Support for the effeff

With her foundation, Danièle Kapel Marcovici, Managing Director of the RAJA Group, has made it her mission for many years to support women all over the world. In keeping with the tradition of the French parent company, Rajapack GmbH in Ettlingen has been supporting the Ettlinger Frauen und Familienverein e.V. (effeff for short) since 2014 with an annual donation specifically for the language and integration courses of the non-profit association.

An association for women and families

Over the past 20 years, the non-profit and almost exclusively volunteer-run association has built up a centre for exchange, further education and support for women and families of all nationalities and denominations. The multi-layered offer aims to strengthen women and their families in their encounters, and in addition to childcare, seminars and further education events, it also includes the integration and cultural inclusion of families from the most diverse circumstances and countries of origin.

In the listed building, which is provided free of charge by the city of Ettlingen, the women also have access to an exchange and lending library with German-language books as well as computer workstations where, with the help of language CDs, language skills can be deepened outside of the course. The first chairperson of effeff, Ms Kirstin Wandelt, is proud of “her” women and what they have achieved so far: “Many of the women have had little or no school education in their countries of origin. In addition to language skills, they gain the self-confidence to contribute their own personal experiences and abilities. Some of them have managed to (re-)enter the labour market in this way. We are in the process of expanding the offer and look forward to your support!

Volunteerism AND professionalism

The women are taught by Ms Lumpp, a native of Slovakia, who knows first-hand about the difficulties of learning German and integrating. “The participants in the course come from very different countries of origin, have different denominations and backgrounds, so all communication within the course takes place in German as the common language of communication. The women can bring their children to the language courses, which is a considerable advantage compared to, for example, VHS courses, because many women do not yet have the opportunity to have their children looked after elsewhere. In some cultures, “giving up” the children is also unusual and discouraging for the women. In addition, in this way the women demonstrate to their children an interest in their new home country and its language.” Thanks in part to the donation from Rajapack, it has been possible to significantly expand the courses offered since2014. Ms Lumpp, who leads a team of six volunteer language teachers at effeff, said. “We can now offer 5 courses at different language levels. It’s important to us that the courses are coordinated and build on each other – so that it’s easy to switch from one proficiency level to the next.” Thus, the effeff offers a truly unique combination: a professional language course that is in no way inferior to the courses offered at the adult education centre, for example, plus the opportunity to have your own children looked after during the course – or simply bring them along!

Language is integration

Even if the stories behind the individual life stories remain mostly unspoken, because many have experienced unspeakable things: The exchange of the women from the most diverse countries of origin about their own history and their respective experiences takes place in German – the only language common to all.

One of the “secrets of success” of the effeff is that the trusting, secure environment and a positive group experience create the perfect learning atmosphere for these women. In order to be able to provide this commitment, the Ettlingen Women’s and Family Meeting Centre, as a non-profit and predominantly volunteer-run association, is, however, dependent on sponsorship and donations.

Respect, solidarity and professional equality for women

Rajapack GmbH’s commitment to this project is based on the conviction that companies have a social responsibility in addition to their economic responsibility. Following the example of the RAJA-Daniéle Marcovici Foundation, the packaging mail order company therefore launched its own action programme in September 2016, which specifically supports German aid organisations with a portion of the sales proceeds from four products that are particularly in demand: Perspectives for Women. The European idea and the values lived by effeff coincide with the company values of RAJA! Language is the key to integration and understanding. And women are decisive for the (language) integration of their children.

What the association does here in Ettlingen on a voluntary basis is remarkable and we are happy that we can make a small contribution to this work.