The dreamer: Vesna Filipovic

"You are always in the right place"

Vesna has been living in Germany for two years. She is from Sarajevo, Bosnia. Four 19 years ago the war in Bosnia ended, making things very different. She became a woman with a strong conscience.

She is a 37 year old kindergarten teacher. Her passion is to work with children. Living in another country is not easy because she is surrounded by poverty but she always has a smile on her face and lives with a positive attitude.

Vesna arrived in Stuttgart in 2013, her financial situation isn’t  the best since she came here as a volunteer. Now she is unemployed but she would still like to live here..."In Germany you can be a normal person and have a normal life, It is not  like in my own country. I am not a rich person so I must to work to live ".

Her family came to join her the last summer and now they are looking at options to start a new life in Germany together. At the moment she has some problems with documentation and she is waiting for this to be resolved. Her husband and daughter have Croatian passports, so they can stay easier than she can. The problem is also that her husband can’t speak German and so is really difficult for him to find a job.

"When I arrived here in Stuttgart, I realized that I wanted to work and live here because you can live a "normal" life. You can work here! And I also want that my daughter and my husband have more skills for their future. "

As volunteer, Vesna receives just 360 euros per Month and this isn’t enough for her family, she is waiting to get permission to work here because her country is not part of EU.  Her situation makes her poor in the Germanstate even she has help from her Organization, International Bund (IB). She has a small flat, health insurance plus this “pocket money”. But for her this is better than the situation in Bosnian.

Perspective...

What thinks Vesna Filipovic about this topic:

The gap between the rich and the poor.

 

What does Poverty mean to you?

I am coming from a Country where there was a War, it finished over 19 years ago and I was so relieved, all of that poverty without food, electricity, basic possessions and so many other awful things.

The last thing I witnessed of poverty was during the war, when I was outside walking on the street one mother was trying to find some food and some drink for her baby. The child was really hungry and I just heard him cry all the time. She didn't find food , just a little water but this contained algae or chemicals that could be really dangerous for the child’s health. It was really sad because even after seeing that, the mother tried to clean it a little and drink a little so she could give it to her baby.This was shocking for me and I think in my country we have a really high rate of poverty.

The war in Bosnia happened 19 years ago...And even now the situation is getting worse and worse every day, this is the reason I think that poverty is when you don't have work! To have a work is everything for humans! Work is everything!

Does Germany have a poverty problem?

The first thing what I think of about poor people here are people on the street, begging for money or people with alcohol issues, but actually I really don't know the percentage of poor people here in Germany. In the other way I think, if you are poor person in Germany that’s bad because you have other kinds of problems with health and education. They don´t know how to find a good job or they have a health problem (mental or physical). But I also think they have a good system for these kind of people too. So I think they don't have Poor people! It's just if they don't have enough money that could also mean that they don't want to work!

They even have this well developed social system which take care about it. It is always some choice whether they work or not. 

Which kind of people do you think are poor here?

People with health problems but I think the government has some kind of social help for them.

During my seminars in my volunteer year in Stuttgart I visited a place where poor people can live but I saw people have problems with drugs and alcohol, or people who are not educated enough or unable torealize how their system works or how the system can work for them. If they can change their mentality or fix their personal problems I believe in Germany poverty will no longer exist here.

What do you think about German Economic Model?

The system is excellent! If someone doesn't work they have social help in money for food a place to sleep, their own flat, but if we considered that they are poor people than we have so many of them.

But if they are living on social benefits I can´t understand how they can be poor.

Does everyone have the same opportunities in the German society?

I think in Germany everyone have the same opportunities! The system makes you more involved in education, and then jobs are hopefully more available to you. It is not only that they help you with food, if you are part of the system, it doesn't matter if you don't ask for help, the government system ask you and try to find a job for you.

And that counts even for me or other people from overseas. Now I am here and I have opportunities to finish my paperwork to work so there is always a way if you want it!

The German economic system is good and gives everyone the same chances in society.

What does money mean to you?

Money means work. It is an opportunity to earn money for basic things in live. You need money for basic things in your life, to buy food to pay your rent, to help your relatives....but I think in Germany people obsess around the idea of how much money your earn!