The story of Kithan and Femke Freling’s group of friends
Femke and Rosa met Kithan during Bike for Homies. They cook for him, help him think things through and keep an eye on how he is doing. Kithan now has a new home.
“Rosa and I support Kithan together. We met him during Bike for Homies, and because Kithan is such a sweetheart I said yes without a second thought when Steven asked whether I wanted to be his Homie. I try to keep a close eye on how he is doing and help wherever I can. Now and then I cook for Kithan and Abdulaal (also a political refugee), and I try to bring the two of them together so Kithan can learn from Appie. Kithan is having a hard time right now. For the moment he has nowhere to live and sleeps wherever he can, mostly with fellow students.
He is in the selection process for a supported housing programme, but there is a waiting list there too. They say he should have a place within three months. Stichting MEE is helping him with this. Kithan lives on benefits, so there is not much money coming in, and living on his own in Amsterdam is very hard. I think supported housing is a good idea for him either way. In October he sits his civic integration exam, and he goes to school four days a week for it. Working on top of that would be too much. That will be the next step, in October. Hopefully there is good news about his housing soon, so he gets a bit more peace. And #BREAKINGNEWS: Kithan has a new home! Love, Femke.