LWF World Service will present its work with refugees, in the Heaven's Tent (Himmelszelt).

When the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) was founded in 1947, millions had been displaced after the Second World War. Every sixth Lutheran was a refugee. Ever since, LWF World Service helped people displaced by natural and man-made disaster worldwide.

Today, the world faces its biggest refugee crisis with more than 65 million people forcibly displaced.

LWF World Service is among the top ten implementing partners of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN refugee agency, working in 25 countries worldwide, among them Iraq, Jordan, South Sudan, Uganda, Central Africa and Central America. LWF World Service was among the first on site after the Nepal earthquake and Hurricane "Matthew" in Haiti. This work is supported by Lutheran churches and their diaconal arms, as well as the United Nations, European and national government agencies.

The presentation in Wittenberg will give visitors the opportunity to understand some of the choices refugees have to make. An exhibition and films provide insight into LWF work with displaced people. In an action call, you can share your commitment to refugees on social media.

The former director of LWF World Service, Rev Eberhard Hitzler, and LWF World Service Journalist Cornelia Kästner will answer questions and share impressions from LWF humanitarian work. 

Every day, 10-18h, free entry. (Separate program for Film screenings)

In German and English, reservations for groups possible

Every Day 16h (or upon request )

Documentary screening: “If we ever get out of here” (Swedish with English subtitles)

Follow the lives of three refugees in the Kakuma refugee camp, northwest Kenya, in this documentary. What does their everyday life look like? What are their dreams and hopes for the future?

Just over 181,000 refugees live in Kakuma, having fled war and violence in neighboring countries. Most are from South Sudan, Sudan and Somalia. The camp is also host to refugees from Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Eritrea and Uganda. 

The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) together with Church of Sweden, has operated in the Kakuma camp since its inception in 1992. A priority focus our joint humanitarian work lies in Community Based Psychosocial Support, an underlying theme in the documentary. How can refugees own capacity to rebuild their lives be enhanced through local support structures? What are the main components and challenges to creating a meaningful existence in a refugee camp or as an asylum seeker in Sweden? These are some of the questions that the documentary means to discuss.

Filmmakers Marika Griehsel and Lollo Jarnebrink have over the course of two years documented the lives of three of Kakuma’s inhabitants: Klementine, Jackson and Deeqa. We invite you to follow their journeys as they try to steer their lives in the right direction despite harsh circumstances.

In response to decades-long displacement, the Lutheran World Federation works with refugee and host communities in Kakuma. In partnership with the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, the LWF provides primary education, early childhood development, child protection and sustainable livelihoods programs. 

Film in Swedish with English subtitles, ca. 1,15h with discussion afterwards