AWO Afternoon

I’ve had a really nice afternoon. As you know I am a member of the Arbeiterwohlfahrt (AWO). This is a social organisation with branches all over Germany. It was set up in 1919 by a women who was also active in the SPD. She created it to help women and children whose husband/father had been killed in WW1 or were in prisons. It organised food for them and a range of social support.

I was invited to my local AWO to read a chapter from a book called ‘Good Night, Marie’. The book is a collection of stories for children and was published to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the AWO. My chapter of 3 pages was about Marie and how she got to know her neighbour, an elderly man with  a sailors cap and pipe.

Families were invited including young children. I was the last to read a chapter and so I changed my presentation to include questions directed at the children so they could shout out answers as I read out the text. At the end I got a good round of applause and thanks from parents for involving their children in the reading. I really enjoyed it as I am sure you would have!