Family sponsor in Pinneberg: This is how volunteers donate valuable help!

Family sponsor in Pinneberg: This is how volunteers donate valuable help!

The lively town of Pinneberg shows once again how important support and community are. Marina Ostermann, who has been working as a family sponsor for a good eight years, plays a crucial role. As part of the Evangelical Family Education in Pinneberg, she helps families and single parents throughout the district, on average for two hours per week. Your work is invaluable to many, especially in challenging times.

Ostermann has grandchildren of her own and brings a wealth of experience with her, which she uses in her role. She regularly accompanies mother Jacqueline Winkler in her challenges. Winkler, whose partner lives in Egypt, discovered Ostermann's offer by chance through a flyer at the pediatrician's office. This support is a gift for her: “I use the time for simple things, like sleeping or for personal errands,” she reports.

Family sponsorships: Helping people to help themselves

The care time is flexible and is used by Winkler in different ways to make her everyday life easier. Ostermann also helps little Nouri get used to a new care facility. Such family sponsorships are aimed particularly at families with children between the ages of zero and three. The free offer supports parents with everyday tasks, from leisure activities to accompanying them to doctor's appointments. This is by no means about household help, but rather about valuable support in everyday family life. This is confirmed by various institutions that coordinate and provide such help, including the Evangelical Family Education in Pinneberg.

Eight sponsors are currently active in the project itself and look after a total of ten families. This shows how great the need for support is, as there is already a waiting list for other families who need help. Lena Stromer, who leads the project, emphasizes that demand continues to grow. But it is also noticeable that there is a lack of volunteers who are willing to do this valuable work. “We just need more supporters,” she emphasizes.

Why do many families shy away from handing things over to strangers? There are many reservations; Nevertheless, Winkler and Ostermann had a good feeling right from the start. Sooner or later, this belief could serve as a model for other families who find themselves in similar life situations. Winkler encourages others to seek help to reduce their own stress and regain a better quality of life.

As a grandmother, Marina Ostermann not only provides mobile support, but also a keen sense of the children's needs. This type of experience is priceless and promotes exchange between young and old. This means that not only the children but also the parents receive valuable support. It is an example of successful neighborly help that shows that much more can be achieved together.

The importance of such projects is also shown by the statistics from early help, which document a clear need for support in the family environment. If you would like to find out more about the options, you can use the search term “early help” to find the relevant contact points.

At a time when stress and challenges often predominate in everyday family life, it is to be hoped that more people will opt for voluntary help and thus strengthen the community network. Because ultimately everyone benefits from a cooperation that serves the individual well-being.