In 2012, pdm acknowledged its social responsibility and has since been supporting the association KINDerLEBEN e.V. – an association for the encouragement of the clinic for children with cancer in Berlin – with the monthly arrangement of the project KinderLesen. This gives us a good reason to introduce that project more accurately. For that we talked with the chairwoman of KINDerLEBEN e.V., Dr. Sigrid Wegert.
What kind of association is KINDerLEBEN?
KINDerLEBEN is an association which supports the clinic for children with cancer at the Charité in Berlin, situated at the clinical center Campus Virchow.
Which projects initiates KINDerLEBEN e.V.?
We support numerous different projects: We are currently urging forward the renovation and restructing of the day- and polyclinic. Patient numbers rose during the last years, therefore we have to create a new structure here. We want children and their relatives to feel a welcoming atmosphere - already at the initial reception and at the ambulant aftercare treatment. We also want to optimize the work processes of the staff.
There are projects which are exclusively financed by KINDerLEBEN e.V.: An art project with an art therapist; a music project with threapeutic string insturments; the Singing Bowls Project aswell as special physiotherapeutic treatments. All projects directly benefit the diseased children on the wards.
Just like the weekly parents-breakfast, which exists for more than a decade now. There, parents can be pampered during a cozy brunch while their children are supervised and cared for by volunteers.
We also have a cooking project where children suffering from cancer can help the staff in the kitchen once or twice a week and cook meals which they really want to eat.
We additionally finance staff positions like station aids, so nurses can pursue their real occupation and work directly with the patient even during times of staff shortages.
What exactly means KINDerLESEN for patients?
The reading project is an amazing project which is very popular among children.
We are very grateful that our generous sponsor ProDigitalis Medien GmbH supports us for over three years now and makes this diverse project possible for our little patients.
The free cultural worker Mrs. Miriam Gabriela Möllers, specialist for international children- and youthliterature, is responsible for the project organization and conception. Without her there would be no frictionless running of the project: With great dedication as an organizer she cooperates with the nurse management at the station.
Firmly settled into the everyday-life of the clinic there are regular readings at station 30i, which are accompanied with actors or dubbing actors.
Through reading children are transported into another world. Thereby our little patients can escape the monotonous hospital routine and can start to relax and also distract themselves.
They notice that they are cared for in a positive way and are willing to repeat that situation because of the positive experiences they get. Hospital routine interrupts and our little patients are looking forward to it every time.
Are there special projects which are most improtant to you?
Of course: the cooking-project and reading-project are both incredibly important because our little patients directly profit from it.
KINDerLEBEN e.V. supports science and research in medicine, especially in the field of cancer during childhood. Are there new discoveries?
We financially support many different research projects of the children’s cancer clinic Campus Virchow. We hope that the research results help to improve treatment concepts for children.
Until now there are promising results especially at the field of ALL diseases (acute lymphoblastic leukemia) and relapse diseases. We put our hope into new medications which fight against specific molecular changes in cancer cells. We hope that this will improve the success of cancer therapies. But before we can use these medications we need to know which of our little patients show similar molecular alterations, so that these medications can work properly. And that is exactly the point which is explored based on research groups.
The association is financed via donations and financial support from the state. How promotes KINDerLEBEN e.V. its active membership and donations?
That is actually very simple: everyone we meet gets a flyer and a short presentation about who we are and what we do. In the end we hope for as much feedback as possible.
How important is the social media appearance for associations like KINDerLEBEN e.V. – with regard to membership recruitments and donations?
We are the new committee since January and are always present at our new website www.kinderleben.de. We are recently active on platforms like Facebook and Twitter, aswell.
During the following months we will see to what extend this will influence our member- and donation-influx. But we believe that without social media appearance we would not use the full potential of today’s media.
Where do you see KINDerLEBEN e.V. 10 years from now?
We hope that -thanks to ongoing donations throughout the years- our association will still exist and be on a steady course, even in future times.
We are very grateful and lucky for the huge financial support we get from the ALBA Gala, which takes place once in a year for 15 years now in favor of KINDerLEBEN e.V..
Through my adult daughters and their friends I even introduce younger people to the association of KINDerLEBEN e.V. and to volunteer work in general. That is one aspect we focus on so we can find new and motivated members for the future.