Zurich / Addis Ababa, June 12, 2025 - Children are discovering writing as a source of strength: the Swiss foundation Menschen für Menschen is encouraging them to keep diaries.
"I was so weak that I had to sit down on a curb," writes twelve-year-old Tebka in her diary. "My stomach growled loudly. I thought: What if the others hear this? Will they laugh at me?" This is how a girl in the slums of the Ethiopian city of Debre Berhan writes about her experiences of hardship and hunger.
Tebka is one of 1,800 children in the city who are supported by the Menschen für Menschen children's project. They live with their mostly single mothers in extreme poverty. They often lack food, clothing and school materials. Tebka is also suffering from a particular loss: her father is missing. He has not returned home from the fighting in the civil war in the northern state of Tigray. In the daily struggle for survival, the mothers have little strength to deal with their children's emotions. Their fear, grief and excessive demands usually go unnoticed in everyday life.
Writing a diary makes life easier
The Menschen für Menschen staff visit the children and their mothers, listen - and bring notebooks. They encourage the children to write about their experiences themselves. "The diary can be a source of comfort and part of the processing process," says Martha Eshetu, a social worker in the children's project.
The children learn to give voice to their experiences - in their own words. "I write because it feels like talking to a friend," says Tebka. "It relieves me. "
Those who write take their own story into their own hands. Children in particular who have experienced terrible things benefit: They can sort through the chaos, organize their thoughts, name their feelings. Writing helps to create distance from the experience and develop new perspectives. "No one who doesn't write knows how great writing is," says the "Diary of Anne Frank". "I can shake off everything when I write; my worries disappear, my courage is reborn," noted the 14-year-old author.
"We will be happy."
In addition to emotional support, the children receive practical support from Menschen für Menschen: school uniforms, pens, tutoring. The foundation improves housing conditions, promotes healthcare and specifically empowers the children's mothers through training and microcredits. This also enabled Tebka's mother to open a small laundry - today the family has enough to eat and Tebka and her older sister go to school.
"Martha is the most important person in my life after my mother and sister," says Tebka. "She brought me books and explained how I can learn better." Tebka doesn't yet know exactly where her path will take her - but she has plans. "I want to become a singer. Then I'll earn a lot of money and give it to my mother. We'll be happy." Perhaps Tebka will one day take up a different, less glamorous profession. One thing is certain: "We will continue the project," says social worker Martha Eshetu from Menschen für Menschen. So that children like Tebka can learn to dream again.
About the Menschen für Menschen Foundation
Menschen für Menschen is committed to fighting poverty and hunger. The foundation was established by the actor Karlheinz Böhm (1928 - 2014). In the spirit of its founder, the Swiss aid organization creates prospects for the poorest families in Ethiopia. The aim of the work is to enable them to live in dignity in their home country. The individual projects focus on promoting women, vocational training, microcredits, child aid, family planning and agricultural development. The components are combined according to local needs and implemented with carefully selected local partners.
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