Emmaus-Gemeinschaft e.V.

About us

In November 1949, the EMMAUS-movement was founded by the French priest of poor people, Abbé Pierre. Our name is the name of a place in Palestine where some desperate people found hope again. In the meantime, there are more than 300 communities. EMMAUS has become a world-wide movement.

The "rag-and-bone men EMMAUS", a community of people, work themselves for the necessary living expenses by collecting and recycling old material. There are communities who are particularly oriented towards the accommodation of mentally retarded people, physically handicapped, old and infirm people, people released from prison or support of children and young persons and care of family problems, agricultural cooperatives etc.

Since spring 1985, we - the EMMAUS-community - have been living and working in Sonsbeck. Our land has a size of 18,000 square metres. A double-storey residential building with attic storey is standing on it together with three halls which are built as an extension to the house. Our community is open to everyone within the framework of the existing possibilities. We accommodate people who need help, who are homeless, drug addicts or alcoholics after a therapy, people released from prison, etc. We keep a common household. We have meals together. We are trying to give every member of the community a room of his own, even if this is not always possible. At the moment, everyone gets DM 60,-- pocket money per week. This applies also to the responsible people of the community. Every member of the community has the duty to collaborate. The reason is that we do not want any support from the government. Consequently, a free and independent work is guaranteed. At present, we are supporting two projects regularly: financially the "Freundeskreis (circle of friends) Las Torres e.V. in Mülheim an der Ruhr" and the Dutch organization Vraag en Aanbod Internationaal in Tilburg with material aid.

After an apprenticeship as industrial sales/purchase clerk and studies of social education, Reinhold Haesser, born in Hetzhof/Eifel in 1954, began the organization of the Emmaus community in Sonsbeck together with other people in 1985. Plans: to further increase the community and to find people who really live an alternative lifestyle (and do not eat muesli only).

We ovver an overnight accommodation and apartment sharing for other net participants. We are open to everyone who needs help, for all those who want to live with us for a limited period of time or on a long-term basis.