The first OKLA since the coronavirus pandemic took place in Bogota from November 8 to 12, 2024. The OKLA is the Latin American continental meeting of the Latin American associations. A report by Larissa Josowic, country desk officer for Latin America.
At the beginning of the meeting, all national associations presented their work in an exhibition. This provides space for an intensive exchange on the individual associations, their institutions, products, and focal points. The work of women’s shelters, hospitals, schools, and training centers of the respective national associations was presented. The products ranged from honey production from Brazil to soap from the Dominican Republic and elaborate embroidery from Paraguay.
The content of the Kolping work was intensively discussed during the four days. Many important topics were at the center of the meeting. The conference began with a workshop on the individual project levels within the framework of Kolping work funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Other important topics were development of associations, fundraising, climate change, Safeguarding, and youth work.
The associations themselves provide important input for this work in order to learn from each other. “One highlight was the report on youth work in Ecuador by Jorge Chavez, coordinator in Manabí,” reports Larissa Josowic. “However, the participants also listened intently to the speaker Marcela Forero Moreno on the topic of fundraising. Everyone was very grateful for the wide range of topics and for being able to meet in person again for the first time since coronavirus.”
