I am not here simply to help refugees. We help one another. I still remember the exact moment this became clear to me.
My Nigerian neighbour had come to visit, and I wanted to show her how she could support her children’s development through play. But my flat was in complete chaos. My daughter was crying, I had to breastfeed the baby, and I felt completely overwhelmed.
Then my neighbour knelt down beside my daughter and took her in her arms. Suddenly, everything was quiet. Then she began to tidy up.
“Julia,” she said, “when I am weak, you help me. Now you are weak, and I am helping you.”
My husband and I moved into the Hoffnungshaus in Leonberg eight years ago. There are more than 30 such houses in Baden-Württemberg, where people with and without refugee experience live together under one roof. Everyone has their own flat, but there are also shared spaces, cooking evenings and joint outings.
Around 90 people live in our house, more than half of them children. Everyone contributes in the way they can. When we moved in, I was on parental leave. I offered German courses and started a baby and toddler group. My baby was always with me.
Since returning to work, my involvement has become more closely woven into everyday life. When my Kurdish neighbour asks me to translate a letter, I make time. When someone needs support at an appointment, I go with them. In the afternoons, children often come to our flat to do crafts or play. Christmas is an especially busy time. We visit the city’s refugee accommodation centres and bring chocolate and colouring books. We bake biscuits with the children and practise songs together. On Christmas Eve, each German family invites a refugee family from the house to celebrate together. And during Ramadan, we are invited in return.
This means my children grow up seeing it as completely normal that people speak different languages or eat different food. At the same time, they learn that, as human beings, we have far more in common than what separates us.
Of course, discussions about separating waste or raising children can sometimes be challenging. We try to find compromises and respect each other’s boundaries.
Christin Lesker from Publik interviewed Julia Breuninger, education officer at Hoffnungsträger Hoffnungshaus and resident of the Hoffnungshaus in Leonberg. Here is the link to the article: Wir helfen uns gegenseitig – Publik-Forum.de – Aufstehen & Handeln