We help to construct a Children Sharing Centre in Nyagatare (Rwanda)

The "Rwanda Project" of the ecumenical 1World-Group is showing first results

At the end of October 2007 the Erbstrom Valley's ecumenical 1World-Group started the project "1-2-Help - 11,111x40 Euros for a youth centre in Nyagatare, Rwanda".

During 1994's civil war, appr. one million people were murdered during a period of 100 days in this mid-African country. The genocide left thousands of victims, among them 400,000 orphans. To this day they suffer from the results of the civil war.

To ease their distress, an organisation from Rwanda called ASSIST which was founded in 1999 has started a number of projects. Their aim is to enable children and young people to once again become part of society and offer them a self-determined future.

For three years the organisation has been supported by the 1World-Group whose representatives visited Rwanda in February 2007 to talk to ASSIST members about future projects and strategies.

As it turned out during these talks, one of the most pressing tasks is the foundation of a youth centre for members of so-called "child-headed families". In Rwanda, the oldest child of a family often has to care for its siblings on its own because the parents and other adults have been murdered or died of the civil war's consequences.

The 1World-Group has developed the project "1-2-Help - 11,111x40 €" and has been campaigning ever since to find 11,111 donators who will give 40 Euros to help build the youth centre. But really, any sum of money is welcome.

Since the campaign (whose chairman is Bernhard Vogel, former president of the federal state of Thuringia and Rwanda expert) was started, 56 people from Germany, Luxembourg and Canada have made donations. In addition 19 groups from congregations, among them one from France, and countless people visiting events organised by the 1World-Group supported the project. Up to December 31st, 2007, 6.700 Euros were collected.

A special effort was made by Gustav Bergemann (Christian Democratic Party), member of Thuringia's parliament, who asked his party colleagues of the Landtag and the town of Ruhla's local party members for a donation before Christmas.

The Brinkhoff and Reinicke Garden Centre in Eisenach, Thuringia, Germany, donated all the money they took in from selling Christmas trees in one day.

The Africa Group of Stendal, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, is another partner of the Erbstromtal's 1World-Group. It donated the proceeds of its 2007 "Christmas Café" in Stendal's St Mary's Church to the project and has promised to continue its support.

These developments of the first two months of the project leave room for careful optimism. Of course the goal is far from being achieved but the first steps have been taken.

Now that the Thuringian Elisabeth Year, a year full of different charity projects, is over and Christmas with its various obligations is past, the 1World-Group hopes to draw people's attention to the "1-2-Help" project.
It is not attached to a particular saint (like Elisabeth) or a season. It will need continuing support from many people until the centre has been completed and can be run without donations to help many young people find their way back into human society and make their own living. Projects that enable people to help themselves in the long run are most effective because they combine charity with dignity.

The 1World-Group wants to encourage many people to support the foundation of the centre. The first building, a library, is already being constructed and might be complete soon. For the latest news visit this website frequently.

Contact the 1World-Group for more information: Evangelisches Pfarramt Ruhla,
telephone 0049-36929-62137.
If you want to make a donation, transfer money to our account no. 26638 at the Wartburgsparkasse,
Bank code number 840 550 50, purpose: "12H Rwanda".
IBAN-Code: DE41 8405 5050 0000 0266 38
Swift-Code (BIC-Code): HELADEF1WAK