As of: March 6, 2024, 12:00 p.m
By: Bernd Heinzinger
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The Niederdingen travel group and their Indian friends (sitting, from left): Andreas Biller, Pastor Jeremias and Georg Neumeier and behind them (standing, 2nd from left) Hildegard Brielmair and (standing, 6th from left) Monika Dirsch.
© Club
Nine people from the community of Oberding and Munich set out on a long journey at the end of last year.
They flew to southern India, where a relaxing vacation was by no means on the agenda.
Niederding/South India – For many years now, citizens from Oberding and the surrounding area have been taking on sponsorships to enable children there to attend school.
The Niederdinger Association for Child Sponsorships in South India organizes these and other offers of help for the poor population there.
The idea for this arose when the Indian pastor Jesudason looked after the Aufkirchen parish association from 1994 to 2003.
It all started on a small scale, remembers Monika Dirsch.
At some point there were more sponsorships and people wanted to approach the whole thing properly, so the association was founded in 2013.
Chairwoman Dirsch reports an impressive number: “At the last count, we had 289 sponsorships.” The association has already provided help with building houses after the devastating tsunami and provides sewing machines to widows so that they can earn something to support themselves.
The purpose of the nine-member group's visit to southern India was also to check whether all the money was going to the right place.
But Dirsch didn't really doubt it.
With Pastor Jeremias there is a reliable person who has taken the project under his wing as the successor to Pastor Jesudason on site.
Jeremias continues Jesudason's work with a lot of passion and the tour group felt huge hospitality from the start, says Dirsch.
Of course there were also a few cultural excursions, such as visiting Hindu temples or Christian churches.
Gift for the godchild: Hildegard Brielmair handing out the sponsorship money in South India.
© Club
The visit to Jeremias and the now 88-year-old Jesudason was also very emotional, reports Hildegard Brielmair, who was also there.
We met the former Aufkirchen pastor three times because: “We just couldn’t finish telling the story,” says Dirsch.
Jesudason now lives in a retirement home and held a mass especially for the guests from Germany.
Another profound moment in South India was a gift distribution in the run-up to Christmas.
Many needy people came to Pastor Jeremias' guest house, where they received gifts.
The tour group helped with this.
Looking back, Dirsch thinks the gratitude of the recipients was overwhelming.
Pastor Jeremias also showed the tour group his church on the beach, where he was surprised by the tsunami during a baptism at Christmas in 2004 and was only very lucky to survive.
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The club chairwoman Dirsch also met her four godchildren in southern India and was able to talk to them.
The youngest, Fredlin, who is eight years old, has a special career ambition: “He wants to become mayor someday,” says Dirsch with a smile.
Seeing the now 17-year-old Rufina again was also heartbreaking.
Her life was threatened many years ago due to heart disease, and her family had fallen into financial ruin because of the cost of treatment.
Donations were collected at a benefit concert in the Niederdingen community center, and the club continued to support Rufina and her family afterwards.
“When we met, we met a 17-year-old girl who was now happy again,” says Dirsch happily.
Rufina can lead a normal life, but extreme sports are not possible.
The 17-year-old wants to become a pediatrician herself so that she can help herself in the future.
The encounters on the trip were also very close to Hildegard Brielmair from Niederdingen - so close that she spontaneously sponsored a child for the first time.
“Solidarity with the people here is extremely important,” says Brielmair.
Sponsorship
Such a sponsorship guarantees a child in South India safe transport to school, school clothes, hot food and everything else that is necessary for attending school.
The costs are 13 euros per month.
If you can imagine sponsorship, please send an email to monika.dirsch@mail-dir.de.
Further information is available at www.kinderpatenschaften-suedindien.de.