Inspiring Women Fall 2018

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Moving into their new apartments
once they finally found them ‒ with
hardly any belongings and very little
money ‒ was actually a great
challenge for many of the refugee
families. Through the big network
that we established, we were able
to help a lot of families find
everything that was urgently
needed (beds, mattresses, covers,
bed linens, clothes, tables and
chairs, wardrobes, towels, dishes,
glasses and cutlery, ovens, fridges,
and sometimes even carpets) in a
very short time.
Sometimes people ask me why I do
all this. Well, I grew up in a
community where it was natural to contribute in one way or another ‒ caring for the elderly and
the needy, helping children develop. Since having my own children, I often think about what I
would wish for the world they will grow up into, and what role models we ought to be for them.
The first contribution I made was to visit an elderly lady once or twice a week while I was
studying in Bonn. At that time, I missed my grandmother in Berlin a lot and was sorry I couldn’t
visit her more regularly. One day, I read in the newspaper that the Red Cross was looking for
volunteers to spend some time with lonely elderly people, and I liked the thought of spending
some nice hours with an elderly lady in Bonn ‒ and that some nice student might like to spend
some time with my grandmother in Berlin. The second part didn’t quite work out, but anyway, I
met a very nice old lady, who was confined to a wheelchair and lived on the second floor
without an elevator, meaning she couldn’t leave the house without help. Her very kind and
caring daughter could only come and see her on
the weekends and was very relieved to hear that
someone would come and see her mother once
or twice a week. We went for walks (mostly to the
cemetery, where she wanted to visit her
husband’s grave) and bought the groceries she
needed, I read the newspaper to her, and we
had a lot of good talks.
Over the years I have become more grateful for
things we all tend to take for granted: peace,
health, freedom, a home, a caring family, always
enough to eat and drink and access to
everything our children might need. Small acts
that are easy to do can make such a difference
and have such an impact on the lives of children,
the elderly, refugee families ‒ and also on oneself.
I am happy when I see the old lady smiling when
she opens the door, or when I think about the
refugee families whose kids are at our schools,
who have found good language courses and
apartments where they can live in peace. I
treasure many interesting conversations I have
had with families in the camp, and relaxed and
carefree hours spent together. Several families