Currently everyone of us in the grip of the coronavirus. Around the world the numbers of cases are rising. The health and the economical existences of more and more people are seriously threatened. The countries that will suffer the most are the countries of the Global South. Due to limited resources they can hardly curb the spread of the virus, treat sick people appropriately and handle the economic aftermath of the pandemic.
With great concern we are turning our attention to our African Kolping partners where the virus also already arrived. Schools and training centres in Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda have now been closed down, among them the Kolping vocational training centers in Muramba and Kilimambogo and the conference center in Langata. Holy Masses and great events are not taking place any longer. Of course all of this has a huge impact on the work of our partner associations. And should the virus be massively spread in Africa it is likely that, owed to poor health structures, we have to expect death rates far higher than in Europe. The same is true for most Latin American and Asian countries: There, too, is a lack of medical supply in many places. There, too, people won’t be able to cushion the economic consequences. There is a real threat that people become even poorer, suffer even more and that the most vulnerable might die.
At the moment KOLPING INTERNATIONAL is still collecting some information as to how to support most effectively our partners all over the world. We will continue to need your solidarity for that quite urgently and therefore we ask you: Please do not forget about our Kolping brothers and Kolping sisters in the One World. Let us stand together in faith and brotherly solidarity in these hard times. Together we will succeed this enormous global challenge. We keep you updated on concrete support measures that we are planning on a global scale.
