Merkur.de, 17.08.2023, by: Bernd Heinzinger, translated with: DeepL

At its open day, the In Via association showed how it supports people with refugee and migrant backgrounds in Erding.

Erding - It provides help with residence status, dealing with the authorities or looking for a job, assists with applications for social benefits or explains the healthcare system: since 2005, the In Via association - which translates as "on the way" - has also been helping people with refugee and migrant backgrounds in Erding. Three years ago, In Via moved into new premises on Lange Zeile. The inauguration ceremony, which was prevented by the pandemic, has now been made up for with an open day.

In Via was founded in Munich back in 1895 as a Catholic association for girls' and women's social work and still operates today under the umbrella of the Archdiocese of Munich-Freising. Today, the organisation's main task is to look after refugees and other people with a migration background.

In Erding, the association started very small in 2005 with two hours of counselling per week. Today, seven full-time employees provide round-the-clock help with a wide range of issues. This also includes psychosocial support to help people find their way in a new environment and cope with possible trauma.

The services on offer are wide-ranging. Team leader Sandra Pawle explains that the work is based on three pillars: refugee and integration counselling, the youth migration service and respect coaching. The latter involves, among other things, democracy education in schools.

Social pedagogue Pawle regrets that the funding for this pillar will probably dry up at the end of the year: "It would be so necessary for us to be able to continue this," she says. Unfortunately, however, the federal government is cutting funding so that this area will no longer be financed.

Who visits In Via in Erding? The people are a complete cross-section of society in Germany, says Pawle: "More or less motivated or educated people come." The clients, as In Via calls the people it supports, come to Germany from a wide variety of countries. At the beginning of the war in Ukraine, there was a peak and the Erdingen branch even hired an interpreter, Maryana Dincer. However, things soon returned to normal.

In Via is the first port of call for most refugees. A few do come, even though they have already been living in Germany for years, says pedagogue Natalie Nachtrab from experience. However, most of them are helped at the beginning of their stay.

One example is 38-year-old Sarah from Eritrea. She came to Germany in 2016 and turned to the organisation a year later when she became pregnant. "I received great help here, In Via is a great family for me," she says. Whether she was looking for a daycare place for her daughter Lydia, a flat or job placement, she was able to rely on the In Via staff.

Text and images: Merkur.de

Learn more under: www.merkur.de/lokales/erding/erding-ort28651/hilfe-auf-dem-weg-in-ein-neues-leben-verein-in-via-migranten-tag-der-offenen-tuer-92464147.html