On the last weekend of September, active members of Hand in Hand für Kenia e.V. gathered in Lower Bavaria – in addition to the annual members’ meeting, the 78th active members’ meeting took place, and we were able to celebrate 20 years since the association’s founding and welcome a new board member, Christoph Schaller!
In beautiful weather, we met at the charming Gensleiten riding stable near Marktl am Inn and enjoyed initial conversations over coffee and homemade cake until the official part of the event began.
Our latest volunteers, Anna and Anton, who were at the MCC in July and August with Mykolas, kicked things off by reporting on their projects. Antonia Burghardt gave us an update on her short visit to the MCC with Rebekka and thanked us for the opportunity to visit the MCC and, above all, the kids once again. Antonia Baumann presented the results of her bachelor’s thesis, which deals with the downsides of aid projects, is based on experiences from HiHfK and her stay at the MCC, and has great practical relevance for the association.
At the end, the formalities were handled, and the association’s board was elected. The three previous board members, Barbara Krohne, Helen Milkau, and Anita Wimmer, were re-elected with great applause. Additionally, there is a new member, Christoph Schaller, who has been connected to the MCC for many years and represents the younger generation. This was duly celebrated with a toast during his inaugural speech!
For more details, please consult the minutes.
Afterward, the cozy part began. A fire pit with a grill became the focal point for conversations and barbecued food, and the weather was warm enough for us to eat and chat on the veranda. Later, we moved indoors, with some still gazing into the flames for a long time. It was well past midnight before the last guests said goodbye and went to bed after a thoroughly pleasant evening.
After a relaxed breakfast the next morning, Jürgen Hansen offered a guided tour of the “Mühldorfer Hart” subcamp of the Dachau concentration camp as a voluntary program item. A huge bunker complex was built there by concentration camp prisoners, fragments of which still protrude into the air in the middle of the forest. Today, the forest camp is a memorial site – and a warning for the future, and further evidence of how important it is to protect our democracy!
A few continued on to Mühldorf for lunch, while the rest said their goodbyes and drove home.
A thoroughly successful weekend that was fun and brought everyone up to date.