Dear friends and supporters,
“Have courage, stand up” was the motto of the 104th German Catholic Convention, held May 13–17 in
Würzburg. SOLWODI was also represented with a booth on the “Church Mile.” There, we had the opportunity to engage in many conversations with very interested visitors and were able to distribute a wide variety of informational materials.
The topic of “Combating Violence Against Women” has struck a chord with many people in the current climate. Additionally, many were surprised to learn that forms of violence such as human
trafficking or forced marriage also occur in large numbers in Germany. “I heard about an African woman
in China who was forced to work in a studio without a passport and against her will, but the fact that
something like this also happens in my own country really shocks me,” one visitor summed it up.
The Catholic Convention in Würzburg was also an excellent opportunity to raise awareness of the new
specialized counseling center in Würzburg, which, together with the center in Gemünden am Main, is continuing the work of the former Bad Kissingen location in Lower Franconia. Thankfully, SOLWODI colleagues from Lower Franconia supported our booth at the Catholic Convention every day. In the process, they were able to meet new network partners and establish valuable contacts. We have already received an initial request for a presentation to introduce the work in Würzburg.
“Have courage, stand up” is also a motto that reflects SOLWODI’s work very well. After all, our goal
is to empower women affected by violence to live independent and self-determined lives. We want
to encourage them and help them develop the skills and abilities they need to achieve their life goals.
SOLWODI’s founder, Sr. Lea Ackermann, would have called this empowerment. That, too, was a
wonderful experience: many people approached us at the booth because they had known Sr. Lea or
had once attended one of her lectures. We were grateful to realize the impact Sr. Lea has had on the
lives of so many people.
© SOLWODI
But it wasn’t just informative – many people, especially young people, were able to engage with our topics in a playful way by trying out the SOLWODI puzzle, which featured key terms from our work. This provided plenty of opportunities to strike up conversations.
So, despite occasional downpours, these were overall fulfilling and inspiring days during which we were able to share information about SOLWODI and our topics, but also gained a lot of motivation and positive insights ourselves from the diverse conversations. Now we’re already looking forward to the Kirchentag in Düsseldorf next year!