Dear friends and supporters,
Today we would like to share some news with you: Sonata’s foster family in Marijampole is moving to a new house on the outskirts of the city, Karolina visited her long-time godmother in Wiesbaden and the director of PATRIA gave an insightful interview. We would also like to invite you to our sponsorship trip to Lithuania at the beginning of September 2024. We hope you enjoy reading our “Spring Newsletter”.
Sonata’s small family in Marijampoles is doing very well. There are still 10 children in the family. In a few weeks, the family will be moving to a new house on the outskirts of Marijampoles, as the lease on their current home is coming to an end. This will be a great adventure for the whole family. We have assured Sonata that we will provide support for important purchases that the children need in their new home and we want to help the family take a nice vacation trip to the sea. Of course we will visit the family again on our sponsorship trip in September. Sonata has already suggested that we have a picnic together.
With such a large family, there is always something to celebrate. Here are photos from the birthday party of Dovyduk (David), who is now 12 years old. The warm embrace he received from Sonata shows the warmth and affection with which Sonata treats her foster children.
Lithuanian godchild Karolina (21 years old) visited her long-time godmother in Germany in March. Karolina’s godmother reports: “I was delighted when I was able to embrace Karolina again at Frankfurt Airport in mid-March. Two years had passed since our last face-to-face meeting and now the time had finally come for us to spend a week together in Wiesbaden.
We went hiking together, visited the thermal baths, toured the neighboring cities of Mainz and Frankfurt and took a course in making chocolates. Karolina and I have known each other for 10 years now, she is now 21 years old. Our connection is trusting and warm. We had many conversations, including about her future. Like many young people, she is looking for advice and guidance. As a mentor, I try to point out opportunities and provide encouragement.
One evening will certainly remain a special memory for both of us. We had Ingrid and Otmar over and cooked together for our guests. That was a lot of fun. The week passed far too quickly and it was hard for both of us to say goodbye. We are comforted by the prospect of seeing each other again on the sponsor trip from September 5-8, 2024.”
Our partner organization PATRIA in Lithuania presented its important work in an online interview. We are very happy that PATRIA has been communicating very extensively about its work in the Lithuanian media for some time now, thus generating attention for its (and our) work in Lithuania. Inga Rusinaite-Vaitkuviene, Director of PATRIA, the Lithuanian online news platform “15 min.lt.”, gave an interview. Together with Rita Skriadaite, Inga has been part of the team since the beginning of our partnership with PATRIA and has been instrumental in developing our joint program.
In the interview, listeners hear about the difficulties faced by young people growing up without parents in finding their bearings in life after leaving care. The risk of falling into a bad environment or even criminal circles is high. Inga explains PATRIA’s important role as a listener, advisor, encourager and motivator. The young people receive accommodation, support, psychological help and learn how to look after themselves, run a household and manage money. The path is often difficult, as many of the young people feel like outsiders and suffer from a lack of self-esteem.
PATRIA tries to create a basis of trust through many joint activities, to strengthen self-esteem and to accompany the young people on their way to an independent life. Inga is proud that countless young people have been helped in the meantime. Quite a few of them have completed an apprenticeship or a degree.
We are delighted and very grateful that we have been able to contribute to PATRIA’s successful work with your support, dear sponsors.
You are welcome to visit PATRIA at https://www.facebook.com/A.C.Patria and register as a follower. Facebook can translate the posts directly into German so that they can read all the texts. Take a look at what PATRIA has reported in recent months.
Why not travel to Lithuania with us? Our sponsorship trip will take place from September 5-8, 2024. We would be delighted to present our work and our partner organization PATRIA to you on site. We visit our protégés and spend a weekend with the young people, during which there will be workshops and numerous activities. If you wish, you can also actively participate in the workshops. You will also get to know the beautiful country of Lithuania and its sights. If you would like to join us, please send an e-mail to ingrid.debald@web.de.
With a heartfelt thank you and an ACIU to all our loyal sponsors, friends and supporters, we send our very best regards.
We wish you a happy spring
Your board team of the “Kinder- und Jugendförderung in Litauen e.V.”