Poverty in a Developed Country
Germany ranks 22nd out of the 182 countries that are listed in the Human Development Index issued by the United Nations for 2009. Human development is defined by the UN as the perspective of people leading lives in accord with their needs and interests. Ideally, this means that Germany is very good at providing such a perspective – outsiders may think this is true, but they should take a closer look at the actual truth.
In my hometown, the small town of Laatzen, near the city of Hannover in Germany, the two rooms that house the Laatzener Tafel e.V. are right next door to a second-hand shop, and a furniture restaurateur who employs mainly permanently unemployed people. One man is carrying a trash bag and is picking up wrappers that are lying in the mud. I want to ask him how he feels about the job that pays one Euro an hour, but the woman that I am accompanying today says he doesn’t understand a lot of German.
Today I am spending the day with Karin*, a woman who requires the service that the Laatzener Tafel provides. The Tafel is the place where people can buy food and other necessities at a cheap price, because they cannot afford to pay the prices that supermarkets demand. The prices and sizes of the pre-packaged goods vary, depending on how many people in a family rely on the Tafel.
Karin is not only a customer at the Tafel, but also works voluntarily for the Tafel. She picks up food and other donations from supermarkets three days a week, and delivers them back to the headquarters of the Tafel. The donations from the supermarkets are products that are about to expire, or are partially damaged and thus cannot be sold anymore.
At the Tafel, other volunteers sort out anything that is not good enough for people to eat, in a collection for the local pet sanctuary. The Laatzener Tafel e.V. is affiliated with the general German Tafel e.V.; however the system here is a little different. Many Tafel institutions in Germany provide those in need with a warm meal – the Laatzener Tafel instead provides people with the ingredients to prepare their own meals. This is something many people appreciate, as they feel they are not accepting charity, especially since they still pay for the food.
Karin drives to various supermarkets in the area of Laatzen, and its neighboring towns Hemmingen and Pattensen, from eight o’clock onwards, to pick up food. We start off at a well-known German supermarket chain close to the headquarters of the Tafel, and I have difficulties pulling open the backdoors of the truck that was donated to the Tafel for their work. Karin herself cannot open the door, because her left thumb is dislocated after an accident here at work. Her doctor told her not to work, but Karin feels that she owes it to the Tafel – who else would do her job otherwise?
We pick up the food at the delivery entrance of the supermarket, and push the wagon with the products to the truck. Inside the truck, we put all the products into foldable plastic boxes. These too were donated to the Tafel at one point. The driver of the truck, Hans*, another customer of the Tafel, also helps us with loading everything on the truck. He used to work for the local center of the German automobile club ADAC, but his position was cut in 2007 because a work efficiency program was introduced. Both he and Karin had troubles finding jobs and then turned to the Tafel. The work they do is not paid, but both are happy doing what they do: contributing to people’s well-being and perspective to leading lives in accord with their needs and interests.
Karin explains to me how the system of the Tafel network works, while we drive from supermarket to supermarket: Initially, in many cities people started initiatives called Tafel, where they provided services to the poor, mainly in forms of meals or food. They were usually supported by the city, like in Jena – a larger German city, or by an organization such as the German Red Cross, like in Hannover. Because there were so many of these initiatives, they soon formed the umbrella organization Tafel e.V., responsible for all initiatives in Germany, providing general guidelines.
The Laatzener Tafel, together with the second-hand shop mentioned earlier, was provided with rooms in Laatzen in the beginning, which they later purchased themselves, and were donated two used trucks, by Mercedes Benz. The Laatzener Tafel, as “eingetragener Verein”, or registered association, has members who pay membership fees, and in return get a say in how the Laatzener Tafel provides its services. The Laatzener Tafel also earns money from the purchases made by customers. This pays for fuel costs and repair costs that add up.
The Laatzener Tafel has three distributing points, one in Laatzen, one in Arnum, a village further away, and one in Pattensen. Those in Arnum and Pattensen are located in churches which cooperate with the initiative. All people who work for the Tafel do so on a voluntary basis, and are honorary workers. They receive nothing in return, not even discounts for the Tafel distribution. The cost for a prepackaged ration can be from €1,50 to €2,50, ranging from a one person household, to a family of more than five people. Donations also keep the initiative afloat.
While we load on food, and drive around, I get to know Karin a little better. She hasn’t had an easy life, and is knowledgeable in different areas of life, such as fashion or the military. When we stop at a herb store that sometimes has donations to make, Karin teaches me the names of many different herbs and plants. In between, she gives me a radish or two to eat, while she and Hans carry the heaviest donated goods into the truck.
There are many stories Karin has to tell, one I experience myself. Both Hans and Karin suddenly become annoyed about something happening on the road, I cannot see it from the back seat where I am perched. I ask her what the commotion is about, and she explains: during the times when there are exhibitions on the fairgrounds right next to the headquarters of the Tafel, the fairground security often controls the traffic – usually to a disadvantage to anybody that doesn’t enter the fairgrounds. Apparently it’s not the first time this has happened, and Karin calls the police to check whether this is in order. It turns out it is not, and the police promises to send a car to the affected junction.
We get back to the Tafel at noon, with a full truck, and unload everything we collected over the morning. Mostly bread, vegetables and fruits have been donated, but Karin has a surprise for everyone currently cleaning or setting up the Tafel for the afternoon sales: tissues. I find it incredible how everyone cheers over a commodity like tissues, but they don’t seem to be readily available to everyone. Before I can thank everyone for letting me experience this day, Karin slips me a bar of chocolate that isn’t due to expire for a month. My protest falls on deaf ears, and I go home, with an aching back, tired arms and legs, but a warm heart.
*: Names withheld by request
SOURCES
• "Human Development | Human Development Reports (HDR) | United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)." Human Development Reports (HDR) - United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). 18 Oct. 2009 .
• Karin. Personal Interview. 21 Oct. 2008.
• "laatzener tafel." laatzener tafel. 18 Oct. 2009 .
In my hometown, the small town of Laatzen, near the city of Hannover in Germany, the two rooms that house the Laatzener Tafel e.V. are right next door to a second-hand shop, and a furniture restaurateur who employs mainly permanently unemployed people. One man is carrying a trash bag and is picking up wrappers that are lying in the mud. I want to ask him how he feels about the job that pays one Euro an hour, but the woman that I am accompanying today says he doesn’t understand a lot of German.
Today I am spending the day with Karin*, a woman who requires the service that the Laatzener Tafel provides. The Tafel is the place where people can buy food and other necessities at a cheap price, because they cannot afford to pay the prices that supermarkets demand. The prices and sizes of the pre-packaged goods vary, depending on how many people in a family rely on the Tafel.
Karin is not only a customer at the Tafel, but also works voluntarily for the Tafel. She picks up food and other donations from supermarkets three days a week, and delivers them back to the headquarters of the Tafel. The donations from the supermarkets are products that are about to expire, or are partially damaged and thus cannot be sold anymore.
At the Tafel, other volunteers sort out anything that is not good enough for people to eat, in a collection for the local pet sanctuary. The Laatzener Tafel e.V. is affiliated with the general German Tafel e.V.; however the system here is a little different. Many Tafel institutions in Germany provide those in need with a warm meal – the Laatzener Tafel instead provides people with the ingredients to prepare their own meals. This is something many people appreciate, as they feel they are not accepting charity, especially since they still pay for the food.
Karin drives to various supermarkets in the area of Laatzen, and its neighboring towns Hemmingen and Pattensen, from eight o’clock onwards, to pick up food. We start off at a well-known German supermarket chain close to the headquarters of the Tafel, and I have difficulties pulling open the backdoors of the truck that was donated to the Tafel for their work. Karin herself cannot open the door, because her left thumb is dislocated after an accident here at work. Her doctor told her not to work, but Karin feels that she owes it to the Tafel – who else would do her job otherwise?
We pick up the food at the delivery entrance of the supermarket, and push the wagon with the products to the truck. Inside the truck, we put all the products into foldable plastic boxes. These too were donated to the Tafel at one point. The driver of the truck, Hans*, another customer of the Tafel, also helps us with loading everything on the truck. He used to work for the local center of the German automobile club ADAC, but his position was cut in 2007 because a work efficiency program was introduced. Both he and Karin had troubles finding jobs and then turned to the Tafel. The work they do is not paid, but both are happy doing what they do: contributing to people’s well-being and perspective to leading lives in accord with their needs and interests.
Karin explains to me how the system of the Tafel network works, while we drive from supermarket to supermarket: Initially, in many cities people started initiatives called Tafel, where they provided services to the poor, mainly in forms of meals or food. They were usually supported by the city, like in Jena – a larger German city, or by an organization such as the German Red Cross, like in Hannover. Because there were so many of these initiatives, they soon formed the umbrella organization Tafel e.V., responsible for all initiatives in Germany, providing general guidelines.
The Laatzener Tafel, together with the second-hand shop mentioned earlier, was provided with rooms in Laatzen in the beginning, which they later purchased themselves, and were donated two used trucks, by Mercedes Benz. The Laatzener Tafel, as “eingetragener Verein”, or registered association, has members who pay membership fees, and in return get a say in how the Laatzener Tafel provides its services. The Laatzener Tafel also earns money from the purchases made by customers. This pays for fuel costs and repair costs that add up.
The Laatzener Tafel has three distributing points, one in Laatzen, one in Arnum, a village further away, and one in Pattensen. Those in Arnum and Pattensen are located in churches which cooperate with the initiative. All people who work for the Tafel do so on a voluntary basis, and are honorary workers. They receive nothing in return, not even discounts for the Tafel distribution. The cost for a prepackaged ration can be from €1,50 to €2,50, ranging from a one person household, to a family of more than five people. Donations also keep the initiative afloat.
While we load on food, and drive around, I get to know Karin a little better. She hasn’t had an easy life, and is knowledgeable in different areas of life, such as fashion or the military. When we stop at a herb store that sometimes has donations to make, Karin teaches me the names of many different herbs and plants. In between, she gives me a radish or two to eat, while she and Hans carry the heaviest donated goods into the truck.
There are many stories Karin has to tell, one I experience myself. Both Hans and Karin suddenly become annoyed about something happening on the road, I cannot see it from the back seat where I am perched. I ask her what the commotion is about, and she explains: during the times when there are exhibitions on the fairgrounds right next to the headquarters of the Tafel, the fairground security often controls the traffic – usually to a disadvantage to anybody that doesn’t enter the fairgrounds. Apparently it’s not the first time this has happened, and Karin calls the police to check whether this is in order. It turns out it is not, and the police promises to send a car to the affected junction.
We get back to the Tafel at noon, with a full truck, and unload everything we collected over the morning. Mostly bread, vegetables and fruits have been donated, but Karin has a surprise for everyone currently cleaning or setting up the Tafel for the afternoon sales: tissues. I find it incredible how everyone cheers over a commodity like tissues, but they don’t seem to be readily available to everyone. Before I can thank everyone for letting me experience this day, Karin slips me a bar of chocolate that isn’t due to expire for a month. My protest falls on deaf ears, and I go home, with an aching back, tired arms and legs, but a warm heart.
*: Names withheld by request
SOURCES
• "Human Development | Human Development Reports (HDR) | United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)." Human Development Reports (HDR) - United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). 18 Oct. 2009 .
• Karin. Personal Interview. 21 Oct. 2008.
• "laatzener tafel." laatzener tafel. 18 Oct. 2009 .
Tags: Europe, Germany, Tafel, donation, europe, food, poverty, shop
Replies to This Article
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Permalink Reply by Zineb Abdessadok on -
Wonderful article!
Tafel's idea seems to be a positive solution for the poverty in Laatzen, and the surrounding areas. Its method in approaching the poverty-stricken citizens of the town is not only thoughtful, but also quit effective. On the other hand, the fact that poverty exists in a country such as Germany may seem unheard of, however, it is a current reality that many overlook due to the nation's successfully functioning economy and political system. Also, the insight into Karen's life provides the reader with an example of your every day hero. The unknown middleman who works endlessly to provide for their community, awaiting no rewards, pay, or recognition. Overall, the article was an interesting read from start to finish, with Tafel's aims and strategy thoroughly explained.
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Permalink Reply by Salar Lone on
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This article is great. The Tafel program seems to be an effective program. This program is much needed especially with the current economic crisis and the great increase in the rate of joblessness. This article seems like it should be an inspiration to people in all parts of the world to start programs such as Tafel to decrease the rates of poverty. This article also seems like it should be some what of an inspiration because the interview with Karen help to humanise the article and it helps people from all walks of life relate to karen and people like her. Although when one first hears about poverty in a place like Germany it seems unlikely as Germany has a thriving economy compared to many other places in the world with the recent economic crisis but this article does give a true insight to what is really happening in Geramany. This article also shows that just like in other parts of the world Germany also has poverty and nomatter how good the economy is poverty is still evident. All in all, the article was a captivitang piece that ensively explained what the Tafel program is all about.
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Permalink Reply by Nazish Abdin on
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This is an extremely enlightening article as it sheds a completely new light on not just Germany but other developed countries. Living in the Middle East, I personally had a very vague idea of what life on a daily basis is like in Europe but i generally characterize Western European countries as the "standard" lesser developed countries should strive for. This article however made me consider very acutely that ofcourse no country has achieved a level at which all its people's needs are catered to. Even with a government with minimal corruption, an efficient economy and a high employment rate, there are still people who are left to rely on the services of such organizations as the Tafel. Yes, the Tafel does not provide top quality food, but for people like Karin and others like her, Tafel is an opportunity for them to not only maintain a life for themselves but to be able to give back and not feel like they are taking handouts which is an extremely admirable characteristic of Tafel. Great job on highlighting an aspect of developed countries that is not often understood or talked about.
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Permalink Reply by Gonzalo Paz-Soldan on
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What struck me about this article was not only the subject: the state of poverty in a developed country, but the way that it is delivered not through quoting statistics and reports but actually steps into the a day in the life of an aid worker. This is something that is not seen very often in school journalism. Through this method, howerver, the reader not only sees the big picture (the principle behind the Tafel and organizations like it) but can also see the immense generosity that the people involved with it show (Karin sacrificing the chocolate bar and taking the author on a tour of the Tafel employees' daily activities).
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Permalink Reply by ISBangkok on -
Great writing. This gives people an insight on the lives of those that are living in poverty. The Tafel program is great with giving these people a chance to live comfortably even if they don't have much. It is great that you spent a day out with Karin and share her story with everyone
Yenning
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Permalink Reply by VYS on -
Thank you everybody, for you very kind and positive words. I am endeavouring to write another article - I hope to focus on energy providers when my busy schedule finally allows for it.
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Permalink Reply by Kishan Chagan on
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Good article it is a great program and is another step forwards in the fight against poverty.
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