Poverty means ‘falling apart piece by piece’: A story of resilience

It was 2016 when Christiane Kraetsch’s life slowly began to fall apart.

Kraetsch, 65, used to work as an educator at different schools and kindergartens in south-western Germany, when she began starting to feel unwell. It would be years before she was diagnosed with leukaemia during the coronavirus pandemic.

Virus-related restrictions meant that it was not possible for potential stem cell donors to travel from abroad, she recalls, making it all the more difficult for her to find a match.

Left without jobs

In 2021, the family, who lives in the sleepy town of Ingelheim near the Rhine river, was dealt another severe blow.

Kraetsch’s husband was diagnosed with lung cancer, meaning he too had to give up his job at a tech firm in nearby Mainz and begin relying on disability benefits.

Kraetsch got lucky when one of her three children was unexpectedly found to be a suitable stem cell donor in an extremely rare turn of events, she says.

But despite her improved health, she is no longer able to work her old job.

The lack of an income meant the couple’s life as they knew it – two cars, going on holidays, outings with families and friends – came to an end.

Their circle of friends grew smaller and smaller as it became clear who their true friends were, Kraetsch says. “We couldn’t afford to keep participating.”

As she says this, leaning on a cane, Kraetsch’s voice is free of resentment.

But she wants others to know her story, she says. “I hope that people open their eyes a bit and question themselves.”

Financial hardships

“We were forced to dip into our savings,” Kraetsch says, noting that the money they had put aside dwindled rapidly.

Payments for medication, costs for hospital stays, increased living expenses, and costs for the car needed for doctor’s appointments and shopping kept piling up.

“We haven’t been on holiday for years,” says Kraetsch. “It’s falling apart piece by piece, it’s like a spiral, you can’t see a way out,” she says of the couple’s new reality.

Asking her children for financial help is a red line for the 65-year-old, not out of pride or shame, but because of a clear inner conviction, as she puts it. “They shouldn’t have to take on things we can no longer afford.”

On the contrary, it’s important to Kraetsch to at least be able to give her children something for their birthdays, even if it’s just a small gift.

When it comes to food shopping, she takes great care not to waste money, noting that eating healthily is a challenge for people on a tight budget.

Their limited income means the couple has around €150 ($175) to spare each month after fixed costs including rent and the car.

At the end of the month, Kraetsch regularly slips into her overdraft due to financial constraints, she says.

Things she used to enjoy doing in her free time often fall by the wayside, like going swimming. When shopping for clothes, she now often turns to second-hand shops.

One of many

The Kraetsch family is no isolated case. A recent exhibition in Mainz highlighted the fates of people living in poverty in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Kraetsch’s testimony is the only one that features a photo – in a clear sign of the stigma that still surrounds the issue.

A former lorry driver portrayed in the exhibition had to give up his job at age 50 after suffering a slipped disc, and ended up running into debt.

Another woman significantly reduced her hours to be able to care for her parents for years, which meant that her pension rate fell below the poverty line.

Others detail the feeling of panic they experience when imagining their washing machine might break, because they simply wouldn’t be able to afford a new one.

The struggle to get help

In 2022, some 92,000 people in Rhineland-Palatinate received state payments intended to secure the livelihoods of those unable to continue working due to health reasons, according to a report by the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB).

But in reality, the benefits still left more than 79% of women and over 61% of men below the poverty risk threshold.

Anyone who has to get by on less than 60% of the median income is considered at risk of poverty.

According to the state’s statistical office, 18.4% of women and 15.7% of men were at risk of poverty in Rhineland-Palatinate in 2023.

That means a significant share of the population is dependent on outside help, but getting help isn’t easy, Kraetsch knows.

She cites excessive red tape and a lack of information, whether by hospitals or the authorities, as the main barriers for people in her situation. “You are really being left alone.”

She is currently fighting to get dental treatment at a price she can afford.

“You fear for your existence,” says Kraetsch – and you have to cope with it alone.

She doesn’t want to burden her husband, who is already suffering greatly from his illness. “It often keeps me awake at night.”

Taking time for herself helps, she says. Kraetsch likes to leave it all behind and walk along the Rhine river, which winds through the lush valleys of the wine-growing region she calls home.