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Fundacja Dzieła Kolpinga w Polsce

ul. Żułowska 51

31-436 Kraków

Author: Krzysztof Wolski

The study trip to East Africa organized by Kolping International, based in Cologne (Germany), took

place from 25.09-08.10.2014. The trip lasted two weeks and included three East African countries:

Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda.

Each visit to the abovementioned countries lasted approx. 5 days. The participants of the trip inclu-

ded representatives of executive bodies of the European national associations of Kolping Society

from 4 countries: Hungary - Judit Hudson and Gellert Sabo, Romania - Corneliu Bulai, Ukraine - Va-

syl Savka and Galya Jeromína and Poland - Krzysztof Wolski and Magdalena Szczudło.

The coordinator of the project was Daniela Stehlik, a representative of Kolping International. The aim

of the visit was to learn about the conditions of work of selected African Kolping Families (KF), identi-

fy their needs and expectations, and get to know the local possibilities of providing development aid

in the form of specific target projects for the most needy. The meeting wanted to encourage learning

from one another – for example to explore factors of the success of African Kolping societies, for

example in increasing the number of members.

The journey began in Cologne, which was the starting point for the entire group. At the preparatory

meeting at the headquarters of Kolping International, participants received their tasks and signed

agreements for their implementation. There was also an interview with Volker Greulich of SEK

(Social and Development Aid of the Kolping Society), who gave us many practical tips on the travel

and stay to this foreign continent; especially to the countries we were to visit. We also received a lot

of valuable information about the activities of the Kolping Society in Uganda and Tanzania, where

Kolping has been present for a long time.

ADMISSION

From Cologne, the eight-person Kolping expedition went to Amsterdam and at 1 p.m. left for

Uganda from Schipol airport by KLM airlines flight No. 539, Airbus 330. The trip lasted approx.

10 hours with a stopover in Kigali, and after a one-hour stop we arrived at the Ugandan Entebbe air-

port at 10.30 p.m. The customs clearance went smoothly and after receiving entry visas we entered

the territory of the African country known as the "Pearl of Africa". Representatives of the Uganda

Kolping Society, with the Executive Director Aloysius Mugasa Adyeri, were waiting for us in the

arrivals hall. After a warm welcome and joyous applause, the Kolping minibus took us to the country's

capital - Kampala. We checked into single rooms in the Kampala Kolping Hotel (KKH) with a four-star

standard. Despite the late hour, there was a ceremonial welcome with a glass of exotic mango juice in

the orange Kolping colour. Aloysius made a welcome speech and the Bishop of Kampala, who arrived

especially to greet us, gave us a blessing for the entire stay and work in the spirit of Kolping ideas.

The night rest did not last long, because after checking the room, and especially after setting up the

anti-mosquito net protecting from mosquitoes spreading malaria germs, there were only a few hours

left until dawn. The day at the equator always lasts approx. 12 hours. The sun rises at 6 in the mor-

ning and sets at 6 p.m. and both dawn and dusk are not long - lasting just over ten minutes.

25.09.2014

26.09.2014

Breakfast and departure from KKH was announced early and at 10 a.m. we had a first glimpse of the

capital of Uganda, which like most metropolitan areas in the Global South has at least two sides - the

international and shiny side and the local side - poor and neglected. Everywhere there is a lot of traf-

fic – on the left hand side. The city centre is full of cars, buses and taxis, and the poorer districts -

motorcycles, which are also used as taxis (even for two people). They also serve to transport all kinds

of goods - agricultural products, construction materials, fuel and even furniture. The only alternative

for the poor is individual transport, using bikes or hands, people usually carry goods on their heads -

in many cases this is done by women and children. From the capital, Kampala, the group headed to

the main expressway leading north to the town of Kigumba with a thriving Kolping Family - Saint Ma-

ry’s. Along the way we admired the African savannah landscape overgrown with bushes, with the

silhouettes of extinct volcanoes visible on the horizon. The areas around the towns and villages are

dominated by small plots, usually cultivated with hand tools - mainly hoes. Houses made of burnt,

hand-made clay bricks are situated along the roads. The houses do not have closed windows and

doors, since they serve only as protection from the sun and rain, and not the cold. Sometimes there

are shutters and doors as protection against animals, whose number is gradually falling, but they oc-

casionally appear only at night. There are also round-shaped huts covered with palm leaves or reeds

on the savannah. The residents are usually near the houses - mostly women and children busy with

simple daily activities on the farm. After four hours of fast driving - more than 100 km/h – in very hot

weather, we reached the place of our first meeting. We were greeted with songs and dances by more

than 30 members of the local Kolping Family dressed in festive costumes, among which dominated

the Kolping colours - orange and black. After a short prayer initiated by the Rev. President and lunch

prepared from local products, such as manioc, sweet potatoes, cassava, regular potatoes, bananas

and beef, we began the substantive part of our visit.

The secretary of the local Kolping team, Felix, presented the main idea of the local Kolping Family,

which is running a kindergarten and school for more than a hundred children and a savings and credit

bank. Then, all the members introduced themselves and described their activities in the team. Among

them were two teachers from the school. The main topic of conversation was the campaign to promo-

te family – the school religion teacher gave testimony that she had helped six couples from the Kol-

ping Family to get married. They also proudly presented their saving books: each month each Kolping

members pays a certain amount and when there is enough saved, the Kolping family can get a credit

from Kolping Uganda. The money is then provided for individual projects from Kolping members. They

have to pay back the pay back the credit within six to 12 month. Then there was the expected exchan-

ge of gifts. These included a variety of local handicrafts and on the European side - sweets, religious

paintings and memorabilia. A tour of the school and the church, founded by white missionaries, Com-

boni missionaries, and the rectory, completed the visit. The town of Kigumba, in addition to local pro-

blems, is also faced with an influx of refugees from neighbouring South Sudan, where there is a civil

war. Therefore, both the school and the hospital are not able to meet those needs. Later in the after-

noon, we went to the west to the town of Masindi for the night. The local unpaved road led through

thickets and deciduous forests growing on the red laterite soil. We arrived after dark and checked into

the Masindi Kolping Hotel - modern bungalows in the shape of African round huts, which we had seen

earlier, but with European standard. At a short working meeting, director Aloysius Mugasa gave us

some information about his country. Currently, Uganda has a population of 34 million people, and the

local Kolping Society has 11 000 members. They are very dutiful, for example, they always pay their

membership fees on time, organize aid and other actions organized by Kolping International – and

they are always first.

After a European breakfast, we departed on our further journey along the same unpaved local ro-

ad, which is impassable during the rainy season. It leads through the highlands, with banana plan-

tations and large areas of forests. At 11 a.m. we reached the town of Hoima, the capital of the we-

stern region, the seat of the bishop, but primarily the headquarters of the Uganda Kolping Society

(UKS). We stayed in the Hoima Kolping Hotel. This is where the offices of the Society are located

and the board meetings take place. The most active Families also live in the area. After checking

in, came the most important moment of our visit to Uganda - meeting with the Board of the Kolping

Society, which was founded in 1988. Its managing director, Aloysius Mugasa, presented the most

important areas of their activities: 9 local coordinators work full time in the Kolping Society headqu-

arters in Uganda, and 4 hotels, a pig farm and an internet café run their business. Then the mem-

bers of the study tour made their presentations on prepared topics. The presentation made by the

representative of the Kolping Society in Poland, Magdalena Szczudło, aroused particular interest,

as she spoke about raising funds for the activities of the organization by the fundraising method.

She presented the project of cycle management as a way to obtain grants from public sources of

the European Union. The main purpose of the presentation was to show the possibility of obtaining

a grant from public sources of the EU thanks to the cooperation of European Kolping Societies with

governments of their countries. The presentation focused on the cyclical project management met-

hod, indicating it as useful for planning all the indicators for projects that the Kolping Society in Afri-

ca would like to develop. The main points of the presentation included:

a) the project and project thinking

b) the analysis of the problem

c) the objectives and results of the analysis

d) the definition of logical project operation, its results and objectives

e) the budget and schedule

27.09. 2014

After this presentation, the second member of the Polish team, the National Secretary Krzysztof

Wolski, presented four areas of action of the Kolping Society in Poland and invited the young peo-

ple to the World Youth Day 2016 in Cracow (Poland). After that, there was a presentation made by

Gellert Sabo from Hungary, Chairman of Young Kolping Europe who talked about the activities for

young people in Europe, especially annual holiday camps and workshops. Then, Corneliu Bulai

from Romania, presented the activity of his society. The presentations were summed up in perfect

English by the National Secretary from Hungary, Judith Hudson, who talked about the 150-year

history of Kolping involvement in her country. After the meeting, we visited the offices of the Ugan-

dan Kolping Society, which are well laid out, with comfortable rooms to work in. We visited KEDEP

– the Microfinance Department, supervised by the Deputy Executive Director of Kolping Uganda

Noeline Kisembo, chief coordinator. She suggested a visit to one of the farms, which developed its

activities thanks to microcredits and became self-sufficient, repaid the loan, and now it was possi-

ble to help others. The village where the farm is located is composed of several huts. In front of

one of them we met an elderly lady who was reading… the breviary in Swahili. The family has five

small children who take care of small animals and bring water from a fairly distant river in plastic

yellow canisters for the daily needs of the farm. After returning to HKH, while we were waiting for

dinner, we heard the sounds of music on the neighbouring property. There was a wedding party

going on, and we took advantage of the invitation to take part in the official part of the ceremony. In

addition to the lavish decoration of the entire area, we were surprised by the large number of bride-

smaids dressed exactly like the bride. The groom also had a significant entourage. This demon-

strates the wealth of both the bride and groom and their high social status. The rich ceremony con-

firmed that even, or perhaps especially, in poor countries contrasts in living standards are very si-

gnificant. However, this did not discourage us from further research of the local situation in order to

prepare a project proposal for development aid.

After a brief visit to the wedding, we returned to the Hoima Kolping House for a farewell dinner with

regional dances and exchange of gifts, mainly the "Spirit of Uganda" gin, which is well-known since

colonial times as an anti-malarial therapeutic drink used in combination with quinine-containing to-

nic. Lighter alcohols, worth mentioning, included a local beer "Nile Special" produced from crystal

clear water from the sources of the White Nile. Beer, moreover, is here a widely consumed thanks

to its beneficial part in the process of digestion. No wonder that is why only a few windows lit up

light , when the plaintive voice of the muezzin calling before dawn few followers of Allah to the mor-

ning prayer (which in Uganda is approx. 11 %).

In contrast to the muezzin, the church bells on Sunday morning attract large numbers of the faithful

to several churches in Hoima. Our study group, accompanied by our Kolping hosts, participated in

a Catholic Mass in the parish church of St. Cyprian. The service, accompanied by the choir and

drummers, lasted almost two hours with a 40 minute sermon and all those present took an active

part in the ceremony, singing and clapping rhythmically. Despite the fact that it was Sunday, our

study program included another visit to the village of Kiboga, to which we departed at noon. Upon

arrival everyone was looking for some kind of shade. The main point of interest was the banana

plantation, which was also developed thanks to the microcredit program. It was the same in other

villages we visited - Bukomero, where we arrived in pouring rain via a winding, mountain road and

Wakiso, full of cars and neat, new homes, with cows and flocks of chickens grazing on separate

pastures. The journey back on the winding road to Hoima made us think that Africa is probably the

most diverse continent on Earth. We passed quarries with great piles of rocks, the town of Nansa-

na and finally reached the capital. We returned to KKH, where we stayed on the first day of our vi-

sit. The long journey was a good chance to look at the real and tangible needs of local communi-

ties.

28.09.2014

After an early breakfast, the WOP (Work Opportunity Programme) was presented by its main

coordinator - Philip. He summarized several years of experience in this field, which gave the

opportunity to work and support families to tens of beneficiaries. M. Szczudło from Poland, in parti-

cular, wanted to know the details – in order to develop a pre-diagnosis with the intention of prepa-

ring 2 projects similar to WOP. Following the meeting, the study group went to the Kolping Family

Katiiti, where we received a warm and solemn welcome. Everyone got orange and black decora-

tive sashes embroidered with the date of our visit and rosaries with orange beads. All the souvenirs

were handmade by members of the Family under the guidance of the Chairperson, Josephine

Nalubega. After a long presentation of Family activities and its main activists, we were shown the

pride of the community – an installation for the production of biogas used as fuel for cooking and

lighting using gas lamps. The raw materials for the production of biogas were large amounts of

composted green biomass remaining after the harvest of bananas and other plant products and

most important cow manure. The cost of such an installation is approx. 1,000 euros and it is the

only innovative source of energy for local farms, where firewood and charcoal are commonly used.

After this visit, the lights in Kampala appeared as if from another world.

29.09.2014

This day was devoted entirely to the journey to the neighbouring Tanzania. A convenient, though

single lane carriageway led us along Lake Victoria, where 222 km from Kampala we crossed the

equator and drove to the southern hemisphere of our globe. The place is clearly marked with a wi-

de yellow line diagonally intersecting the road with a symbolic monument showing the 0⁰ latitude.

Next to it there are three funnels, where you can observe the different directions of the flow of wa-

ter on the northern and southern hemisphere, as well as at the equator, associated with a deviation

of direction due to the impact of the Coriolis force. Nearby, there is a luxury four-star hotel that was

built to host tourists crossing the equator. It is not used very often – mainly for conferences and tra-

ining of aid programs. After reaching the border of Uganda, we said goodbye to our Kolping hosts,

and crossed the border on foot, and after a short time, as the border traffic was very small, we re-

ceived entry visas to Tanzania. The border crossing point was very modest, covered with posters

informing about epidemiological threat because of the Ebola virus and cholera. However, I think it

was not significant, as we did not notice any sanitary security, and no one checked our yellow boo-

klets with prophylactic vaccination stamps. We greeted our Tanzanian hosts and two Toyotas took

us to the town of Bukoba, picturesquely situated on Lake Victoria. Along the way, we admired a

different type of landscape, more rocky and grassy, with vast uninhabited areas. Also the traffic

was negligible, and there were numerous barriers on the road which charged fees for transporting

goods for sale from rural areas to larger settlements. Just before sunset, and here in the southern

hemisphere the sun apparently moves from right to left, we reached the Bukoba Kolping Hotel, a

hotel and conference complex of the Kolping Society of Tanzania, where we were greeted by a

dancing folk group and asked to participate in the traditional welcome dance. This was followed by

an official welcome from the President, Rev. David Kamugish and national board members.

30.09.2014

The day began with a mass celebrated by the President of the Kolping Society of Tanzania, Rev.

David, followed by a courtesy visit made by the study group to the Bishop Ordinary of the diocese

of Bukoba - Desiderus M. Rwoma, who that year celebrated the 40th anniversary of his priestly mi-

nistry. He is the protector of the Tanzania Society and has keen interest in its activities. He was in-

terested in the activities of the Kolping Societies in Europe, especially in its eastern part, which re-

cently entered the path of democratic transition, and has many similar problems (poverty, unem-

ployment, supporting a family, problems with youth). When talking about the Kolping Society in Po-

land, with its headquarters in Krakow, the conversation focused on the person of St. John Paul II,

who is well known in Africa and the upcoming World Youth Day 2016 in Krakow, which will be at-

tended by a 40-person group from Bukoba. As a souvenir of the meeting, we received t-shirts with

the image of the bishop and after visiting the magnificent cathedral we went to the diocese printing

house, where we were guided by an auxiliary bishop Msg. M. Kilaini. It is located next to the first

missionary church built on the high bank of Lake Victoria. We then went down to have a closer look

at the enormity of the lake. Afterwards, we had a briefing with the management of KST whose aim

was to present the activities of the local Society. We learned that it brings together 201 Families or

self-help groups and has a total of 10 592 members. Over 80% of them are farmers, and for this

reason the main activities of the Society in Tanzania include issues related to agriculture. The main

objective is to extend and modernize plantations of all sorts, especially coffee plantations which

are very common here . Measures are being taken to increase efficiency, but also to organize its

own network of processing and distribution in local markets. Another one - preventing soil erosion

and construction of water tanks to keep the surplus of water in the rainy season for use in the dry

season. Next - the program for goats and cattle breeding and promotion of afforestation of forests

destroyed by fires (i.e. agroforestry farms with avocado trees). It is important to introduce agro-

technical measures, previously unknown, and modern marketing for their products. This is the pur-

pose of development aid from Germany (BMZ), Austria (Innsbruck BSI) and South Tyrol (Bozen).

1.10.2014

The afternoon of the previous day and the morning of this day were devoted to two field trips to the

Kolping Families in the Muleba district (KF Kigongo, KF Kigaze and KF Nyamuhunga) and the Bu-

koba rural district (KF Karonge and KF Mikoni). We were accompanied by two volunteers from

Germany - Celina and Johannes. The Kolping Families we visited are engaged in the cultivation of

Robusta coffee (due to the lowland area), bananas and sweet potatoes, under the Livelihoods ini-

tiatives of KST. After greeting us, a representative of the village local government expressed satis-

faction that they could present their achievements in the area of small agro-food production. An

example of the above was the presentation of the entire process of banana wine production - a lo-

cal specialty – very popular on the local food market. We were shown how bananas are cut, we-

ighed (approx. 120 kg), washed, sorted and peeled, while maintaining high standards of hygiene,

which is extremely difficult, bearing in mind the lack of running water. Then the banana pulp is kne-

aded by hand and poured over with boiling water, cooked on an open fire. Yeast is added to the

semi-finished product, weighing 20 kg, which is left for fermentation to make the final product – a

beverage containing about 10% of pure banana flavoured alcohol. The addition of an appropriate

amount of cane sugar gives the wine a sweet or semi-sweet taste. In a similar way, an alcoholic

drink made from hibiscus or low-alcohol banana beer is produced. Everything is bottled and label-

led on the spot and sold. A group of responsible workers in white protective clothing takes part in

the manufacturing process, but after work the local community expresses its joy by dancing, play-

ing music on drums and rhythmic singing and clapping. One of the drums was donated to the re-

presentative of Romania, Corneliu Bulai, after he joined the drum playing and dancing.

After returning to Bukoba, we also visited a complex of schools, and to our surprise we were gre-

eted by a school brass band, dressed in orange, playing, among other things, the Kolping Society

anthem in the rhythm of a march. This was the Kolping primary and secondary school which was

build up only using credits and the costs are covered through the – in most African countries usual

– school fees.

2.10.2014

After the morning community mass at the Kolping House chapel in Bukoba, there was an official

meeting of the Kolping Society board with the participants of the study group concerning fundrai-

sing and project proposals. It started - as in Uganda - with the presentation of the history and ac-

tivities of Kolping societies in the European countries represented during the trip. The hosts were

particularly interested in the countries which maintained partnership relations and what kind of aid

is provided for young people to become self-reliant in life, especially in order to complete tertiary

level education. They were less interested in the help for seniors, for the obvious reason, as the

average age in these countries does not exceed 50 years and such challenges to the elderly are

not yet perceived by society. In the second part of the meeting, Magdalena Szczudło from Poland

presented the principles of fundraising and opportunities for financing activities. Once again, her

speech arose great interest. In the afternoon we had a chance to get to know the everyday life of a

typical provincial town, like Bukoba. It is dominated by small trade in small shops and bazaars.

Everything is traded - from agricultural produce to imported industrial goods - mainly from India, the

Arab countries and China. Prices are low, but the turnover is high and everyone is satisfied. Euro-

pean tourists rarely visit the area, although the beautiful location on the shores of Lake Victoria

should encourage many tourists to visit. In the evening, at the farewell dinner, we summarized the

visit and signed a document on cooperation between the Kolping Society of Tanzania and the Cen-

tral Association of the Kolping Society in Poland by the President, Rev. Kamugish and National Se-

cretary Krzysztof Wolski. Then we received gifts - banana wine and hand-dyed cotton coupon

(batik).

3.10.2014

This hot Saturday was entirely devoted to our journey to Rwanda, the last country we were to visit.

The trip went smoothly via an international road to the border crossing at Rusumo near the scenic

waterfalls of the Kagera river. Here, we encountered an unplanned interruption of our journey

which lasted for nearly five hours. The Rwanda border guards could not find the visa application

form of the Ukrainian representative which had been sent on-line – and explained that all other visa

application were send too late. They were very patient but explained the corruption-safe procedure:

visa are handled in Kigali, not at the borders. Therefore the very helpful staff at the border had to

get in contact with the person in charge in Kigali and ask him to process our visa immediately.

When the border guards finally gave us a positive decision, it turned out that the visa application

form was on a separate page of the fax they received. Despite the fact that we were tired of wai-

ting, and the waiting rooms were under construction and there was no buffet of European standard,

we crossed the border in good spirits and entered this small country of a thousand hills and volca-

noes, whose name is associated with the most notorious genocide in recent history. But the coun-

try does not want to go back to those horrible times and, while remembering them, it tries to build

internal understanding. It takes particular care in health safety and the environment. Only there, at

the waterfalls of Rusumo, every traveller entering the country has their temperature taken due to

the threat of the Ebola virus. And only this country has a ban on the use of plastic disposable pac-

kaging, which later litters large areas of land, degrading the landscape and the environment. These

interesting facts were presented to us by the smiling Dancille Mujawamariya – the National Secre-

tary of Rwanda Kolping Society, who greeted us at the border of her country. After a 4-hour drive

surrounded by a mountainous landscape, at dusk we arrived at the motel situated on a steep slope

of the capital city of Kigali, lit with thousands of poorly lit humble homes with a distinctive, shining

modern city.

4.10.2014

We attended the morning Sunday Mass in the nearby Church of the Holy Family, where the liturgy,

accompanied with the sound of drums and rhythmic chants, attracts hundreds of followers who

fill the temple to the brim. It was interesting to see the dark faces of Christ and Our Lady. But after

all, when looking around, there were no other white faces than those of the members of our study

group. After leaving the church, we drove through the clean streets of Kigali, full of signs saying

"Keep Kigali clean", and headed in the direction of Muramba to visit a Catholic school run jointly by

the parish and the Kolping Family. It was a great event not only for the Kolping Society, but for the

whole village. At dinner we were accompanied by singing and dancing performed by the school

band, which showed us how talented and musical the young people were, and the members

of the local Kolping Family presented their activities and handmade goods made from cane

and leather, which were eagerly purchased by members of our group. We also went to the chur-

chyard with a plaque commemorating the bloody genocide of 1994. We were prevented from fur-

ther walks by heavy rain, which in this mountainous region is not unusual. Therefore, we had to

face a ride along the winding, but well-kept roads to our next accommodation in Musanze/

Ruhengeri - a big city in the west of Rwanda with the seat of the Bishop. There we checked into

a stately complex, the Fatima Pastoral Centre- Musanze, managed by the diocesan curia.

5.10.2014

Looking at the atmospheric phenomena around us, nothing resembled Africa – it was cold and the

rain was pouring down the windows of our Toyota minibus, which took us to a mountain farm in

Rambura that used innovative forms of fertilization and cultivation. On the way we passed the ter-

raced tea plantations of the Pfunda brand, which is especially known in England. After a two-hour

journey, we arrived at the village situated on a hill. After exchanging polite greetings and a visit to

the plot of geodetic measurements - Dancille suggested a visit to a farm that was a leader in apply-

ing new methods of farming. We set off on flat terrain along the muddy rivers formed after yester-

day's downpour. The road became steeper and steeper and those of us who were not so fit, began

to have trouble. At the end of the 6 km march the road became a mountain path surrounded with

eucalyptus trees and bushes which drive away pests. At the top we were surprised to find a pile of

manure ready for fertilization. But the steep slopes do not allow for the use of tractors or animals.

And once again, we realized that the life and position of a woman in the African society is extreme-

ly difficult. From early childhood women are used as cheap "transport force" - little girls carry 5-litre

yellow canisters of water on their heads – mature, but also old women carry the manure to low-

lying plots in baskets. Seeing our slight disappointment with the method of cultivation, well-known

in Europe for centuries, we were offered a trip to lake Kivu on the border with the Democratic Re-

public of Congo. The views were stunning - the Nyiragongo volcanoes, over 4 000 m above sea

level, were visible in the distance and the water of lake Kivu seemed grey and golden in the setting

sun. The border crossing was full of people - Congolese with purchases made in Rwanda, which

economically is at a much higher level. On the way back, we stopped at the plantation of Pfund tea

which has a special African character and flavour.

6.10.2014

The next day we visited the Kolping Family Busogo, which specializes in the production of potato-

seed and supplies the entire area. We were greeted by the President - a young parish priest from

the local parish and the local school teacher invited us to a workshop concerning Adolph Kolping

organized by members of the Kolping Family for new candidates. For a year, they learn the history

and mission of Kolping Works, and after passing an exam during a solemn Mass they are admitted

to Kolping Family . It is a celebration of the entire village, which expects new members of Kolping

Familie will work better themselves and help their neighbors that they can better live. The long road

to membership is by us Europeans unknown and confirms how important it is to belong to the Kol-

ping among the Rwanda community. Dates of birth, death and beatification were correctly deciphe-

red. But when asked by a representative from Krakow – which Pope had done it - only one person

knew. As a reward, the whole Kolping Family received pictures of Saint John Paul II. Kolping ac-

tivists made a beautiful presentation, all the participants showed great engagement and conviction

of working for the common good, where the word solidarity is important. After a modest lunch and

pictures taken with the children, we returned to Kigali for a short shopping trip. Products are packa-

ged exclusively in paper bags or plain newspapers. Our purchases were dominated by arabica

coffee, tea and souvenirs made of wood, ivory and ebony. After returning to the hotel, we had to re-

pack, as our baggage grew heavier because of the gifts.

7.10.2014

After breakfast, which consisted of an omelette with vegetables in Spanish-style, we went to a final

summarizing meeting at the Kolping House on the outskirts of Kigali. There, we were greeted by

the President of Rwanda Kolping Society, Rev. Festus Nzeyimana and President John Damstee

and other members of the national board. The meeting was delayed due to the arrival of a large

number of pupils from a nearby elementary school, who wanted to see and touch real

"Amuzungu" (white people). This spontaneous meeting could have taken a long time, as both sides

enjoyed it, if it had not been for the teachers who decided to introduce discipline and continue the

school activities. During the meeting with the board of the Kolping Society, the National Secretary,

Dancille, presented a brief history of the Rwanda Kolping Society, when the first Kolping Families

were established in 2006, and the national association was founded in the spring of 2008 in the

presence of the General President of Kolping International - Rev. Axel Werner. It now consists of

1,509 members gathered in 43 KF scattered mainly in the rural areas. Hence, the primary activity

of the members is focused on agriculture, especially the breeding of small animals - rabbits, chic-

kens, goats and sheep, but also larger ones - cows and bulls. For farming to be profitable, it is ne-

cessary to grow feed crops - cereals and potatoes, cassava and peas. These activities are suppor-

ted with small funds through, among others, a partnership with the Diocesan Association of the

Kolping Society of Hamburg, Germany. But there is a clear need for cooperation with other coun-

tries, which I hope will be the result of the current study trip. After the introduction, there were pre-

sentations made by representatives from Europe, where the issues related to work and support of

young people, especially in the field of education, presented by Gellert Sabo, once again aroused

particular interest. The second topic - fundraising - presented by Magda Szczudło initiated a di-

scussion on financing Kolping activities, which is always a priority in every country, not only in Afri-

ca. Finally, President Festus thanked for the visit and expressed hope for further contacts and po-

ssible joint projects, also on the occasion of the World Youth Day 2016 in Krakow.

8.10.2014

When giving out small souvenirs, the image of St. John Paul II, who initiated the youth meetings,

we invited young Kolping activists of Rwanda to come to Poland. As we were heading for the air-

port, there remained only one point of the program – a visit to the mausoleum in memory of the vic-

tims of genocide, located on the outskirts of the capital. We went there to think about the results of

awakening irrational hatred against each other. Unfortunately, Rwanda is not an isolated case, and

such examples also exist today, not only in the Global South. Fortunately, the Rwandan society is

trying to reject this burden, and even the official language has been changed to English, so that

nothing resembles the past. Rwanda Kolping Society is looking into the future and has great hopes

related to the assistance and cooperation of the brethren of European Kolping Families. This was

also the theme of our farewell at the airport in Kigali. On the way to the airport, we drove past the

world's most modern buildings of various aid foundations, for example, the Bill Clinton Foundation.

Admittedly, Kolping Society does not have such means, but it can "pledge its own heart," to cite the

words of our blessed Patron. With such hopes we began our return KLM trip to Amsterdam, ready

to make further steps towards a global Christian solidarity.

Prepared by: Krzysztof Wolski/National Secretary Kolping Society of Poland

8.10.2014

CONTACT:

Fundacja Dzieła Kolpinga w Polsce

31-436 Kraków, ul. Żułowska 51

Tel. 12 418 77 70

E-mail. fundacja@kolping.pl

www.fundacja.kolping.pl