Eight young asylum seekers live in Appenzell Innerrhoden. In the run-up to December 18th, International Migrants Day, Esther Hörnlimann wrote an open letter in Appenzeller Volksfreund. Hörnlimann is the head of the Appenzell asylum center and is looking for families who will spend time with the unaccompanied, minor asylum seekers, the so-called UMA. In the interview she explains why this step was necessary.
SRF News: Why was this public call necessary?
Esther Hörnlimann: We look after the minors because we couldn’t find any foster families. Young people are particularly responsive to children and really enjoy having a bit of normality somewhere.
What should families who care for UMA do?
We hope that every UMA finds connection with a family. Everyone is alone here. The family can invite him to dinner so that he can get to know them, so that he can also have contact with the children, so that he can go on a hike with them – so that the UMA have some connection to Swiss normality. However, it is not a requirement that people provide psychological support to the UMA. It’s about spending time.
Why are there no foster families in Appenzell?
It is an incredibly big task to take someone who barely speaks German into a family around the clock. I would think about that carefully too. In addition, there are the stresses that the UMA brings with it, for example trauma, homesickness, etc. It is difficult to say why we have not found foster families. I think the main reason is the great effort.
They already provide broad-based support. The connection families should therefore be complementary.
Absolutely. We are there during office hours. During the evenings and weekends, the UMA are alone. This is exactly where we want contact with the local population to take place. When we ask young people what they want, they say: contact with Swiss people.
The most important thing is an open heart and curiosity to get to know someone.
Some of the young people have a long, traumatizing escape history behind them. Isn’t it naive to assume that this can be done with a game night or a hike?
This is definitely not the solution for everything. But I think it is an important key, especially because many UMAs have left their families. Homesickness is great. Experiencing a bit of normality somewhere is a piece of the puzzle against loneliness and being overwhelmed.
What do families or private individuals need to bring with them so that they can take part?
The most important thing is an open heart and curiosity to get to know someone. The best thing for young people would be families with children. But basically we are happy about everyone who gets in touch, who opens their doors and sees what happens.
How does the social welfare office accompany the meetings?
We establish the first points of contact. This doesn’t have to be directly with a young person, but we invite families, for example, to a game evening in the shared apartment and see where things are particularly fun at the moment. We will then be available if you have any questions.
What do you do when problems arise?
In conversations with caregivers, we hear from the young people when something isn’t working. We will ask the families. We can also give tips. If it doesn’t work at all, a discussion with both parties would certainly take place first.
The interview was conducted by Wera Aegerter.