About CHW

Our Mission

Helping people in need – that was and is the essence of our work. It was this concern that led to the first aid transports in the early 1990s, when Albania was just opening up, and it is still the motivation for our campaigns and aid projects today.

For the implementation of our projects, we consider two aspects to be essential. Firstly, a partnership-based and sustainable approach: we work on an equal footing with municipalities and authorities, but also with local cooperatives and churches. Beyond the help we provide in emergency situations, our projects lay the foundations for individuals and entire village communities to lead a better life.

Secondly, the commitment of foreign aid workers in and for Albania is also a way of bringing people together, promoting intercultural understanding and opening up personal horizons. Help from people for people enriches both sides – that’s also meant by “love reaching people”.

Our values

The “Christian Aid Association” originally was initiated by the Wismar Methodist Church. We still work on the basis of the Christian view of humanity, with respect for local culture and traditions, for the individuality of personalities and family structures. Nevertheless, in our activities we consider ourselves to be a partner to all people, regardless of their religion or philosophy.

We at CHW gladly accepted the invitation of Diakonisches Werk (charitable organization of the protestant church in Germany) to become a member. It is useful to belong to an umbrella organization to receive advice and help on a variety of issues. Furthermore there are also friendly relations with the German Evangelical Alliance.

Structure and activities

The work of Christlicher Hilfsverein Wismar e.V. is mainly based on private donators and volunteers. Project-specific funding helps us to expand this donation base and achieve greater goals.

Our association employs 4 staff members in Germany and 14 in Albania. The current work priorities are supporting children at the children’s center in Bishnica, providing medical supervision and care for sick and elderly people in the mountain villages, and aid transports to support needy families, schools, hospitals and churches. Rounding out these activities are various projects such as school renovations, the annual Christmas campaign, tree planting and support for the local communes. In 2012, we established the Diakonia Albania foundation as a local legal body for our work. This enables us to act quickly and flexibly with our own partner organization on the Albanian side – and we are especially close to the people with whom we work in the mountain villages.

Alongside the growing work in Albania, our network of supporters in Germany has also expanded. Friends of Albania and workgroups from various regions have become part of our work. Cooperation with the city of Wismar and local institutions has noticeably intensified as a result of the Wismar-Pogradec town twinning and the activities of Ukraine Aid.

The beginnings

In January 1987, Frieder Weinhold was approached by a friend from West Germany and was asked if people from “the East” could travel to communist Albania in order to help there. That was not possible then, but after the political changes in Europe, the aid started. In February 1992, the initial aid transport from Wismar rolled to Albania. Two additional outreaches followed in the same year in which we repaired schools, distributed relief goods and offered medical assistance. And we talked with many people about all kinds of life issues; during which they asked many questions about the Christian faith.

Since 1997, our social station has been in the mountain village of Bishnica. Out of this work, more social projects and intensive ministries have developed. We are proud that a long-standing partnership with the inhabitants of the mountain villages thereby has emerged. A large number of people who we supported in the early years, today stand on their own feet and, in turn, are now involved in the work in the mountain villages.

Timeline