Who we are

The Bethlehem Mission Immensee (BMI) is a catholic missionary organization with its headquarters in Immensee, Switzerland. It places itself at the service of the integral liberation of the disadvantaged in Latin America, Africa, Asia and Europe.

In the various countries where we have projects we work together with organizations of the church and of civil society. We provide skilled personnel for specific tasks for a limited time and we support them in their efforts to create links and to cooperate in processes of international solidarity. By this method of personnel development cooperation we help to build bridges to other cultures and religions.

In addition we live up to our commitment towards the general public of Switzerland and Germany by means of information, campaigns and lobbying for the needs of the people in Latin America, Africa and Asia. With our formation centre, Romero House, in Lucerne, and with our magazine WENDEKREIS we offer a platform for the voices of other continents.

To finance our work, we solicit contributions and subsidies from the private and public sector. As a recognized programme institution we receive subsidies from the Swiss State through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

What motivates us

The source of our commitment and the motivation for our activity in this world is the liberating message of Jesus, His vision of a just and peaceful world. The signs of His prophetic and healing actions motivate us to work together as partners with people from other cultures and religions. For this reason we struggle together with them that the necessities of life be made available to all human beings and that their dignity and rights are respected.

How we work

Our skilled persons consciously adopt a simple lifestyle because the most important witness of our faith is our personal conduct. We share life together with the people and try to be present also in difficult situations. We strive for simplicity in the use of our means and in our lifestyle. It is important for us not to create one-sided dependencies.