3bikes4kidsME/CFS, NichtGenesenKids e.V., and your donation
What is ME/CFS?
ME/CFS is a severe neuroimmune disease that causes those affected to suffer from a disproportionate exhaustion that severely limits their ability to be active.
More than 650,000 people in Germany live with ME/CFS. Statistically, the most severe cases disproportionately affect teenagers going through puberty and young adults.
A significant share of the children and teenagers affected are so ill that their everyday lives are massively restricted. They can no longer pursue their hobbies, see their friends, or attend school — whether partially or at all. Many are bedbound, housebound, and/or rely on a wheelchair.
Despite this enormous number of people affected (more than 40 million worldwide), ME/CFS remains poorly researched. Overall, the illness receives far too little attention relative to how many people it affects.
Our goal together with NichtGenesenKids e.V.
To help raise awareness for ME/CFS, we've teamed up with the association NichtGenesenKids e.V. In addition to raising awareness, we want to collect donations for the association — they depend on financial support to keep carrying out their work and to remain a point of contact for those affected and their families.
What NichtGenesenKids stands for:
- Connecting families with one another
- Exchange between those affected, their families, doctors, and researchers
- Awareness for Long Covid, Post-Covid, ME/CFS, and Post-Vac
- Better medical care
- Supporting research
- Better education and social participation for affected children
- More support and visibility for family caregivers
The goal is to sustainably improve the living situation of affected children, teenagers, and their families.
What are donations used for?
NichtGenesenKids e.V. depends on financial support to enable things like:
- A peer-support community, including their own NGK app
- Online events that are free for community members, regardless of association membership
- Education- and school-related activities
- Publications, e.g. public statements, concepts, and position papers
- Advocacy work in politics and public life
- Activities in research and medical care, e.g. conferences and congresses
- NGK4FAMILY — an innovative project supporting resilience-building through peer support and self-regulation for families of severely and very severely affected children and teenagers with LC and ME/CFS