07.2026

Starkmacher Impact at the 104th Katholikentag in Würzburg: "Aid for Self-Help" Instead of One-Off Donations


Under the motto "Take courage, get up!", CEO Mathias Kaps, together with the Archdiocese of Cologne, presented the SMIRF model to a broad audience.



From May 13 to 17, 2026, the 104th German Katholikentag took place in Würzburg, under the motto "Take courage, get up!" (Mc 10:49), around 30,000 participants gathered for a total of 900 events. The Archdiocese of Cologne was represented with its own stand under the motto "Courageously on the move - globally connected in faith" on the Church Mile (Stand FB-M-28, under the Friedensbrücke bridge), with global church engagement as this year's main focus.

 

On the afternoon of May 15, the World Church & Dialogue Department of the Archdiocese of Cologne presented its collaboration with Starkmacher Impact GmbH (SMI). CEO Mathias Kaps spoke about promoting independence, moderated by Mariam Ammann, who had already moderated a talk on the Archdiocese's aid for Myanmar earlier that day.

 

The core idea of the event: As the number of believers declines and the available church resources become scarcer, a shift in mindset is needed. Funds must be able to be reused repeatedly - the key term is "Revolving Fund". Recipients of aid are encouraged to earn more money or save costs, for example by installing solar systems, and can repay the invested capital with dignity or even become supporters themselves.

 

Crucial to this approach: The money does not flow back to Cologne, but remains in the country and can do even more good there. This creates an equal partnership – and requires new, innovative paths, such as the use of green energy. This is precisely the core idea that Starkmacher Impact puts into practice with the SMIRF model.


 

The information event was part of a densely packed global church program at the Cologne stand, ranging from a panel discussion on the situation of Christians in the Middle East to a discussion about the situation in Myanmar. For Starkmacher Impact, the Katholikentag was another opportunity to present the SMIRF model directly to a broad, faith-oriented audience and to show that aid for self-help is not an abstract concept, but already a living practice in Kenya, Rwanda, and elsewhere.

 


Sources & Further Links

• Archdiocese of Cologne, Katholikentag Blog: "Take courage, get up!" – Blog on the 2026 Katholikentag


#Impact3 #ImpactInvesting #Sustainability  #erzbistumKoeln #SocialResponsibility  #SMIRF 

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