General Assembly 2024

On April 29, 2024, our annual general meeting took place in the Maximilian-Kolbe-Haus in Fellbach-Schmiden, after having been held in the Franziskusheim and the Maria Regina community center in Fellbach in previous years.
After welcoming the members and guests, the chairman of the association, Martin Knittel, paid tribute to the memory of Johanna Schiefer, who passed away last year. Ms. Schiefer was one of the first loyal members of the association, which was founded in 2017.
Martin Knittel then presented his report as Chairman. As he had already sent this out to the members with the invitation, there were only questions about the status of the school and whether the level of awareness of our association is increasing through events such as our presence at the community festival. Martin Knittel referred to his later presentation on the current construction status of the Baraka school and the second question was answered positively.

This was followed by the report from treasurer Anja Schuster and the result of the audit by the independent auditors. The accounts for the 2023 financial year were correct, meaning that the actions of the chairperson, deputy chairperson and treasurer were unanimously approved. There was a question about the status of the audit by the tax office. The association is obliged to disclose its financial data to the tax office every three years. The association fulfills this obligation every year and its non-profit status is confirmed by the Waiblingen tax office with the notice of exemption. It was positive and surprising for everyone how our small association in a small town like Fellbach receives a six-figure sum in donations. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all donors for their generosity and support.

In an informative and richly illustrated presentation, Martin Knittel presented the current status of the project with a focus on the Baraka School. The hospital and school are in very good condition, although the school area still needs to be expanded over the next few years in order to accommodate the secondary grades. With the support of the Association of Scientific Catholic Student Associations Unitas e.V., an entire school building was financed, which was painted in blue, white and yellow in the Unitas colors as a thank you. A 10-year plan drawn up by those responsible on site in Tanzania shows that the work is in good hands.
Finally, there was an ideas workshop led by Judith Rubröder. “Where can we become more active? Which donations can we approach in the future? etc. were among the questions. The members’ meeting ended with good and lively discussions.
“There is still a lot to do,” concluded Martin Knittel. The next meeting will take place in spring 2025, once again in the Franziskusheim or in the Maria Regina parish hall. Specifically, the association took part in the cake sale as part of the parish festival surrounding the inauguration of Rev. Thampi Thomas Panagatu at the beginning of May; the donations were once again sent to Tanzania.