This message has become part of our everyday life now: The coronavirus is spreading rapidly. And we are anxious to know more about the final size of this pandemic. Apart from Europe, large parts of the United States are now severely affected. And there are more and more reports of an increasing number of infections on all the other continents.
This is what we hear also from our Kolping countries in the Global South – where the pandemic is hitting the most vulnerable. In many countries people do not only suffer from the lockdown but also from hunger and great anxiety. For, many Kolping members can no longer make a living as day laborers, and regional markets where they can sell their products are collapsing.
“The situation is getting worse every day for our members“, reports Rufino Rodriguez, executive director of KOLPING Honduras. Staple foods are running out and become more expensive. We used to buy a bag of beans at a price of 1,000 lempiras, now it costs between 3,000 and 3,500 lempiras“, says Rufino. “A family of five persons can expect to receive 500 lempiras from the government for a period of 15 days. This is not enough to even buy a bag of beans.”
To support our Kolping brothers and sisters worldwide, KOLPING INTERNATIONAL has launched the Kolping Corona Fund to provide emergency aid where help is needed most. We are in close contact with our partners to enquire about what is urgently needed in their countries.
We kindly ask you to support our Kolping Families worldwide who are severely affected by the consequences of the virus. Their lives and their livelihood are at stake.
Please make your donation to:
KOLPING INTERNATIONAL Cooperation e.V.
DKM Darlehnskasse Münster
IBAN DE74 4006 0265 0001 3135 00
BIC: GENODEM1DKM
Please refer to: Kolping Corona Fund
