Corona, war, inflation: single parents through the crises

War broke out in Ukraine during the corona pandemic. After homeschooling came inflation and the energy crisis. What did that do to a low-income family?

“It feels so hopeless,” says Maja Wontroba. “We all thought Corona was slowly over now… and then came the war, and then came inflation.” While the 14-year-old tells it, she sits on her bed. For her it feels like “it will never stop”.

Several years of crisis – that has sapped the strength of almost everyone. Even before that, everyday life was not easy for the Wontroba family from Thuringia. Bianka Wontroba lives alone with her three children in Gera. “Unfortunately, my son was born sick. It took a lot of time, so I didn’t go to work for a long time,” reports the mother. “Then I separated from my husband.” The children’s father later died. You then had to look: What’s next?

The single parent decided in her mid-30s to complete an apprenticeship as an educator. Duration: three years. “It wasn’t always easy, full-time training from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with Corona and home schooling and my three children on top of that,” says Wontroba, trying to smile away at the burden.

Just a laptop

Visited in early 2021 MDR Investigative the family for the first time – in the middle of the lockdown. A mother, two daughters and a son only had one laptop, but they all had to use it to study. They couldn’t afford another computer, money was tight.

Son Benjamin is physically disabled. The single parent receives care allowance for him. In addition, she receives child benefit and parenting and half-orphan’s pension – in total, that’s a little more than the Hartz IV rate. Your training is not part-time and therefore unpaid. Bafög did not apply for Bianka Wontroba, she did not want to get into debt.

During the Corona period, most of the training took place online. The mother studied when the children were in bed – often well after midnight. “Especially as a single parent you are really alone,” she said. During this time she had reached her limits.

Now everyone can work on their own computers. After the first TV contribution by MDR Investigative several devices were donated to the family. Maja is now in eighth grade at high school. But the consequences of the pandemic are still being felt, she says. For two years she hardly met any friends. Now it’s hard to get back in there. “It’s normal now that I’m alone all the time,” she says.

The money is barely enough to survive

The corona pandemic was not over when the next crisis broke out: the attack on Ukraine, rising energy prices and inflation. As MDR Investigative visited the family again at the end of August 2022, Bianka Wontroba was checking the contents of her fridge: “Of course I’m thinking: what’s left?” She calculated with every euro. Nothing could be bought too much.

The children only eat warm in the evening. Because the school meals for all three would cost around 240 euros a month – too much for the single parents. They could get free lunch through the education and participation package, but only recipients of housing benefit are entitled to this. The family income is just too high for housing benefit. That also means: no subsidy for school supplies or the school bus. The nine-euro ticket was a great help.

Otherwise, says Wontroba, they would not have benefited much from the federal government’s relief packages. Of course, they received the children’s bonus totaling 300 euros. But that is a drop in the ocean. “These are one-time payments,” says the mother. “It fills up a small part of this huge hole. It has to be permanent.”

Relief was not targeted

“Especially these lower income groups have a real problem,” says economist Joachim Ragnitz from the Ifo Institute in Dresden. Employees, pensioners or students would have difficulties, so the relief measures should have been more targeted – for example through higher student loans, social transfers for poorer pensioners and housing allowances, “in order to then specifically relieve the lower income groups,” says Ragnitz.

At the beginning of September, the federal government announced the third billion-euro relief package. But Bianka Wontroba is disappointed again. She does get the one-time payment of 300 euros for pensioners because she draws an educational pension, and 48 euros more child benefit per month. But that is not enough. “I’m really worried that at some point I’ll slip into the red and not get out, and then maybe this mountain of debt will keep growing.” Even though she couldn’t help it. She feels let down: “Because you always slip through the system and don’t get much.”

In addition, the operating costs for your apartment in Gera have just been increased by 200 euros. In the late summer of 2022, there was just enough money for the family to survive. But nothing more. Culture, concerts or travel – that’s not possible for the children and their mother.

Finally the good liver sausage

If MDR Investigative By the end of January 2023, when she was visiting her family again, her financial situation had eased. Bianka Wontroba completed her training at the age of 39, at the top of her class. For four months she has been working as a kindergarten teacher in a primary school. The family now has around 500 euros more per month.

The children feel that too. Benjamin says: “Since my mother got the job, we’ve treated ourselves a bit more.” Instead of the cheap ones, there is also the good liver sausage. In addition, the family was in Dresden in the Transport Museum and several times in Erfurt on small trips.

Even if there are now somewhat more positive prospects for the future – in recent years Bianka Wontroba has only looked at how they get out of there together: “How can we all get through this time without being damaged, mentally and financially, as well family?”

Maja sits on her bed over her homework and muses: “People my age used to think about what they would wear the next day. And I worry about whether there might not be a war in Germany next month.”

Bianka Wontroba knows her children’s fears. She tries to catch them, but also remain realistic. Because no one knows how the situation will change. After all, your work as a daycare teacher is safe – and is paid according to the public service tariff. That means their salary will automatically increase over time. “I’m calmer inside. Simply because I know the training is over. I have the job,” says Wontroba. Overall, she sees the future positively – also for her family.