The "Westphalian Peace Aid for Children" was launched with a ceremony in the Felix-Nussbaum-Haus in Osnabrück. This is a donation initiative of the child rights organization Terre des Hommes. The initiators also include the sausage and ham manufacturer Bedford, based in Osnabrück, which has been supporting the work of Terre des Hommes for many years. The aim of the "Westphalian Peace Aid for Children" is to set up a network of companies and private individuals from the region who are jointly committed to Hommes' peace projects. »We are at a time of global political instability. It takes a cohesion of business, politics and civil society. Together we have to act in order to counter the challenges of our time and to help children and their families, «said Joshua Hofert, board member of Terre des Hommes, at his greeting.

 

Despite the current election campaign, the Lower Saxony Interior Minister Boris Pistorius took the time to take part in the event. His committed speech was entitled "Peace and Responsibility". Pistorius, himself a former mayor of Osnabrück, emphasized the great importance of the work of Terre des Hommes for children in war and crisis situations. A culture of peace must always be revised in small steps in order to create the perspective of peaceful coexistence for children. "The global project work by Terre des Hommes is exemplary for this - and I wish the Westphalian Peace aid for children a lot of support that is so important, especially in the present time," said the minister.

Auxiliary projects for children in crisis regions are funded worldwide and for children in the Münster and Osnabrück region, which had to experience the terrible consequences of war and destruction. The patron of the initiative is Osnabrück's mayor Katharina Pötter, who also took part in a greeting at the opening event: »As a city of Westphalian peace, we see ourselves in a special way to promote peace within our city society, but also outside. And so I would like to ask you cordially: Despite or perhaps precisely because of these difficult times, which always have an impact on children and adolescents, the 'Westfälische Peace Aid for Children'.

In addition to the Wurst- und Schinkenmanufaktur Bedford Bedford, VfL Osnabrück and the wallpaper factory Gebr. Quickly from Bramsche include the "partners of the first hour" of the Bedford. Bedford has already given an example with the "Westfälische Friedenschinken": the sale of this product has been going to the project work by Terre des Hommes for almost 20 years. So far, significantly more than 1.1 million euros have been raised. "I was able to visit our projects in Angola and Myanmar myself and was enthusiastic about the work that Terre des Hommes and his partner organizations do there," said company boss Bert Mutsaers. "That's why I hope that this example is school and many other companies take up the idea of ​​the Westphalian Peace aid for children."

The managing director of VfL Osnabrück, Dr. Michael Welling, announced that it will be able to put on a "peace scarf" in the club colors, from whose proceeds the work of Terre des Hommes is promoted. Michael Schlingmann, Managing Director of the Wallpaper Factory Gebr. Rasch, also announced that it would offer such a "peace product".

The team at Terre des Hommes is available for questions of interested companies - available at friedenshilf@tdh.de.

Further information at: www.friedenshilfe-fuer-kinder.de