News from Horizont e.V.

...lie behind us, marked by retreat, distance and great concern for the future of the children and mothers with us. Looking after the HORIZONT families became extremely challenging. At the same time, we have experienced a great deal of encouragement and closeness in the last few weeks. Because you were and are there, you supported us quickly and actively so that we could help effectively. We are infinitely grateful to you for this! It gives us the courage that we will be able to cope with the next financially difficult period.

What have we been able to achieve in the past weeks thanks to your support? In our two HORIZONT houses, an emergency Corona aid programme was started: We have provided hygiene materials such as disinfectant dispensers, masks and partitions for all staff* and families. The supply of healthy food, fruit, vegetables and at times a daily fresh lunch is secured for a longer period of time. In addition, we can pass on vouchers for clothes and drugstore items. This means a lot for the 26 families in our shelter and the 48 families in the open house.

Our school children in the shelter, most of whom have no access to computers, are now taking part in online lessons with loaned laptops, software programmes and data volume, so that they can make up for what they have missed in the last few months and also have contact with teachers and other students again.

The homework supervision with a total of 14 children has reopened in small groups. For this purpose, we have purchased the necessary hygiene equipment and many school materials so that the pupils can learn well and safely. In addition, we are able to offer targeted tutoring and coaching. For all those who urgently need individual support to keep up with the other children. Despite the already difficult living conditions and the acute crisis, there was great news in May: All of our 7 fourth graders received their transfer certificates and can now move on to a secondary school - 4 of them even to the Gymnasium. What a super achievement and a great ray of hope!

There are also rays of hope in our HORIZONT day care centre. During the closing time, important repair work could be carried out. Our team regularly prepared loving packages with handicraft and play materials and small suggestions and handed them over to the families without contact. And since this week, almost all children are now allowed to visit our two groups again. Finally! Even if playing, doing handicrafts and reading aloud now takes place with a lot of caution - for our little ones, being together in the group and the regular daily rhythm is enormously important. Hygiene rules are observed, siblings always stay in one group. And washing hands several times a day works really well!

What will happen with our restaurant, the cultural stage or the workshops? Here, like many other institutions, we still have to be patient. We are very hopeful that the HORIZONT House Domagkpark will soon be a place of encounter again. Perhaps already in July there could be a start with the first small offers. The restaurant is closed at the moment, but our qualification programme for young mothers continues under the hygiene concept.

We are very happy to be able to continue all these measures with your help. They are more important than ever now and in the future. Experts warn that the exit restrictions as well as closed schools and daycare centres have aggravated the living situation in many families - and also lead to domestic violence. In the coming months, more mothers and their children will therefore seek refuge at HORIZONT. We must continue to be there for them!

Thank you for your proximity and stay healthy!

Best wishes

Your HORIZONT team and Jutta Speidel