Voraussetzungen.
Die Gespräche mit den Mitgliedern von „Hoffnungs für’s Leben“ haben ergeben, daß wir dieselben Intentionen im Hinblick auf die Arbeit zum Wohl der benachteiligten Kinder haben.
Das spiegelt sich übrigens auch in unseren Mottos wieder, die in der Botschaft übereinstimmen. Denn unser Motto lautet „Zukunft und Heimat durch Bildung und Fürsorge“.
Mit dieser Hoffnung gehen wir in die nächsten Jahre und wünschen uns dabei die Unterstützung vieler Paten und Spender!



I was here in Rwanda for ten days. I’m about to go back home. Now it is clear that I have reached the goal of my journey. I have visited some sponsored children. Among them those I did not meet during my former trips to Rwanda, because they are new in our project. But the main purpose of my trip was to talk with a future local cooperation-partner, and I’m happy to announce that we have been able to secure the future of our educational sponsorship project as far as it is within our power.
After several one-on-one meetings and discussions with the board members of the local NGO called „Hope for Life“, we were able to make a partnership agreement and are looking forward to continuing the project with them in the future. Our German project administrator on site will continue to be involved in the management of the project. But the abundance of tasks can not be managed by one or two people. Incidentally, close cooperation with local, reliable partners is indispensable. The identification of really needy children or young people for our project can not be done by a foreigner with absolute certainty. For that the prerequisites are missing.
The discussions with the members of „Hope for Life“ have shown that we have the same intentions to work for the benefit of the disadvantaged children.
Incidentally, this is also reflected in our mottos, which are in agreement in the message, since our motto is „Future and Home through education and care „.
With this hope we go into the next years and wish thereby the support of many foster parents and donors!

[ Machine translation ]

Actions speak louder than words

Schlagwörter

Africa, business, challenge, charity, Children, distress, donation, Education, emergency, first aid, handicap, hardship, housing, impaired, Information, living situation, obstacles, one world, poverty, relief, Rwanda, scholarship, sponsorship, stipendium, struggle, support, survival, survive, trade

(This article was published first on November 24, 2017, in German only. Here comes the English translation)

L. and K. are the children of A. and have attended the New Life Nursery & Primary School for one year.

The school director contacted Dietmar while in Germany with the unfortunate news that a Ecumenical 1World-Group (OWG) supported mother had fallen into a difficult situation. Immediately after recently returning to Rwanda, the telephone rang. It was the school director and he was urging Dietmar to quickly come to him for conversation of resolution.

In February 2017 Pastor Gerhard, Susan and Dietmar met with this director. At that time, the mother and her children seemed to all be in good condition. Her business was developing nicely and to the point where the additional income supported a new living standard for her small family.

In March her home was broken into…again. This brought her total number of break-ins to four. Each time personal items were taken, but more tragic was that all of her goods ready for market were stolen. It is obvious that her victimization was systematic and from people within her locale. It is well-know in the surrounding neighborhoods that she receives European (white) support. This is motivation enough, coupled with the common assumption that she would always receive more money, for she and her family to be targeted.

To make matters even worse, the mother had been ill for the four week transition between May and June and had been further humbled by having to borrow grocery money from the school director.

It is easy for Dietmar to reflect through his similar experiences of prejudice. When an indigenous person has a relationship with a white European, the jealousy, envy, resentment and hate erupts from relatives, „friends“ and neighbors. The contempt is even seen in the disapproving glances of complete strangers. This particular family lives in one of the poorest regions of eastern Rwanda. It is near Uganda. The entire area is owned by wealthy absentee ranchers and land owners, who spend their time at their villas in Kigali.

The local population is impoverished and survives from day to day. Unfortunately it is ingrained into their society that they observe one another with a jealous eye. Whenever individuals elevate themselves from the norm, this knee-jerk social mechanism automatically engages to undermine the achiever. As soon as a family is (white) supported, there is jealousy and an accompanying feeling that the recipient family has become selfish and greedy.

Since the family has joined the local church and the children have integrated into the school, they are receiving the inclusive attention and social acceptance which they rightfully deserve. Dietmar is sincerely appreciative of the working relationship which has developed between himself and the school director. Dietmar recognizes the director as a valuable contact and capable mediator who has the best interests of the mother and her children at heart.

One of their first decisions was to improve the family’s housing arrangement. For a long time they lived in a remote hut located in a cornfield. Obviously the isolation made it an easily broken into target.

• The objective is to locate a living quarters in a safe neighborhood in the center of the village. The building must have a door and windows reinforced with steel.
• The prospective neighbors will be interviewed, informed and solicited to participate in respectful attention given to the family.
• The rent for the first three months will be payed from the general fund of OWG.
• The objective ideally would be to secure a large enough residence where the mother’s wares can be stored. If this is not possible, a separate warehouse facility will be rented. The financing for replenishing the stolen inventory will come from OWG.

Pastor Gerhard comes to Rwanda in February. Susan and Dietmar are planning to visit her with Gerhard. The delegation of three is anxious to see her progress, as she appears to be a very capable, creative businesswoman.

The course of events through this endeavor of supporting a talented and industrious family achieve their financial footing has been rewarding. They now have a firm business foundation upon which their living standard will only improve. Dietmar reflects with satisfaction, helping these impoverished Rwandans to achieve a better life gives renewed meaning to what OWG is all about.

Generally we support poor families. Some families, with children who could be students, are so destitute that they could never imagine coming up with tuition fees. There are the deserted mothers or the children with no relationship to a living relative. There are those with a home made of adobe and a corrugated-tin roof, no table, no chair, no bed. The morning is met with hunger and off to school. Sleep at day’s end is also met with hunger, as they lie on a piece of cardboard or reed mat. We have 7 such children. Thanks to their foster parents, they have a little something of which other childern have none…hope.

This reality is easy to understand. It does very little good to send a hungry child to school out of incomprehensible abject poverty. The mind will not engage when the stomach is groaning in anguish. From an imagined perfect world, where OWG had unlimited resources, Dietmar has come to the opinion that our first priority is elevate living standard, therefore maximizing the educational opportunity.

His experience has repeatedly confirmed that assistance only lasts when followed through with strict observation and analysed results. This insures that the accompanying cultural, social and economic conditions are positively impacted. Without such financial controls in place, an at-risk recipient family’s living circumstances would quickly deteriorate. The distribution of our fosterparent and patron monies must remain purpose-driven with the singular focus: elevate standard-of-living. The ultimate priority is to protect our recipient’s dignity and bolster their social well-being. Dietmar strongly recommends this philosophic shift in thinking into our OWG decision making process.

Dietmar is making the request that our foster parents consider the positive result which would come from broadening their support so as to iinclude the universal well-being of the entire family. The positive impact would be paramount!

Dietmar and Susan want to express their sincere appreciation to all our OWG fosterparents. Your life-line of support is the only avenue for these mothers and their children to have any sense of personal dignity. Your loyalty, to your chosen fosterchild and the overall well-being of OWG, fuels Dietmar and Susan’s fortitude and encourages them in their commitment to the everyday tasks at hand.

BTW: In the meantime of his article, the family described above has moved into a secure housing which conveniently has a view of the city market. This entrepreneurial mother sincerely thanks the supporting foster parents for covering her three months rent and the finances to purchase the necessary raw materials so as to get back into business.

So…the OWG beat goes on !

[ Translation: Mr Randell K. Anderson ]

smoost hilft uns jetzt auch mit einer charity-shopping-platform

(only)

Neuerdings hat auch die charity-platform „smoost“ das charity-shopping für sich entdeckt.
Bisher bestand ihr Angebot darin, daß man durch das Lesen von Werbung Spenden in Form von Provisionen der entsprechenden Shops generieren konnte. Dies ist auch weiterhin möglich und wir legen es unseren Lesern sehr ans Herz!
Nun besteht auch die Möglichkeit, über das Portal von smoost online einzukaufen.
Besonderheit: smoost präsentiert einen „Partner der Woche“, der eine besonders hohe Provision verspricht.
Am Besten, Sie probieren das gleich einmal aus!
Vielen Dank, daß Sie uns unterstützen!

Sponsorizzazione nel campo dell’educazione – Le informazioni sono ora disponibili in italiano

Schlagwörter

adolescente, Africa, aiuti di emergenza, bambini, borsa di studio, carità, educazione, promozione, Ruanda, sponsorizzazione

Il gruppo ecumenico 1World-Group (OWG) nella valle Erbstromtal

l’Evangelical One-World-Group fu fondato nel 2005. L’OWG si trova nella valle Erbstromtal, nella Germania centrale. Non siamo una ONG. Siamo semplicemente un collettivo di individui che condividono i valori intrinseci della cura e dei contribuzione.
Prevalentemente, l’appartenenza OWG è interconfessionale, composto da protestanti e cattolici delle comunità vicine alla nostra vallata.

Potresti avere un interesse a partecipare. La tua sponsorizzazione potrebbe essere specifica per un individuo. Il tuo contributo supporta l’educazione di un bambino ruandese o di un giovane adulto, offrendo quindi un futuro sicuro di autosufficienza.

Per favore continua a leggere… (pdf-file)