Families who care for a disabled family member or who look after a seriously ill child do not have an easy time of it. They do not only have to cope with the care situation but also with the impact it has on their social life. The charity human aktiv is aware of this and wants to help.
Every year, human aktiv, the charity of the New Apostolic Church Southern Germany commits itself to a new key area and helps with funding. Following numerous requests, the focus of the year 2019 will be extended into the year 2020: helping family support services.
The aim of family support services is to assist and support families in their role as caregivers and to strengthen them. Caregivers are to be given the opportunity to take some time out so that they can take part in social life again. The charity is also aiming to offer social counselling and help families with legal advice.
The charity provides targeted financial support to providers of family support services who are unable to cover the costs of their projects.
Relieving and supporting families
The Augsburg-Land district association of the Bavarian Red Cross supports families who care for disabled children. A grant from human aktiv is to finance a barrier-free group room and an outdoor area.
A family hostel in Illingen (Germany) offers families with seriously ill children a break from their strenuous care situation. human aktiv is funding a playground and the furniture of the guest rooms.
The family support service Pfingstweid in southern Germany is there to help people with mental disabilities and their relatives. With financial support from human aktiv, learning opportunities, courses, leisure and holiday offers can be further developed.
Promoting inclusion
Inclusion is not always easy to achieve. human aktiv supports several projects which aim to promote the inclusion of socially disadvantaged families or disabled people.
A family support centre in Freudenstadt (Germany) looks after socially disadvantaged families and wants to help change their circumstances and reach their inclusion. The charity human aktiv is helping to fund some of the centre’s projects.
An association in Karlsruhe (Germany), Verein Eltern und Freunde für Inklusion e.V. (Parents and Friends for Inclusion) has received funds with which it is setting up an inclusive theatre project for disabled and non-disabled children and adults.
Lebenshilfe Buchen, a counselling and support centre in the town of Buchen, wants to integrate disabled people socially by offering courses and holiday camps, among other things. A new playground, which is being financed by human aktiv, is to contribute to the inclusion of mentally disabled children.
Growing up with a seriously sick sibling
Siblings of disabled or very sick children may sometimes have difficulty functioning because they feel left out and suffer under the burden. The charity of the New Apostolic Church Southern Germany therefore supports projects that are intended to benefit these children in particular.
An association in Aichtal, which primarily supports families who care for children with cancer, for example, offers art therapy for children with cancer. With funds from human aktiv this offer can be extended to include the siblings.
So that siblings of disabled children can enjoy a few carefree days, a counselling service in Sonthofen organises weekends with numerous activities for siblings of ill or disabled children. human aktiv is paying for additional such weekends.
A complete overview of all projects supported by human aktiv can be found on the website of the charity.
Photo: denys_kuvaiev – stock.adobe.com