Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen born on 30 March 1818 in Hamm an der Sieg died on 11 March 1888 in Heddesdorf, today part of Neuwied. As a rural mayor, Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen became acquainted with the plight of the rural population. From 1846 onwards, he organised associations that were initially based on charity, but were soon organised according to the principles of self-help, self-administration and self-responsibility. The credit cooperatives called "Spar- und Darlehnskassen" (savings and loan societies) quickly spread across Germany. A diverse cooperative organisation emerged. Raiffeisen's actions were characterised by Christian motivation. The associations were not only to work in an economic sense, but also to help realise a Christian society in a Christian-social sense.