The Stëmm vun der Strooss organisation, which supports disadvantaged people living in Luxembourg, continues to grow, with a 68% increase in attendance in the last two years meaning that 45,722 meals were served to those in need in 2015.
This represents a significant increase from 2013, when a significantly lower 27,192 dinners were provided at one of the charity's establishments in Bonnevoie. The number of new people being welcomed increased even further, to 71%, with individuals listed with the association growing by 1,127 from 2013 to 2015. 180 meals are served every day, and 2,697 people are now able to benefit from the services available.
Although the growing success and capabilities of Stëmm vun der Strooss appears wholly positive, Director of Stëmm vun der Strooss, Alexandra Oxacelay, explained how it was reflective of the general increase in poverty and the organisation suddenly found itself faced with an unexpected explosion in people requiring its support. Stëmm's move from Bonnevoie to Hollerich also attracted people through its provision of modern and spacious premises and new free services such as showers, a laundry room and a hairdresser.
Charged with finding a solution to the sudden influx of customers arriving at lunchtime, the association's officials temporarily closed the Kleederstuff service in October and a volunteer team was put in place to relieve the strain of the supervisory staff, whilst an emergency meeting was held at the Ministry of Health and a letter sent to the City of Luxembourg in a bid to find new premises in which fifty meals could be served.
Help arrived in the form of an €11,000 donation from the association Laache fir ze Heelen in December, which enabled Stëmm to hire an additional cook on a part-time basis. The meal preparation and operation of the kitchen was therefore facilitated, and Kleederstuff was able to reopen its doors.
"We do not intend to limit ourselves to just this support as we have just concluded a long-term partnership with Stëmm," explained Fernand Neumann, President of the Laache fir ze Heelen non-profit organisation which organises dinners, concerts and sporting events. "Concretely, I will sponsor the association by organising concerts and events the profits of which will be used to support Stëmm. Just as the Bayern Munich footballer, Philipp Lahm does in Germany for the Fondation Philipp Lahn für Sport und Bildung, I'm going to commit myself as an artist, saxophonist, pianist and composer. I do not intend to do this alone, because I have the team from the Laache fir ze Heelen association behind me which will support both the technical and commercial componenet. To gain greater visibility to the general public, I will be using a small smart car on which the logos of the two associations that have joined forces have been fixed."
Who Does Stëmm vun der Strooss Support?
Stëmm vun der Strooss welcomes anybody in need, and at its Hollerich branch 86 different nationalities are catered to, along with 53 varying nationalities at Esch-sur-Alzette. At both establishments, Portuguese represents the most commonly found nationality, followed by Luxembourgish and Romanian. The customers are predominantly male at both Hollerich and Esch-sur-Alzette, at 80% (2,166 people) and 75% (788), respectively. The average age of a Stëmm associate is 38.5 years old, with 12% of the Hollerich demographic under the age of 25, against 88 people, or 8% at Esch-sur-Alzette.
Photos by Sarah Graham (Bottom L-R: Fernand Neumann, President of Laache fir ze Heelen; Alexandra Oxacelay, Director of Stëmm vun der Strooss; Marcel Détaille, President of Stëmm vun der Strooss)
