Author: Ulrike Albert

Bereits zum zweiten Mal folgt Pfr. Manbha aus Meghalaya, Nordost-Indien, der Einladung zu einem Besuch in Deutschland. Zwei Wochen lang prägt er das Leben in der Region mit seiner offenen, herzlichen Art und seinem tiefen Glauben. Er schlägt Brücken zwischen Kulturen, bringt Menschen einander näher und macht den Glauben in einer verbindenden Weise erfahrbar. Herzlichkeit, Zuwendung und ein Geist der Freundschaft zeichnen sein Wirken aus – Spuren, die bleiben.

Im Mittelpunkt seines Aufenthalts stehen zahlreiche Begegnungen und Informationen über Hilfsprojekte und Patenschaften, die Khublei gemeinsam mit ihm in Nordost-Indien umsetzt – Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe für besonders bedürftige Menschen und Kinder.

Beim geselligen Zusammensein im Gasthaus Melber in Höfen pflegen Freunde, Sponsoren und Interessierte einen lebendigen Austausch.

Ein besonderer Höhepunkt ist der Gottesdienst mit Pfr. Christian Montag und Pfr. Manbha in der Kreuzkapelle in Weismain, dem Geburtsort des Missionars Pater Otto Hopfenmüller, der einst den katholischen Glauben nach Meghalaya brachte. Hier knüpft Pfr. Manbha an diese Tradition an und führt die Mission fort.

Feierlich gestaltet sich auch der Gottesdienst in St. Martin, Bamberg, gemeinsam mit Pfr. Helmut Hetzel. Im Anschluss treffen sich zahlreiche Paten im Missionshaus Bug zu Mittagessen, Austausch und Kaffeetrinken. Die Mitwirkung der Missionsbrüder verleiht dem Tag besondere Tiefe.

Ein weiterer Höhepunkt ist das von Stephan Fuchs und Tanja Wohn-Nagengast vom Kath. Kapellenverein Unteraurach organisierte Patroziniumsfest in Unteraurach zusammen mit Pfr. Sebastian Schiller. Nach der Vorstellung der Hilfsprojekte entwickelt sich die anschließende Agape zu einem intensiven Moment der Gemeinschaft. Um die Ape von Piaggio herum, die Getränke und leckere fränkische Spezialitäten bereithält, entsteht ein starkes Zeichen des Miteinanders, das viele bewegt.

Weitere Stationen seines Besuchs führen Pfr. Manbha nach Speyer und Ottobrunn. Den feierlichen Abschluss bildet die Abschiedsveranstaltung in Stegaurach – ein großes Fest des Glaubens, der Gemeinschaft und der Verbundenheit.

Noch vor seiner Abreise melden sich Interessierte und Vereinsmitglieder, die Pfarrer Manbha im kommenden Jahr beim jährlichen Gegenbesuch nach Nordost-Indien begleiten möchten.

Alle, die ihn in diesen Tagen erleben dürfen, sind sich einig: Diese Begegnungen bereichern, inspirieren und knüpfen ein starkes Band der Freundschaft. Der gemeinsame Wunsch ist klar:
„Herzlich willkommen im nächsten Jahr, Pfarrer Manbha!“

Khublei – 5th General Meeting on April 11, 2025

Our 5th Annual General Meeting is once again a special moment in the association's life. In a hybrid format—in person at the Nettuno Restaurant in Stegaurach and online—39 members will gather. Together, we look back on an eventful year full of commitment, encounters, and projects: the trip to India, exciting presentations, a successful fundraising run, the St. Henry's Festival, and the Christmas markets in Trunstadt and Stegaurach bring people together and raise awareness of our work.

With gratitude we say goodbye Madlen Jankowskiwho held office as Treasurer for personal reasons. We would like to thank her for her valuable work on the Board. We unanimously elect Georg Lückemeier from Kemmern as her successor – we are very much looking forward to working with him and warmly welcome him!

A new heartfelt project particularly moves us: PT Medicare – a relief fund that provides medical assistance to sick people who lack financial resources. Within just seven months, we have been able to support over 150 people. More information will soon be available on our website under "Projects."

Our Turmeric project is making progress: Two main sponsors are securing the majority of the funding. We aim to complete construction of the facility this year. 240 women from Thadsning, Meghalaya, who previously processed turmeric under great physical strain, will now take over the entire production process with the new technology – from harvesting to the finished powder. They are becoming entrepreneurs. Our partner Rev. Manbha is supporting them on this journey.

A very special highlight: Four young Don Bosco Sisters from Shillong in Meghalaya are coming to Würzburg through our agency. Three of them are beginning their nursing training at the Juliusspital vocational schools, and the fourth is already working as a nurse in the Caritas facilities. They feel welcome and well looked after – a new beginning for them, a moving moment for Khublei and Caritas- Einrichtungen gGmbH. Thanks to their managing director, Georg Sperrle, and his consultant, Susanne Scheiner, for the excellent and trusting collaboration so far.

These encounters, stories and developments show: Khublei is growing – with heart, courage and together with you.

Hard to top: This year, streams of people in good spirits are walking around the cathedral! Is it the 1000th anniversary of Emperor Henry's death the day before that is drawing people to the Henry Festival in Bamberg? Or is it the pleasant sunny weather? Or do both contribute to it?

Whatever the case, there is a lot of activity on the cathedral square. Many clubs present their projects at their stands. We at Khublei are also there and our colorful pavilion is very popular. Archbishop Herwig Gössl is of course one of the visitors to our pavilion and he is keen to find out more about our activities and projects.

Children in particular are magically drawn to the children's bench and the box of crayons. We use photos to explain to them how children live in India.

Now you can write a wish for children in India on a prepared postcard or paint a picture for them. This card will then rise into the bright sky on a balloon filled with gas. A real eye-catcher!

Four cards have already been returned within two weeks!

But many adults are also interested in “our cause”. The afternoon flies by. We are already looking forward to the next Henry Festival on the 1001st anniversary of Emperor Henry’s death.

Under this title, a richly illustrated presentation of the almost completely unknown region of Northeast India took place on June 30, 2024 in the Church of St. Martin in Bamberg:

The main portal is wide open, lively music penetrates the pedestrian zone and a light installation at the entrance attracts many visitors to the city church.

In this inviting atmosphere, it is easy for the speakers, Gerd and Ulli Albert, Angelika Kraus and Norbert Röhrer, to report on their experiences during their trip to India in the north-eastern state of Meghalaya.

They tell moving stories that bring tears to the eyes of many visitors. At the same time, they paint a picture of the contrasting nature with impressive waterfalls. They talk about their visits to children's homes, whom they lead to a better life through sponsorship. They provide information about the house building by the association, which paves the way for poor families to leave their homes and live a dignified life.

The pictures from the inauguration of the school financed by Khublei are astonishing: A club with a lot of power and the best possible support from sponsors makes this possible!

A look into the near future is also taken: a turmeric project has been started to help many families.

As every year, we held our members' meeting in March. It will once again take place in the Nettuno restaurant in Stegaurach. There is a stable internet connection there, so that members can also easily participate in the meeting online.

After the welcome from our first chairman Gerhard Albert, the many activities of the past year are briefly mentioned. The treasurer Christine Wolf then names the Khublei association in figures. It is on very solid financial footing. The two auditors present their audit report and confirm that the association has kept its accounts very clean. The board is unanimously discharged.

Ulrike Albert reports on the sponsorships and implemented projects. They continue to grow.

This year, new elections for the board, treasurer, auditors and the entire board are due to take place. Bernd Fricke will take on the role of chairman of the election committee and will lead the election confidently and humorously.

Result: The club's fortunes will continue to be managed by Gerhard Albert (1st Chairman), Thomas Zens (2nd Chairman) and Ulrike Albert (secretary) for the next four-year period. Christine Wolf is no longer running for election as treasurer due to time constraints. This role will now be taken over by Madlen Jankowski. The auditors Christine Herold and Norbert Röhrer are confirmed in their positions. Kerstin Zieg-Kögler and Manuela Uhl are joining the "old" general board with Beate Offermanns, James Fulness Jyrwa, Sigrid Selzer and Marita Helget. Ludger Schwab is no longer running for election. As a new grandfather, he is taking on other family responsibilities.

In the preview of the activities for 2024, the visit of Archbishop Victor of Shillong together with Bishop Wilbert of Nongstoin in May is particularly noteworthy. In addition, our project partner Rev. Manbha will be visiting Germany for the first time in September. On April 5, a group of four will set off for northeast India. The program includes the inauguration of the school with eight classrooms in Mihmyntdu/Jowai, financed by Khublei. This will certainly be a big celebration. We will report on further activities in due course.

The meeting ends after two hours. The discussions continue in a relaxed atmosphere...

This year, four of us from our club went to the municipality of Stegaurach - we were assigned the Kreuzweiher area up to the school. Here we collect the rubbish from the street. 
It doesn't sound very exciting at first, but it's actually a lot of fun in a team.
Guess what object we most often throw in the garbage bag! Well, what is it? Of course: carelessly discarded cigarette butts!!!

In our lectures on the subject of house building, we present the precarious housing situation of particularly poor people. We can hardly imagine how people can live in such conditions.