On February 4, 2022, the second nationwide networking meeting of the partnership groups took place digitally with around 48 participants from different regions of Baden-Württemberg. Claudia Duppel, managing director of the Baden-Württemberg Development Policy Association (DEAB), and Kidist Hailu, specialist promoter for local partnership initiatives at the Baden-Württemberg Development Cooperation Foundation (SEZ), first presented the diverse offers from DEAB and SEZ for partnership work. Erwin Wiest, chairman of the Piela-Bilanga support association. V. reported on the key points of the exchange in thematic working groups at the first networking meeting in October 2021: There, the participants agreed that there is a great need for more regional and supra-regional networking of the partnership groups. In addition, the desire was expressed to exchange more knowledge and practical experience in areas such as project funding and to receive more support in the process.

At the networking meeting of the partnership groups in February 2022, participants discussed questions such as: How did my partnership start? What was the motivation for the partnership? What connects me to my partners when working together? Is there a space to discuss mutual expectations? In digital breakout rooms, participants were able to get to know each other in small groups, network and exchange experiences. This enabled a broad networking process to be initiated.

The event series “State-wide digital networking meeting of the partnership groups in Baden-Württemberg” takes place in cooperation with the DEAB, the regional promoters Heide Öchslen in Schwäbisch Hall, Simone Kegelmann in Friedrichshafen, Sylvia Holzhäuer-Ruprecht in Karlsruhe, Jonas Bauschert in Freiburg, Service for Mission, Ecumenism and Development (DiMOE), the Center for Development-Related Education of the Evangelical Church of Württemberg (ZEB) and the Piela-Bilanga Support Association. v.

The next networking meeting of the partnership groups will take place on May 13, 2022 from 16:00 p.m. to 18:30 p.m instead of. We warmly invite you to participate. Further information and registration options can be found here here.

The SEZ partnership center initiates, promotes and accompanies partnerships between people in Baden-Württemberg and countries in the global south. With its consulting and networking work, the Partnership Center would like, among other things, to promote the implementation of the global sustainability goals, especially partnership goal (No. 17) in Baden-Württemberg.