Dutch George and Anna Koksma form ‘The WCC (World Council of Churches) Team Kythira’. Of course they needed help and money for all the projects. Over the years many foreign assistants strengthened the Team. WCC offices in the Netherlands, Switzerland and Greece sent assistants of various profession (among others architects, agricultural and civil engineers) for several months or through up to two years to Kythira.
Other Team workers
Island helpers: Various for the bulldozer, air hammer compressor and one-axle tractor and of course for help in the house, hold to cook sometimes for many persons and help cleaning the office in Chora and the living quarters of the Team members. (scroll down for photos 1962)
Assistence from volunteers: Lacking enough funds for their projects also many times through the years young ecumenical volunteers from abroad, mainly the Netherlands, came to Kythera, mostly in summer time, to start, to help with, under the Team’s supervision, on technical projects.
The Technical College Arnhem, from the Netherlands, adopted this development project at Kythera and sent civil engineering students each year for a period of six months from 1962 through 1967. The ecumenical summer work camps were born and so many Dutch came to Kythira in the nineteen sixties.
The communication
Weekly reports in the period May 1960 through June 1962 and monthly reports up to September 1971. Sent all over the world to those concerned with the progress of The Team’s programmed projects.
The finances
George Koksma had an employment contract with Geneva.
And how were the projects in the program financed?
Fund raising by means of:
-Writing of (begging) letters to certain persons, institutes and government for money or goods for a certain project.
-Regularly sending of progress reports to people all over the world.
-Writing of articles about Kythira in religious periodical in the Netherland.
-Selling of promotional pictures made by professional photographers.
-Giving lectures when being in the Netherlands or Germany.
-Private donations and especially from Kytherians living abroad.
-Collections in churches in the Netherlands for general or specific projects.
-Fundraising drives by certain organizations. One very important was:
Kythera Vriendenkring Nederland
Mr. and Mrs. Hornstra from Vlaardingen, the Netherlands, were the main founders in 1967 of the ‘Kythera Vriendenkring Nederland’. This so called “circle of friends”, at one time, had some 400 registered members all over the Netherlands and informed its members about the plans and achievements of the “WCC Team Kythera” by means of the periodical called “IRIS” until the end of 1971. The KVN members all over the Netherlands organized many fund-raising drives to provide the “WCC Team Kythera” with funds for a variety of projects.
Mr. and Mrs Hornstra came ot Kythira for their first time in June 1966. They were leading the first summer work camp from the town Vlaardingen, the Netherlands, for the community water supply in Livadi. For this project already since 1965 all kind of ingenious fund-raising activities had been organized by ecumenical youth from Vlaardingen. They revisited the island in 1968.
Below a serie of photos from local helpers and click here for amazing photos in 1962 from Karavas to Kapsali
*Click on a photo to enlarge
