GERVIE hosted a festival of cultures in May. The Gervians celebrated with friends, families and invited guests as well as the management of the retirement and senior citizens’ facilities. Making contacts, overcoming boundaries and a lively exchange were at the centre of the wonderful evening in the St. Bonifatius Lingen parish garden.
The highlight was the performances by the Gervians from Vietnam, Kenya and the Philippines. They presented their respective countries with great joy and pride using photos, songs and impressive dances. Of course, national specialities such as andasi, loempia, roast duck and bratwurst were not to be missed. Even the youngest ‘Gervians’ from Tunisia joined in the celebrations and everyone present is already looking forward to their performance next time.
During the welcome address, the GERVIE managing directors, managers from St. Bonifatius Hospitalgesellschaft, Caritas Altenhilfe Emsland and the Caritas Association of the Diocese of Osnabrück emphasised how much respect, thanks and recognition the international nursing staff deserve. Far away from home, they are committed to helping people in the local region who need help and support. Afterwards, the trio of presenters Sarah Pascual (Matthias-Haus), Evason Musyoka (Mutter-Teresa-Haus) and Son Hoang (Johannesstift Papenburg) led the audience through the evening with warmth and humour.
In order to ensure nursing care in the facilities of St. Bonifatius Hospitalgesellschaft, nursing staff from Vietnam have been recruited since 2018. The exchange between cultures is a success. For example, the Vietnamese community in the region celebrated the Tet Festival in Lingen for the first time. Representatives of St. Bonifatius Hospitalgesellschaft also finally had the opportunity to travel to Vietnam themselves following the coronavirus-related restrictions.
The on-site visit is an important part of a trusting relationship: ‘The universities, schools and, above all, the parents entrust us with their most precious asset – their children!’ Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Pastor Thomas Burke, adds: ‘On the one hand, we want the carers to feel comfortable here in Germany, but on the other, we also want to give the parents in Vietnam a feeling of security!’ In addition to meetings with the carers’ families and existing cooperation partners, visits to other universities, schools and employment agencies in the cities of Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City were also on the agenda.
Inzwischen arbeiten fast 100 vietnamesische Mitarbeitende z. B. als Altenpflegekräfte bei der Caritas Altenhilfe Emsland gGmbH oder in den anderen Einrichtungen der St. Bonifatius Hospitalgesellschaft. Fern ihrer Heimat feierten sie gemeinsam mit vielen deutschen Gästen das vietnamesische Neujahrsfest in Lingen. Das „Tet-Fest“ gilt als Familienfest und als wichtigstes Feier des Jahres. „Wir fühlen uns sehr wohl in Deutschland. Trotzdem ist es gerade an Feiertagen nicht immer einfach, in einem fremden Land ohne Familie zu sein“,
erklärt der 26-jährige Nguyen Van Cuong, genannt Jannik, auf der Neujahrsfeier, „umso mehr genießen wir die Veranstaltung heute und danken GERVIE und der St. Bonifatius Hospitalgesellschaft für diese Möglichkeit!“ GERVIE-Geschäftsführer Gerd Möller sieht die gemeinsame Zeit als Familienersatz und möchte die Feier deshalb nun jedes Jahr veranstalten: „Das Lingener Tet-Fest soll zur jährlichen Tradition werden, um den jungen Menschen auch an den Feiertagen ein familiäres Gefühl zu geben. Niemand soll sich hier alleine fühlen!“
The “Fair Recruitment of Nursing Staff Germany” seal of quality was developed on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) and awarded for the first time on 2 February 2022. It stands for fair and transparent design in the recruitment and placement of care workers from abroad.
We are pleased that GERVIE is one of the first verified recipients of this important award – and would like to thank all our employees who bring values such as “fairness” or “transparency” to life every day.
Parliamentary State Secretary Professor Edgar Franke congratulated the first recipients of the seal of quality on behalf of Federal Minister Professor Lauterbach: “This seal is a milestone in the immigration of skilled workers. It lets care workers from abroad know that their future employer or the placement agency ensures a fair and transparent recruitment process.”
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Professor Franke also emphasised the commitment to support the foreign nursing professionals in their integration and to pay them like their German colleagues: “This commitment creates trust. Thus, the seal also contributes to a modern immigration and integration policy. That is why the legislator introduced this seal of quality.”
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The St. Bonifatius Hospital Society, Gervie PM GmbH, the town of Lingen and the Emsland Business Association received a special guest. H.E. Dr. Nguyen Minh Vu, Vietnamese Ambassador in Berlin, came to visit Lingen together with his wife Thien Huong.
The official reception in the New Town Hall was followed by a guided tour of the town with the “Kivelingen” – the traditional bachelor association. During the joint events and celebrations, it became clear once again that the Vietnamese and German mentalities go very well together.
Of course, there was also an important perspective reason for the visit. Ansgar Veer, Managing Director of St. Bonifatius Hospitalgesellschaft, described to the ambassador the situation surrounding the shortage of nursing staff in Emsland: “We are a rural region with a lot of heart, but due to demographic developments we also need more and more nursing staff to care for the elderly, which we cannot recruit from the young people in our region alone.”
It is good to know that more than 60 Vietnamese elderly care workers have already been recruited. 35 more care workers will be coming to Lingen in the near future. Ansgar Veer reported that the Vietnamese professionals are an enrichment, especially in the field of care for the elderly: “We experience them as friendly, caring for the elderly, willing to learn and hardworking!
Conversely, Ambassador Dr. Nguyen Minh Vu was impressed by Bonifatius Hospital and Caritas Altenhilfe. He was particularly pleased about the successful integration of his compatriots: “During my visit I saw that the Vietnamese professionals can live here sheltered and safe.” He also explained that old people’s homes were still a rarity in Vietnam. The elderly are mostly cared for by their families, he said, which is why there is a surplus of caregivers in Vietnam. “I am happy that we can support you and benefit from each other!”
Pastor Thomas Burke came up with the idea: a barbecue evening with all of GERVIE’s Vietnamese trainees and skilled workers to get to know them personally and ask about their experiences so far. Also present were Mechthild Weßling from the Emsland Business Association as well as Ansgar Veer and Gerd Egbers from the Bonifatius Hospital.
First, Pastor Burke introduced himself and gave a short speech. After a round of introductions, in which all the guests introduced themselves in a few sentences, Ansgar Veer gave a longer speech. He expressed his respect for the young Vietnamese, especially for the fact that they had chosen this difficult path ¬- away from their homeland into a foreign country.
Mechthild Weßling also gave a speech. She made it clear that she would like to get to know the trainees and skilled workers better and also learn about the hurdles in their new home so that she can further optimise the future projects in terms of integration. After the speeches, the buffet was opened, with delicious potato and pasta salad and grilled meat. Among those at the grill were: Pastor Burke and Ansgar Veer. Many thanks for that!