Helping with applications, listening to worries and needs and sometimes even providing a lift: Beate Kenneweg is there for people who need her help. For twelve years, the 60-year-old has been working at the Arche day shelter, a contact and advice centre run by the Freistatt homelessness charity. "Very few of my clients are homeless," explains the woman from Diepholz. "They come from the poorer sections of the population and suffer particularly from the rise in prices in all areas." Many of the visitors, who often struggle with mental illness or addiction problems, come to the day centre to have a coffee in company, read the newspaper or simply take a warm shower again.
Bethel - She simply enjoys doing good deeds
However, most of those affected by unemployment, debt or similar emergencies come to Beate Kenneweg's office for counselling. "Some are being ripped off by their landlords, others have hardly any knowledge of German or don't know who to contact if they have health problems." Because many of them don't have a car and otherwise find it difficult to get to their destination in rural Lower Saxony, "occasional transport services are unavoidable," explains the day centre employee. The trained nurse particularly enjoys travelling to medical appointments to explain the diagnoses and medical recommendations to the clients or to follow up on unanswered questions.
Although she can't be a consultant for everything, Beate Kenneweg is always familiarising herself with new topics: "I enjoy it, and it doesn't make me any dumber." The constant search for new challenges also runs through her professional CV. After training as a nurse, Beate Kenneweg completed her A-levels at night school and then studied educational science. The former manager of the Fernblick home in Freistatt also trained as a palliative care specialist in spiritual care and has been a volunteer emergency counsellor since the beginning of the year.
"When you start something new, you always get to know interesting people and exciting ideas."
The social worker is also bursting with energy in her private life: "I don't have one hobby, I have many." She not only enjoys spending her free time in her garden at home, but also "sacrifices" at least a third of her annual holiday for voluntary work that others would describe as hard work: Sometimes Beate Kenneweg plucks weeds from the strawberry and cabbage fields of mountain farmers in South Tyrol, sometimes she helps with a forestry project in Belarus and sleeps in a construction trailer for a fortnight. Her work in community-supported agriculture is just one of many projects in which she is involved. The Bethel employee has also helped out at times in a sawmill and a sheep farm in the north. "When you start something new, you always get to know interesting people and exciting ideas.
Text: Simon Steinberg | Photos: Christian Weische
This story simply told
Beate Kenneweg has been helping people in difficult situations for twelve years. At a counselling centre in Freistatt, she listens, provides support and accompanies people to appointments. Even in her free time, she puts a lot of energy into helping others because helping is very close to her heart.
Would you like to find out more?
Contact
"Die Arche"
Day care and counselling centre
Bethel im Norden, homelessness charity
Vossen Reitweg 13
49356 Diepholz
Phone: 05441 1502
Email: arche-diepholz(at)bethel.de
Offers & services
The day centre "Die Arche" is located in the centre of Diepholz for people who live without the protection of their own home or in poverty. Services include, for example, counselling to prevent loss of housing, support in finding accommodation and mediation as well as accompaniment to employment, addiction or debt counselling, doctors or authorities.
