Deborah

Since June I have been living in Hosman, one of ELIJAH’s flat-sharing communities. A lot has already happened and I am almost flooded with new impressions. Beautiful and motivating, and those that always sadden me and make me think. My tasks lie in the social centre “Casa Paul”. From morning till late afternoon thirty children can enjoy a protected room for playing, learning and lunch every day. Here, if necessary, they are showered and given clean clothes. On the one hand it is nice to be able to observe the children with their talents. On the other hand it is important to keep in mind, that as soon as these children leave the centre, they enter a world in which usually nobody takes care of their talents. In the music school I can see the fruits of our efforts. It makes me speechless how receptive the saxophonists and accordion players are in class and how they play melodies at breathtaking speed without notes. Once a week I accompany an employee to the houses of various families in the village. During these two hours I collect the saddest impressions of my time here. Big families in a very small space, unbearable smells, dirt and garbage. And many reports of bad fates. “Where do you get the motivation to wake up every morning and take on this misery again”, I was asked. Here I have learned more and more not to fall into the temptation of letting myself be pushed down, but to stand up again and tell myself: “Give what you have! A smile, a loving embrace, an open ear, practical help or just the music. It’s not much, but if everyone gives something, we can achieve a lot.