The diocese of Limburg is gearing up for the opening of the fasting campaign organised by the Catholic development aid organisation Misereor. Events on the theme of the Lent campaign will be held at various locations in the diocese from Thursday before the campaign is officially launched on Sunday, 22 February with a mass in the parish church of St. Peter and Paul in Hofheim. ARD television will broadcast the service live from 10 am. With the motto "This is where the future begins", Misereor is focussing on the situation of young people in Cameroon in this year's Lent campaign.
In the Cameroonian metropolis of Douala, 70 per cent of the inhabitants are under the age of 35. Many of them live below the poverty line. There is a lack of jobs and training places, and in many cases young people here have no choice but to work in insecure or poorly paid jobs. Precarious living conditions and a lack of prospects are the result.
The goal of an independent and dignified life
This is where the Cameroonian partner organisation CODAS-Caritas Douala, which is supported by Misereor, comes in. It supports young people in creating the conditions for an independent and dignified life through qualified training. The organisation covers part of the training costs, opens up promising professional fields for young people and accompanies them on their way into the regular and fairly paid labour market.
Cameroon is just one of many countries in which young people have great difficulty in securing their own future. Worldwide, more than 20 per cent of 15 to 24-year-olds were neither employed nor in education or training.
Numerous people throughout Germany are getting involved
With its Lent 2026 campaign, Misereor not only wants to draw attention to such global connections, but also inspire people in Germany to get involved - through donations, personal commitment and solidarity. During Lent, numerous people in parishes, schools, associations and One World groups collect donations for Misereor, which supports more than 3,000 projects by partner organisations in development cooperation in 83 countries. Volunteers support the work of the aid organisation through a variety of campaigns such as Solibrot, Solilauf, Fastenessen or Coffee Stop. Guests from Cameroon invited by Misereor also provide information about the situation in their country throughout Germany. The children's Lent campaign, which runs in parallel, also presents the topic in an age-appropriate way for people between the ages of five and twelve. On the 5th Sunday of Lent, 22 March, donations for the work of Misereor will be collected in all Catholic parishes in Germany.
Talk in the vineyard and hunger cloth exhibition
As part of the opening days of the Lent campaign in the diocese of Limburg, there will be a convivial get-together at the Schreiber winery in Hochheim am Main on Thursday, 19 February at 5 p.m. with exchanges, encounters, discussions and short impulses on the topic of the Lent campaign. Misereor's solo wine will also be offered for tasting. On Friday, 20 February at 5 pm, an exhibition on 50 years of Misereor hunger cloths will be opened in the foyer of the Hofheim town hall. At 7.30 pm, the Filmpalast Hofheim will be showing the film "The (New) Good German", which is about the former Cameroonian king Rudolf Duala Manga Bell and German colonial history. The film will be followed by an explanatory discussion. On Saturday, 21 February, various groups of Misereor hunger cloth pilgrims will arrive at Tivertonplatz in Hofheim at 11 a.m., before an impulse and a pilgrimage service with Archbishop Stephan Burger in St. Vitus Church in Kriftel at 12 noon. All interested parties are cordially invited to the events. Everyone is also welcome to attend a reception following the TV service. This starts on Sunday, 22 March, at 11.30 a.m. in the Hofheim town hall.
