Penal systems and prison mission work are becoming increasingly international: Across the world, countries are opening up to new concepts for prisoner aid. With the global transformation of cul-tures, political and economic orders, more and more people are at risk and become sucked into criminality and addiction. This results in more requests for the work of the prison missions, which we respond to. With projects by the pastoral prison missions in Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and South America, we want to set an example of how commitment motivated by Christianity within the penal system can look, and what integrative prisoner aid can achieve.

Staff of Crossroads Ministries are presently working in Europe, Africa and Asia. There are close contacts and regular exchanges with prison missions in South America. Crossroads Ministries are not planning to provide prisoner aid worldwide in the long term, but want to win over local Christians and churches for the task, and train and support them in their start-up. Building up contact groups, family communes and special-purpose businesses as models in individual countries forms part of this support.

To make ongoing funding available for international pastoral prisoner aid, the "Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft seelsorgerlich-diakonischer Gefährdetenhilfen (BSDG) e.V." - the work group of Crossroads Ministries - will found the

Gefährdetenhilfestiftung für internationale diakonische Straffälligenhilfe
(Crossroads Foundation for International Pastoral Prisoner Aid)

on 1 October 2006 as a trust foundation associated with Gefährdetenhilfe Scheideweg e.V.. In a trust foundation, the founders use the existing structure as a charitable basis for the foundation's purposes. The foundation wants to address the issue that the capital to start a pastoral prison mission is lacking in many countries in Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. There, the foundation wants to provide funding in the sense of start-up capital to promote the creation of autonomous and financially independent, local, pastoral prison missions.

The foundation offers interesting options for founding donors: On the one hand, there are special tax deduction opportunities during the foundation's first year. Secondly, through the foundation's business process, a founding donor can influence how the foundation's funds are used.

We would be delighted if you were interested in this foundation and will be happy to advise you:

BSDG e.V., Unterscheideweg 1-3, 42499 Hückeswagen
Tel.: +49 (0)2192 2011; Fax: +49 (0)2192 2015
E-mail: info@integrate-international.org
Internet: www.integrate-international.org
Please contact: Achim Halfmann, Chief Executive