Bread for the World: Eating alone is not enough

The 14,000 people who flocked to the Deutschlandhalle in Berlin in 1959 certainly had no idea that they were witnessing the birth of one of the most successful movements in the Federal Republic. Helmut Gollwitzer, who spoke to the people invited by the evangelical church, probably didn’t suspect this either. People who, after the material and psychological devastation of the war and the years of hunger that followed, now benefited from the German “economic miracle”. In an emotional speech, the theologian and peace activist Gollwitzer warned people not to forget their own hunger and to share the new prosperity. The collection was so successful that it became a permanent initiative.

Almost 64 years later, “Brot für die Welt”, which called for this year’s Christmas donation collection on the first Advent under the motto “One world, one climate, one future”, is active worldwide in development policy. In over 90 countries, 1,800 projects are being financed and supported with 277 million euros, reported President Dr. Dagmar Pruin in her balance sheet. 63 million euros came together in 2021 through donations and collections, 60 million euros came from the Protestant Church and almost 165 million euros came from the budget of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation.

Handouts are not a solution

The times when a “hunger hand” was used to advertise a little bread are long gone. Only satisfying acute hunger is a handout, not a solution. Today, “Bread for the World” is about global justice. The fight against the consequences of climate change for the poorest are just as much part of this as the fight against child labor and for education, for human rights and equality, or criticism of unfair trade relations.

Nobody would have to go hungry, nobody would have to starve, nobody would have to despair

Pastor Dagmar Pruin

“The world doesn’t have to be turned upside down for justice and peace to flourish – it’s all there. We produce 2.5 times the amount of food that we would need to feed everyone,” said Pastor Dagmar Pruin on the first Sunday in Advent: “Nobody would have to starve, nobody would need, nobody would despair.” For the aid organization, his With its headquarters at Berlin Central Station, around 570 people work – most in Germany, while the supported partner organizations worldwide have their own employees. The regional focus is on Africa and Asia.

Strong projects, strong active people

The list of extraordinary projects, great successes and impressive personalities is long. This includes, for example, Vandana Shivas. The winner of the alternative Nobel Prize fought successfully against the seed multinationals in India and ensures that farmers can better provide for their families with traditional seeds while at the same time preserving biodiversity. In Mozambique, Carolina Matavele ensures that children can go to school, be cared for in the social center and get an education instead of growing up in the city dump as rag pickers. The 2014 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Kailash Satyarthi, also praised “Brot für die Welt”. The organization has supported his fight against child slavery and child labor in India from the start.

The corona pandemic, a growing number of climate change-related disasters and the Ukraine war have further aggravated the emergency situation in many poor countries around the world. President Dagmar Bruin does not want to be discouraged by this: “Especially in times of crisis, people surpass themselves.” Helmut Gollwitzer would agree with her. The theologian, who fought against rearmament for decades and was derided by the so-called realists as unworldly, was able to experience the fall of the wall and the end of the arms race.
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