Together for the World – Some Dehonian Missions

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together” – this African proverb, as mentioned by Fr. Zbigniew Chwaja, SCJ, Secretary of Foreign Missions of the Dehonians in Poland, has become the key to understanding the spiritual philosophy of Ubuntu.

“The main principle of the Ubuntu philosophy is the belief in a universal bond that connects all people around the world. Thanks to this, everyone knows that in times of misfortune, they will not be left alone. I have the overwhelming impression that the donors gathered around this work create just such a community – a family that cares about the fate of their neighbors,” writes Fr. Chwaja in his summary of the Dehonian foreign missions for the year 2024.

And indeed, the Dehonians Family is not only missionaries, but also hundreds of volunteers, donors, and people of good will. Together, they form a network of goodness that spans the globe, reaching places where water, food, education, and sometimes simply hope are most lacking.

Currently, Polish Dehonians serve on four continents, including Congo, South Africa, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Hong Kong, as well as Ukraine, Slovakia, Belarus, Transnistria, Austria, Switzerland, and Albania. There are currently about fifty of them. 

Works that change lives

Each of the projects carried out by the Secretariat of Foreign Missions of the Dehonians is a concrete response to the needs of people living in mission countries. We can learn more about these projects from the annual reports on the Secretariat’s activities, published on the website misjesercanow.pl. We used the report for 2024 to show you in which parts of the world aid is provided from funds collected from individual donors and from missionary programs and initiatives, such as ZbieramTO w parafii (I Collect in the Parish), ZbieramTO w szkole (I Collect at School), Coriss – jewelry with a mission, and Woda z misją (Water with a Mission).

Adoption of Light – Rwanda and India

Thanks to the “Adoption of Light” project, blind children in Rwanda and India can go to school, learn, and dream. In these countries, we support schools for the blind run by the Franciscan Sisters Servants of the Cross. These are places that not only teach, but also allow children to believe that their lives have meaning.

Adoption of Love and Hope – Bolivia

In Cochabamba and Santa Cruz, the Congregation of the Mission provides assistance to the most disadvantaged children. At St. Francis’ Home for Girls, orphans, often victims of violence, find shelter and a new beginning. At the “Hogar de la Esperanza” (House of Hope) orphanage, run by Seraphite sisters from Poland, children of prisoners experience safety and love for the first time. For the little ones, the orphanage is the only home they have and know. Each of them has experienced neglect, poverty, and violence (including sexual abuse) in their short lives. Only here can they be children.

Wells of Life – Chad and Tanzania 

In the desert of Chad, temperatures reach 40 degrees Celsius in the shade for several months of the year. A person needs to drink 5-7 liters of water a day, which must be fetched from several hundred meters to several kilometers away, sometimes 2-3 times a day. Wells are often holes in the ground where the water is dirty and undrinkable. People suffer from typhoid fever and amoebiasis. Thanks to the generosity of people from Poland and around the world, more than 350 deep wells have already been built in Chad. This means hundreds of villages where life has taken on new meaning. 

In Tanzania, due to the rocky ground, the wells reach depths of up to 150 meters. Each new well is a gift of life – clean water, health, and a future for entire communities. In 2024, the Secretariat donated over 236 000 € collected from individual donors and from the ZbieramTO and Coriss – jewelry with a mission projects to the construction of wells.

Feeding children in Zambia

When hunger began to threaten thousands of children in Chinkui, the Donors of the Dehonians responded immediately. Today, more than seven thousand children receive a hot meal every day. This is not just material aid – it is restoring childhood and hope.

Safe Mom – Central African Republic

In a country that has for many years ranked second in the world in terms of perinatal mortality rates, the Safe Mom program has been running since 2021. The originator of the idea is Izabela Cywa, who served as director of the hospital in Bagandou, CAR, for several years. Together with midwife Sara Suchowiak, in 2025 they will organize the sixth trip of Polish volunteer doctors, paramedics, and midwives to provide training for African midwives who deliver babies. This project saves the lives of women and children. Thanks to the volunteers, more than 150 midwives have already been trained, who deliver hundreds of babies every month in conditions where previously many mothers had no chance of survival. In 2024, more than 236 000 € was raised for this purpose from individual donors.

Aid to war victims – Ukraine

Since the beginning of the war, the Dehonians have not remained indifferent to the suffering, destruction, and hunger of our eastern neighbors. Although the widespread enthusiasm for helping has waned somewhat, we regularly deliver food, hygiene products, and household chemicals to priests in Ukraine. The donations we receive are used to create so-called “packages” (bags with basic products) that are sent to eastern Ukraine to people directly affected by the war. In cooperation with secretariats in Germany, we managed to donate over 236 000 € for humanitarian aid in 2024. This includes food, medicine, cleaning products, but also spiritual support for people who have lost everything. 

Medical aid – Albania

A doctor and a nurse are on duty twice a week at the clinic run by the Dehonians in Boriç. For many residents, this is the only healthcare available. Lives are truly saved here.

Spirituality Center in the Philippines

The first Spirituality Center in the Diocese of Pagadian was established on the island of Mindanao—a place for retreats, formation, and community building. It aims to help Filipinos find depth of faith in a world where more and more people are leaving the Church.

In 2024 alone, over 1 650 000 € was allocated to the implementation of these and many smaller projects, such as the purchase of means of transport for schools and mission centers. Some of the projects, such as construction and renovation, have been completed, while others, requiring long-term support, are continuing, and new places and new needs are constantly emerging.

Volunteering – a heart that works

But the Missions of the Dehonians are not only about big projects, but also thousands of small gestures. It is the work of volunteers – people who have decided to give something of themselves.

In Poland, volunteers help with the “Zbieramto w szkole” (I collect at school) and “Zbieramto w parafii” (I collect in the parish) campaigns, which are periodic collections of waste paper, electronic waste, scrap metal, and the sorting of Good Coins and LEGO bricks. As part of their training, they participate in meetings, workshops, and conferences.

Others travel the world to help missionaries in their daily work: they organize games for children, dress wounds, teach, and accompany them. Their presence brings hope and smiles, which often become the first sign of God in the lives of those who do not yet know Him.

The formation of missionary volunteers takes place regularly at the House for Missions in Olsztyn at 11 Rakowa Street. These are weekend meetings. They begin on Friday evening and last until Sunday afternoon. Each meeting provides an opportunity to create a community in the spirit of the Dehonian charism, to pray together for the missions, and to meet missionaries, both religious and lay. 

We invite everyone to learn more about the programs and missionary initiatives carried out by the Secretariat of Foreign Missions of the Dehonians, and, as far as possible and as your heart desires, to become directly involved in this beautiful work.