04.03.2025

Asking Questions, Building Trust

President Bataringaya (centre) in conversation with the volunteers.

The volunteers' cohort 2025/26

Talking to former volunteers from past years can often quickly answer important questions. All photos by: Johannes Schermuly, UEM

Spending a year to work in a member church of the United Evangelical Mission (UEM), discovering faith and culture in another country: The UEM’s volunteer services are a challenge. That is why, good preparation before departure is so important.

On Friday, 28 February 2024, 21 North-South volunteers of the 2025/26 cohort completed their first preparatory session at the UEM in Wuppertal, Germany. In August 2025, they will depart for twelve months of service in Ghana, Togo, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Africa, Indonesia, and Argentina. During the orientation day, questions were addressed regarding areas of work, placements, agreements, financial support, and language courses. They also discussed requirements for visas, passports, insurance, vaccinations, and medication. What is particularly important for the volunteers is to grow together as a group and build trust with one another.

On the margins of the seminar day, Rev Dr Pascal Bataringaya also spoke with the volunteers who will soon be arriving in Rwanda. The President of the EPR*, a UEM member church in Rwanda, is currently in Germany to help prepare a seminar where German staff from memorial sites commemorating National Socialism will learn from Rwandan staff at genocide memorial sites. While in Wuppertal, President Bataringaya took the opportunity to engage with the young adults, get himself a first impression of them, and answer their questions about Rwanda.

David Kobernick, UEM’s Officer for North-South-Volunteers, sees the volunteers to be on a good path: “I enjoy working with the volunteers and accompanying them on their journey. During this seminar day, we collected their questions and were already able to clarify a lot. This is helpful both for the young adults, who are about to be sent into a completely new and unfamiliar environment, and for us as the UEM, as it helps us better prepare to support them. This way, the volunteers are well equipped when they begin their service with us and can focus on discovering new perspectives.”

The next major preparation will take place in the summer. Then, the focus will shift more towards topics such as postcolonialism and cultural exchange in voluntary service. During this phase, the North-South volunteers will also meet the South-North volunteers, who come from Asian or African member churches and spend a year working in a German member church. The South-South volunteer programme facilitates exchange between Asian and African member churches.

*EPR = Eglise Presbyterienne au Rwanda (Presbyterian Church of Rwanda)