Caritas Aargau project “Wohnstart”
Aargau
Social issues
“Wohnstart” is focused on people fleeing harm, who are moving into their own home for the first time and need practical support. Volunteers visit the families or individuals and together they check the instructions for household appliances, ensure rooms are ventilated properly, explain how to clean carpets and floors and find out which areas the building’s caretaker is responsible for.
One of the volunteers is Ineke Irniger (61): “I think we should do everything we can so that people who have come here as refugees integrate quickly and feel at home." Ineke Irniger currently mentors a Kurdish family with four young boys. “Many refugees want to do everything right. Most of them attend a language course at the reception center and are learning a lot about life in Switzerland,” she explains. “Wohnstart” helps refugees to help themselves. “That’s really important,” Irniger says. “The idea is that they learn how to manage on their own.”
Picture: Caritas Aargau
Text: Karin Dehmer
We work as a regional aid organization on behalf of the Catholic church to support socially disadvantaged groups in need and people affected by poverty – regardless of their religion, ethnic origins or political beliefs.