Please support the NGO Walking Together Centre (Prague 11 – the Southern City)

BACKGROUND:

Dear friends,

The cooperation of the congregation of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren in Prague - the Southern City began in 1997, when Mrs Milena Svobodova turned to the congregation and asked for assistance with her vision to help homeless and displaced people. Donations to start work were received from our partners abroad, namely the Netherlands. After leasing a rather derelict, for several years disused, nursery from the local council in Prague 11, the Walking Together Centre opened a citizen’s advice centre and started with the reconstruction, so that the centre could serve as accommodation for homeless families. In 2001 – 2004 another storey was added and today, there is accommodation for about 65 people in independent flats as well as in individual rooms with common facilities. This centre is used by about 200 people a year; about half of them are children. The citizen’s advice centre was used by about 1800 last year.

The Walking Together Centre is special in offering not only temporary accommodation but in making every effort to return their clients back to ‘normal‘ life. The maximum stay at the centre is about six months. During their stay the residents live in a community; they have weekly meetings where they discuss any problems and they also celebrate birthdays and any successes. There is an opportunity for them to attain new skills, so that they will be able to find work more easily. The staff of the centre helps their clients with finding a flat and work, which is successful in many cases. The atmosphere in the centre is very friendly and open.

The congregation of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren in Prague -The Southern City accepted an invitation from the Walking Together Centre to build a church in the grounds of the centre in 1999. This gave rise to a unique project by uniting a centre for the homeless and a church. The two communities share the garden and parking. After the sale of the old church building and during the construction of the new church building, the congregation used the Walking Together Centre for services and meetings.

The construction of the new church (Milic von Cremsir Church Centre) took place in the years 2002 to 2006 with a very generous financial help from Czech and foreign donors; to name just a few: the Swiss HEKS (Hilfswerk der evangelischen Kirchen Schweiz), the German GAW (Gustav Adolf Werk), the Czech government, the Prague Municipal Offices and the Local Council in Prague 11. A crucial motivation for the donors to give generously was the cooperation and unique union of the church and the Walking Together Centre, thus joining spirituality with ‘diaconia’ (social work). The church would not have been built without the substantial help of the kind donors.

The Local Council in Prague 11 decided to terminate the lease of the premises used by the Walking Together Centre in three months at the end of November 2008. The decision was made without prior consultation or notice. No interest in what would happen after the closure of the centre was expressed. This decision means an end to the work of the Walking Together Centre. It is said that the premises are needed for another kindergarten. We know that there are other possibilities – other disused kindergartens in the area. We do not think that the Walking Together Centre, where people can get free legal advice, where there is accommodation for homeless and marginalised families, and which has been reconstructed to serve its purpose well, should come to an end.

A number of the members of the congregation have been active in the work of the Walking Together Centre and some of them are members of the Board of the Walking Together Centre. Therefore we feel that the decision of the Local Council has slighted our cooperation and is an expression of hostility towards the church and the work it does.

The termination of the lease has given rise to a protest by those not only directly affected, but also by the general public. So far an electronic petition has been signed by more than 1800 protesters and a hard copy petition by about 1200. We feel that this initiative urgently needs support from abroad, as so much assistance has been received from there. We would like to ask you to act on the basis of this background information and write to the Mayor of the City of Prague, Pavel Bem. You are welcome to use the sample letter posted below.

Thank you for your support.

Yours sincerely,

The session of the congregation of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren in Prague - The Southern City

SAMPLE LETTER:

To:
MUDr Pavel Bem
Mayor of the City of Prague
Marianske namesti 2
110 01 Prague 1
Czech Republic               
(E-mail: Pavel.Bem@cityofprague.cz )

A copy should be addressed to: 

Dear Mr Bem, Mayor of the City of Prague,

I am writing to you to express my concern for the Walking Together Centre - SPOLEČNOU CESTOU in Prague 11 and to support the work of the Centre for homeless families.

Our friends from the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren in Prague 11, the congregation of Milic von Cremsir, have informed us about the termination of the lease for the Walking Together Centre by the Prague 11 Council.

You can state your relationship to the Walking Together Centre:

1/ I have visited and seen the work of the Walking Together Centre in / when …
Or
2/ Our congregation … / organization … / community … has supported the Walking Together Centre financially by donating … for …

The Walking Together Centre is a unique project that cares for homeless families, mainly mothers with small children and Roma families, so that they will be able to integrate in society. What we find quite remarkable is not only the work of the Centre, which provides accommodation and legal advice, but also the cooperation between the Walking Together Centre and the congregation of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren which gives their work a special dimension and guaranties the focus of the work.

Local councils in a democratic society normally welcome and support the work of an organisation that cares for the underprivileged. It is hard to understand the measures the Prague 11 Council has taken. They will bring dire consequences not only for those in need in your city, but also for the image of the city appearing to be hostile towards NGO social work and the work of churches.

Mr Bem, we ask you urgently to reconsider the decision to close the Walking Together Centre and to give your full support to the work of the centre.

Yours sincerely,

Kontakt