“Make children stronger for life!” This slogan sums up the way in which the association “Die Arche” strives to support socially disadvantaged young people. This theme, little mentioned during the German election campaign, is fundamental according to the organization’s president, Daniel Schröde.
In the association’s premises in Frankfurt, children receive a free meal and help with their homework. For many, “Die Arche” is like a second home. But because of the pandemic, schools and the association were closed for months, with consequences for children.
The promiscuity in the “cramped” housing of these families has resulted in the children being dependent on their cell phones.
“I have in mind one boy in particular, he was playing on his phone for 16 hours a day“raconte Daniel Schröder.”Children are not able to find their own space and therefore they teleport“he laments.
Several children have forgotten some of their German and almost all have seen their school level decline. School has now resumed, with a normal pace, but for disadvantaged students, this is not enough to catch up. Schools need more funds. According to Daniel Schröder, the political authorities are abandoning these families.
“The voter turnout rate in the districts where we work is extremely low. There is a lot of support from the AfD [parti d’extrême droite] and that means politicians have nothing to gain here“he emphasizes.
“This is what is dramatic and also unfair about this system, instead of looking for where people need the most, which schools need the best equipment, politicians are looking at where their constituents are.“he denounces.
Mimunt Halli, mother of three, is supported by Die Arche. After unsuccessfully asking social services for support courses for her son, she turned to the association. She has also been on the public service waiting list since 2008 for larger housing.
“Die Arche gives you hope because the requests are either accepted or rejected, so there is hope because I know I will have an answer from them“she says.”With state administration you don’t get a response, you just get fired.”
According to Daniel Schröder, many people have no idea of the difficulties faced by disadvantaged people in Germany. For some children, the lunch served in the association is the only real meal of the day. By caring for these families, he believes he is helping to maintain unity and peace in the country.
“What we fear, and we can already see it, is that the gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen“he observes.
His association asks for a basic income for the children, half of which would go to families and the other half to schools.
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