46 children are currently housed in six homes in the districts of Schweinfurt and Kitzingen. Children who experienced terrible things in their first years of life. Who had to be separated from their biological parents. And can make a new start in the Erich Kastner Village. "These kids all bring a big backpack of experiences," explains the facility’s founder, Gunda Fleischhauer. "A lot of what they’ve experienced is also inconceivable to us." What all children desperately need: Time, patience, attention. And a different support than their peers.
"Much of what our children have experienced is unimaginable to us." Gunda Fleischhauer, founder of the facility
About two-thirds of the children who grow up in the Erich Kastner Village attend regular schools in the surrounding area. The others are accommodated in a specially created facility, the "schulchenPlus". Here, too, patience is the supreme virtue. It can happen that a young student only listens to music for days, reports the facility’s managing director, Gerald Mohrlein. Until this boy virtually "wakes up" – emerges from his previous life. And attends classes.
Dozens of fates have accompanied Gunda Fleischhauer and her comrades-in-arms in the course of the last decades, have shaped human lives. "The soul needs stability," is how staff member Daniela Huhn sums up her experience. The terrible experiences of the children and young people are deep-seated. In the care and security of the Erich Kastner Children’s Village, a balance could be achieved. Moments of happiness, cheerfulness and confidence form a counterpoint to the traumatic experiences of early childhood.
Gunda Fleischhauer tells of a boy who came to the facility when he was three and a half years old. He could neither walk nor talk, weighed 9.5 kilos. At twelve years old, he was still afraid to go up to the attic of the house alone. A therapy dog eventually helped him overcome many fears. Today, he has a driver’s license, goes shopping alone, and has a training position. "It’s like a miracle for us," says Fleischhauer. Her experience: many of her proteges manage to go their own way. Just slower than others. They need time. And sometimes even support beyond the age of 18. or 21. Year of life beyond.
"We always have to fight for that extra time here, usually two to three years," Mohrlein reported. In most cases, public support ends when the child enters adulthood. "But the development of our young people is just different," he explains. "These children and young people need a very individual f
Mohrlein’s wish: not to align those affected with the system, but to align the system with those affected. The goal must always be: To make young people strong so that they can participate in life independently.
Managing director Mohrlein reports on a young man who, after many different internships, is now training to become a mechatronics technician. A young woman has started her apprenticeship as an art glazier after many attempts to find her feet professionally. "It’s always the same," says Mohrlein. "Without pressure, they can best show what they can do." ure."
"It’s always the same. Without pressure, our children can best show what they can do." Gerald Mohrlein, Managing Director Erich Kastner-Dorf
Thanks to the donation from GWF and Edeka, several young people in the Erich Kastner Children’s Village can continue to receive individual support. Paul Ritter was impressed by the facility. "I’ve learned a lot here," he confessed at the donation ceremony. Trust, optimism and confidence are important foundations for professional action, she says. And: "You have to take the necessary time for the next step."
Become a donor: With each purchase of one of the two Freudentrauben wines, a Muller-Thurgau and a Schwarzriesling, 50 cents go into a donation fund of the GWF. Together with EDEKA, GWF has sold over 30,000 bottles of the Freudentrauben series in recent months.
The campaign continues: Due to its success, the sales campaign in the EDEKA Northern Bavaria-Saxony-Thuringia stores is to be continued in 2018 – and thus in its fourth year.