"The feeling of being at home"
Christina Six on her EVS in a Lithuanian children's home
I spent nine months in Lithuania after graduating from high school and volunteered in a children's home as part of the European Voluntary Service (EVS).
All in all, we were volunteers from various European countries who were involved in a wide range of social projects in Lithuania. We lived in small groups in old apartments in Kaunas, the second largest city in Lithuania.
My EVS project
The project I was involved in was home to children from socially disadvantaged families who were no longer allowed to stay with their parents due to problems. Some children were also abandoned due to a disability.
The children grew up without parents, so to speak, and were looked after by many different social workers. Their lives were confined to the few rooms of the home, where it was hardly possible to give the children any opportunity to retreat or be individual. For them, spending almost the entire day with other children of the same age was part of everyday life.
The children were looked after by various social workers, which meant that they were unable to establish a stable relationship with a caregiver.
My job at the children's home was to help with the daily routine, accompany the children during various therapies and offer independent activities. However, one of the most important tasks for me was to provide the children with love and a sense of security so that they could somehow feel like they were "at home".
My time in Lithuania was totally enriching and formative. I was able to immerse myself in a different culture, live there, make new friends and much more. This allowed me to gain priceless, exciting experiences, while at the same time offering my voluntary help to people who needed it or gratefully accepted it.
More information
Attention! The EVS no longer exists. The project is now part of the European Solidarity Corps and is called ESK. However, the framework conditions have largely remained the same. Our current article deals with the change from EVS to ESK.
EVS = European Voluntary Service, means to live 3-12 months in another European country (there are also - few - places outside Europe), and to work there in an ecological, cultural or social project. Travel to and from the project, insurance, rent, food, pocket money, transportation costs to the workplace are covered by the program JUGEND IN AKTION(Youth in Action), in return you work 20-30 hours per week on a voluntary basis.
TIP: Start organizing in good time (about 8-10 months before the planned start of the project)!
