"I am brave.
I don't have to feel fat or bad,
because everyone is perfect.
I was told,
that I do not
This is a quote from a 9-year-old child who has been involved in our "Ahrtal-Kids" project for two years now. Heike Holtz and Vera Church.
Vera tells the back story:
"A week earlier, the child wrote something on our whiteboard where the children can write down their wishes. It read:
"I feel fat and when I look in the mirror, I think I'm ugly (...)."
Other children drew our attention to this and we sought to talk together at the breakfast table.
The child in question listened attentively to what "they" had to say to him. And the other children also joined in.
The content of the conversation, the trust and the solidarity among each other had apparently borne fruit, because at some point during the day, the children share their newfound feelings with us again via the whiteboard.
I don't want to describe the feeling while reading the texts, because they work all by themselves, just look at them in the pictures" 
Thank you, dear Vera and Heike, for these insights into your empathetic work. Being able to create a place together where children feel free to share their biggest worries and are supported in doing so is a great gift to us. 
Thanks also to Children's aid organisation Global-Care Foundation for your kind support. 
Yours Klaudia Skodnik and the Fortuna helps team
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