Thank You for Your Generosity! 8'665.- CHF for Sénégal

Good news travels far. Thanks to your support during Lent, Good Shepherd/Gut Hirt parish communities raised CHF 8,665. for the Fastenaktion project Kalebassen in Sénégal.

Seedbanks, Solidarity, and Soudure

Many of you attended our Fastensuppe on 22 February and heard Ms. Vreni Jean-Richard explain how the Kalebassen project helps communities in Sénégal prepare for the difficult months between harvests when food becomes scarce, known as soudure. Through community grain and seed banks, managed by more than 85,000 (mainly) women in collaboration with local partner organizations, families support one another and ensure that food remains available during periods of shortage.

Local People Implementing Local Solutions

This project is unique: it's about local people implementing local solutions. Communities organize themselves, share knowledge and resources, and build long-term food security using local means. During her presentation, Ms. Jean-Richard also highlighted the strong culture of mutual aid that underpins the project. People from different ethnic and religious backgrounds work together, sharing responsibility and supporting one another through peer-to-peer cooperation. Our contribution strengthens initiatives that have already proven successful and respond directly to local needs.

We thank everyone who contributed, everyone who attended the Fastensuppe, and the many volunteers from the Croatian-speaking and English-speaking missions of Good Shepherd and the Gut Hirt parishes who helped organize and serve at the event. Together, we have supported local people implementing local solutions. Thank you for making this possible. Good news travels far and so did our solidarity!

Fr. K. Schaller and M. Kyrou