Post Tagged with: "Kinderschutzbund"

As in every year, we are once again committed to a good cause and are supporting a local organization. We are very pleased to be supporting the Eschweiler branch of the German Child Protection Association (Kinderschutzbund) with a donation this year. We were delighted to welcome the branch’s managing director, Thorsten Ingermann, and its chairwoman, Mariethres Kaleß, to our premises for the donation handover.

Donations for a Lived Community

“Many families and children simply need to feel seen,” says Mariethres Kaleß at our donation handover, as she explains how the cultural and recreational activities at the DKSB Eschweiler are organized. Often, she says, not much is needed to achieve great things with limited resources. For example, the DKSB’s playground festival requires little effort to attract a large number of local families, foster networking, and provide an enjoyable celebration together. The goal of every event: to create shared memories, promote community, and have fun together. Thorsten Ingermann emphasizes the diverse mix of participants at the events; the children often come from different parts of town and have varied personal backgrounds. “Events like the playground festival counteract isolation and ensure that no one feels left out,” Ingermann continues.

Integration is a top priority

The playground festival is just one example of the wonderful work the German Child Protection Association (DKSB) does locally: Its more than 90 employees are dedicated to providing childcare at five primary schools in Eschweiler, now caring for over 800 children every day. They offer not only morning and full-day care during school days, but also during school holidays and on bridge days, giving children the opportunity to grow together with their peers and protecting children who face various challenges in their daily lives.

At the same time, the Eschweiler branch of the German Child Protection Association also helps families and adults. They offer support for parents, training opportunities for young people, and continuing education opportunities, including for adults. Ms. Kaleß reports on a group of dedicated volunteers who help refugees navigate bureaucratic processes and government offices, while also working to overcome language barriers and teach German. “This is integration in action, and we are delighted to be able to support this work this year,” says our Managing Director, Michael Pütz.

Want to learn more about the work of the DKSB Eschweiler, or even get involved yourself? On the website you’ll find lots of information about the valuable work of the Eschweiler local branch.

As in previous years, we are also making a social contribution this year and are committed to a good cause locally. A few days ago we handed over this year’s donation to the Eschweiler Tafel e.V. and are happy to be able to support the work of the Eschweiler Tafel directly on site. When we got to know each other on site, we were able to get an impression of the work of the Eschweiler Tafel e.V. and were warmly welcomed and shown around by the first chairwoman, Mrs. Schmaling, and the second chairman, Mr. Lamour.

The Eschweiler Tafel e.V. is one of 930 food banks nationwide that are committed to helping the socially and economically disadvantaged and providing them with food. Mrs. Schmaling, as the first chairwoman of the association, says: “We are dependent on donations for our work, both food and financial donations. We are particularly pleased about the donation from MVG.”

The work of the Eschweiler Tafel e.V. on site

The Eschweiler Tafel e.V. collects food donations for the needy and passes them on directly in their local offices. The Tafel is currently open three days a week and looks after at least 400 recipients on these days. “We have a check card system, an individual can be registered on a check card, or even whole families,” explains Karin Schmaling as the first chairwoman. In order to get a card, the recipients have to prove their need and then receive heavily discounted groceries. Above all, people with low incomes or pensioners benefit from this, as do refugees or homeless people.

To collect the groceries, several drivers are constantly on duty and bring goods to the Eschweiler Tafel up to three times a day. The food is then sorted on site and made available to customers. The employees of the Eschweiler Tafel e.V. are all volunteers, Mrs. Schmaling says: “We have enough employees to provide a team every day, unfortunately there is currently a lack of goods.” The commitment of the employees is remarkable and goes beyond the work on the premises of the Tafel. The employees of the Tafel worked tirelessly even after the floods in the summer of 2021, which severely affected the city of Eschweiler: “We distributed the food on the street in the affected areas immediately after the floods to help and reach as many people as possible.”

The demand at the Eschweiler Tafel e.V. is high, so the Tafel could even open five days a week. The problem: “We don’t have enough food donations, so unfortunately we can only open on three days at the moment,” regrets Schmaling. The groceries are donated by local supermarkets, wholesale markets and shops, private individuals often drop off goods as well.

Would you like to learn more about the work of the Eschweiler Tafel e.V. or even get involved yourself? Find out more on the association’s website (in German).

At MVG, we are happy to make a social contribution every year and like to stand up for others in our everyday lives. We are particularly pleased to support the Kinderschutzbund e.V. local association Eschweiler this year and raise the Christmas spirits among the children there. The chairmanship of the local association, Mrs. Kaleß (front right in the picture), was on site together with the educational management, Mrs. Karbig (front left in the picture), and accepted the donation from Mr. Christoph Pütz and Mr. Michael Pütz (members of the management, back left and right in the picture).

The Kinderschutzbund e.V. has been campaigning for the future of children across Germany for many years. The principle for the work of the Kinderschutzbund e.V. is “Support parents, protect children”. Among other things it focusses on children’s rights, works with families as well as for the social security of children and takes a stand for a non-violent everyday life for children.

The commitment of the Kinderschutzbund e.V. on site

The Kinderschutzbund e.V. in the Eschweiler local association also follows this principle. Under the chairmanship of Mrs. Kaleß and the educational management of Mrs. Karbig 640 children are cared for every day at 5 primary schools. The local association is active in the morning and all-day care of children. The association is supported in looking after the children by young educators who have the opportunity to complete their training in the facilities of the local association.

“Unfortunately, this year the training places for many future educators are at risk due to COVID-19. We are particularly pleased to be able to support the trainees as well, and to enable some of these trainees to do an apprenticeship with us at short notice, ”explains Mrs. Kaleß. The apprentices can also contribute to the care of the children during the holidays, which the Kinderschutzbund e.V. local association Eschweiler offers: “We have various offers, we like to surprise the children and offer something special. So sometimes a clown comes along, or they have the opportunity to take part in learning circus lessons themselves. ”

Would you like to find out more about the work of the Kinderschutzbund e.V. Local Association Eschweiler? You can find out more on their website (in German).