Brand new volunteers regularly have a ‘wow-moment’
Partner
The Dutch Council for Refugees
The Dutch Council for Refugees (VluchtelingenWerk Nederland) is an independent non-governmental organisation, founded in 1979. The Dutch Council for Refugees assists refugees during their asylum procedure and their integration in the Dutch society and stand for a good asylum and integration policy.
In October and November 2015, 10,000 new volunteers signed up with The Dutch Council for Refugees, ‘VluchtelingenWerk Nederland’. A large number of the brand new volunteers has already gone to work. Curious about their stories? Wendy, Sam, Welmoed, Linda, Claudina and Omar tell.
Wendy (31), Schoonhoven: ‘It is quite easy to combine’
‘The news has been dominated for months with horrible images. It shocked me and I thought: what can I do? I realised that I can be very thankful that I was born here. I have a young family and I study, so before I signed up to volunteer, I carefully considered it. But I can now certainly emphasize that this is easy to combine with work or study and in my case, with a family. I guide one family in their integration into Dutch society which is tremendously enjoyable and I learn so much by doing it. I have held meetings at elementary and high schools, for example, but also have helped with an application for a social security and other financial matters. It requires time, also in my head, so I like to say: you can do this work just as well as going to the gym, only this is a workout for your mind!’
Also read the stories of Sam, Welmoed, Linda, Claudina and Omar (NL).
