The Chairman’s Greetings

Dear friends of the AWO,

as in 1919 (when the AWO was founded in Berlin), people were faced with difficult tasks after the Second World War. Food ration cards were not enough to satisfy hunger. Bomb damage made housing scarce. Refugees and displaced persons were also looking for a place to stay in the Fulda area. Once again it was women who recognised the needs and took action. Erna Hosemann gathered comrades-in-arms around her and founded the AWO in Fulda with a few committed women in 1946. They helped many people make a new start. Sewing shops and school meals were the beginning.

Even 75 years later, the AWO Kreisverband Fulda e.V. sees its task in advising and accompanying people. Here is a small selection of our more than 50 counselling services and projects:

– Young people who would fall through the social cracks without help are prepared for an independent life.

– Refugees are given their first safe home in shared accommodation.

– We provide direct help through sponsorships and partnerships.

– Debt counselling is an anchor for many who are in danger of drowning in debt.

– Our department stores’ with a heart offers household goods and furniture even for those on a very tight budget.

– The Wirbelwind day-care centre in Münsterfeld prepares the little ones for life.

– In the multi-generation house on the Aschenberg and the many other meeting places, people of different cultures have a meeting place.

– Our afternoon care in some of Fulda’s schools is a great help, especially now in times of pandemic.

Since our society is constantly changing with its challenges, we also adapt our services accordingly. Our 320 volunteers, 180 exercise instructors and 120 full-time employees stand for high quality. I would like to point out here that almost 75 % of the full-time staff are female, which means that the women’s quota is more than fulfilled. And the fact that 50% have immigrant experience is a good sign of the AWO’s diversity.

I would like to express my special thanks and praise to all these people. They have shown for many years with how much heart and conviction they work for the ideals of the AWO. Now, in times of Corona, this was even more of an achievement. Quick and flexible changes were made to the services offered, such as counselling with a protective screen, group lessons online and creative activities to take part in from home. Worth mentioning and hopefully unique is the mask sewing action in spring 2020, when our volunteers sewed more than 1,000 cloth masks to alleviate the bottleneck in the AWO old people’s centres.

Now we are all looking forward to the anniversary activities of the AWO Fulda District Association, which will be carried out as far as possible. There will be a big raffle and hopefully a big action day in the city centre in the summer as well as the popular Dinner-in-White in the Fulda-Aue. And we will see what else will be possible, how and where, in autumn/winter. Be curious.

For all members, friends and staff members

Bernhard Lindner
Kreisvorsitzender