Klara Göttert Foundation helps mother stay strong
NORTHGATE – Klara Góttert's foundation assists the mother to heal the wounds caused by her shocking sudden death.
Liesl Göttert the mother of Klara, who committed suicide at Northgate Shopping Centre in August, is still struggling with the void left by her daughter.
She indicated that the Klara Göttert Foundation she was setting up in her daughter’s memory was keeping her busy and helping her heal the wounds.
“It’s been one month since my daughter’s death although I’ve dealt with the initial shock I still wake up at 2am in the morning crying,” she said.
She further explained, “It seems like someone rips your heart hard. Sometimes when I am driving I just start crying suddenly and [there is no] button that I can just press and forget.”
Liesl reckoned her focus was surviving again without her daughter. “It feels good to be able to help other children. Even though I could not help my own daughter – knowing that I can help other parents see the signs [of suicide] in their children keeps me strong,” added Liesl.
She was in the process of launching the foundation that would create greater awareness around depression, suicide and many other factors that contribute to it.
“The main focus here is children who are in need. What is the point of setting up the call centre that can only be operational for a few months?” she asked.
She said the scope and size of the foundation would only be determined by the involvement of people. “The starting point of our initiative is the school competition. If school children give R5 or R10, it will make a difference. We also want to assist existing initiatives,” she said.
The mission of the foundation was to advocate against bullying, abuse, drugs, underage drinking of alcohol, corporal punishment and destructive behaviour.
She further explained that the initiative would assist adults and children to identify and attempt to resolve depression, anxiety disorders and other mental health problems that cause distress.
She concluded that she was still considering the venue for the foundation’s gala launch in October.
Details: Liesl Göttert 079 374 2420 info@klaragottert.org
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