Baby hatch

Once again, the Schwenningen baby hatch of the ProKids Foundation has saved a young life: Joachim Spitz, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the ProKids Foundation, confirmed to the press that on the night of ... (date) another newborn was placed in the hatch at the Franziskusheim on Neckarstrasse. The girl/boy (gender) is already the fifth child to be placed in the hatch since 2010. The incident shows once again how important the establishment of a baby hatch in Schwenningen is for the entire region.

The baby hatch is a facility for desperate young mothers who - for whatever reason - decide against the option of an anonymous birth in the hospital. A cot is integrated into the hatch and is permanently monitored by cameras. As soon as the hatch in the outer wall of the retirement home is opened, it triggers a bell signal for the nursing staff on duty in the living area. They can see from the office whether a baby has actually been put down and can react quickly accordingly.

If this is the case, a routine is set in motion: the foundling is taken to the Schwarzwald-Baar Clinic and is thoroughly examined in the children's clinic. If it is healthy, it will remain in the hospital's care for two to three days. This is where the baby, which has now been placed in the hatch, is currently staying.

After the clinical examination, the child is placed in emergency care - the child is temporarily placed with a family who will look after it for the time being. During this period, the birth mother has a permanent opportunity to come forward and take her baby back.

If she does not, however, there are families available who can take the child in. After that, adoption can take place - but when depends on the individual case. The primary goal, however, is to reunite mother and child. That is why the baby hatch also contains brochures with all the necessary contact information. Those responsible at the ProKids Foundation always hope that the woman will come to her senses and get in touch. There is no clearly defined time frame for the mother, as she should not feel pressured. However, so far none of the women who left their baby in the hatch have taken their child back. The babies who were left here by their unknown mothers were all in excellent health and are now growing up in foster families. Now baby number five also has the chance of such a happy childhood in an intact environment. That is exactly what Joachim Spitz is concerned about. Years ago he read in the newspaper that a mother had left her newborn in a plastic bag in a forest near Singen, where it inevitably died. "Something like this must not happen again," he decided at the time and took action: within a short time he initiated the installation of a baby hatch in the Schwenningen Franziskusheim. The project cost around 30,000 euros, but every cent was worth it. The hatch has already saved the lives of four babies.

He cannot understand why the principle of the baby hatch is occasionally criticized. "The argument that it makes it easier for women to get rid of a child does not hold water for me. These young mothers are all in an exceptional psychological situation. You should remember: They are in great distress. A baby hatch is not just an elegant solution to avoid parental responsibility. It is a chance for the child to have a second life!"

Canteen

Man does not live by bread alone," laughs Joachim Spitz, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the ProKids Foundation VS. "Because fruit and vegetables are healthy and especially important for students, we are now ensuring that there will be enough of them on the table in the school cafeteria at Deutenberg in the future."

Financing a hot school meal for children from needy families - that was the first project of the ProKids Foundation, which supports poor children and young people in the city and region in many ways. Many other projects have since been added, especially since the state now pays for school meals. Hot meals for socially disadvantaged students are now financed primarily through the education and participation package. But in Schwenningen, ProKids is now returning to its roots. This is because the EU school fruit program for secondary school has expired here.

This support program is intended to show children that fruit, vegetables and milk are not only healthy, but also taste good. The EU provides its member states with a total of 250 million euros for this purpose every year. Baden-Württemberg has taken advantage of the opportunities offered by the EU school program. However, for some time now only primary school children and kindergarten children have been able to regularly enjoy an extra portion of fresh fruit and vegetables - the older children are left empty-handed. Until now, this also included the children who regularly eat in the Deutenberg canteen. There are around 200 of them every day. Most of them, around 150, attend the technical and secondary school, where classes are held all day. But secondary school and high school students also like to stop by canteen manager Kerstin Resack when they have school in the afternoon.

"Fruit and vegetables are very popular here," explains Eva-Maria Zimmermann, the team leader for all-day care. "The loss of the EU school fruit program has already left a gap in the menu." This was also a nuisance for Gisela Singer, deputy head of the secondary school. She knows that healthy food is well received by the students.

In home economics classes and in all-day care, great importance is placed on raising young people's awareness of healthy and conscious nutrition. For example, the carers led by Eva-Maria Zimmermann often go shopping with their charges and then prepare the goods together. The learning effect is important: "The children see that not only cola and lemonade taste good, but also healthy drinks such as water with a slice of lemon and mint."

"It makes a lot of sense to teach young people something like this," says Joachim Spitz. "Those who eat healthily also increase their chances of staying healthy." For the ProKids Foundation, this was reason enough to step in again in this situation. "From now on, we will be financing the students here at Deutenberg their daily dose of vitamins in the form of fruit and vegetables," he explains. Among the daily canteen guests are many children whose families also claim the subsidy for school meals. Gisela Singer is pleased with the foundation's commitment: "It's been very well received!"

And canteen manager Kerstin Resack is also happy. Thanks to ProKids, she can now put melons, cherries and much more on the table, a total of around 50 kilograms of fruit and vegetables per week. She knows: "Our students particularly like kohlrabi." And apples are also in demand - around 15 kilograms are sold per week on average.

Picture:

In future, the ProKids Foundation will finance the daily portion of fruit and vegetables for the students who eat in the Deutemnberg cafeteria. This is well received by (from left) Vice-Principal Gisela Singer, Eva-Maria Zimmermann, team leader of the all-day care and cafeteria manager Kerstin Resack. On the right is ProKids boss Joachim Spitz.

Image: ProKids Foundation