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"Brot für die Welt" is committed to a sustainable approach to growing food. Photo: Christof Krackhardt
"Brot für die Welt" ("Bread for the World") works on behalf of the protestant churches in Germany to support the poor in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe in their attempts to lead a dignified life. We work jointly with local churches and partner organisations on over 1,000 projects, all of which are aimed at helping people to help themselves.
Main areas of work:
Food
Basic foodstuffs should be available in sufficient quantities to ensure that people can live an active, healthy life. For this reason "Brot für die Welt" is committed to a sustainable approach to growing food. This includes cultivating local agrarian products by means of environmentally-friendly, appropriate and reasonably priced methods. In addition we deliberately promote regional exchanges between farmers with regard to cultivation and marketing.
Education and health
Educational and health facilities must be made available to everyone. This is why "Brot für die Welt" demands that women, children and young people receive a school education and are trained in a craft. We support health services which reach out to people in remote districts. Our aim is to enable people to assert their right to health and education in their own countries.
HIV/Aids
"Brot für die Welt" regards the struggle against HIV/Aids as one of the major challenges facing developing countries all over the world. The sickness threatens the lives of millions of people, destroys families and wipes out economic progress. "Brot für die Welt" demands programmes to educate people about Aids, supports the care of Aids patients and gives help to Aids orphans. In addition we fight to ensure that infected and sick persons are not excluded from society. We offer them and their relatives spiritual advice and also support people affected by HIV/Aids to assert their right to be treated with life-extending medication.
Violence and democracy
"Brot für die Welt" and its partners work actively to promote a culture of peace. For wars, violence and violations of human rights prevent and destroy development. We promote dialogue and reconciliation between the different religions, hostile ethnic groups, in families and in society as a whole. We give assistance to victims of human rights violations.
Giving the poor a voice
"Brot für die Welt" regards itself as the advocate of disadvantaged people in the countries of the Southern hemisphere. This is becoming more important every day given the pace of globalisation which mostly afflicts the poor. Within the framework of our lobby and advocacy activities at national and international levels the commitment to promoting the political, economic, social and cultural rights of all people is at the centre of our efforts. Our public relations work and campaigns try to draw people’s attention to injustices and abuses in the world.