“I help others, but in doing so, I also help myself.”

Eleven years ago, Marijke’s husband passed away. Not long after, she found herself in poverty and had to move from a detached house to an apartment in Banne Buiksloot. She decided to become active with various volunteer work in the Community House and in the Ark, a former church of the Diaconate, but now a thriving community center in Amsterdam-Noord. “It goes both ways,” Marijke enthusiastically shares. “I help others, but in doing so, I also help myself.”

Monday – North Axis

On Mondays, she is active for the Noordas. This is an action group of experts by experience who fight against poverty. Together with other members, she examines the rules and legislation on issues that exacerbate poverty instead of combating it. “Every seven or eight weeks, Noordas discusses this with the alderman for poverty. This way, Noordas has managed to ensure that everyone who is entitled to a food bank card automatically has the right to a city pass. The focus of the action group is that not only the gross income is considered, but also the disposable income.”

Tuesday – Neighbors Group

Tuesday is the time for a small group of people who meet weekly under the guidance of Marijke and a professional coach from Cordaan. Everyone has a backpack, but often there is also loneliness. The Neighbor Group aims for participants to find each other as a network and to be able to call each other outside of Tuesday for an appointment or with a help request. “There are a few more men than women. Maybe women are a bit easier in making connections.” Marijke responded to a call for a flexible resident who could help with the Neighbor Group. “An official job interview followed, and the rest is history,” grins Marijke. She has been doing this for seven years now, in a small upstairs room at the Community House. “The conversation in the Neighbor Group is about life, about choices, but also about lighter topics. Sometimes we use ‘The Chat Pot’: a glass jar with strips of paper on which various questions are written. I always go home with a satisfied feeling.”

Wednesday morning – Language café

On Wednesday, there is space in the Ark for the Language Café, run by four volunteers, including Marijke. Each week, a theme is central, such as the house or cooking. One of the volunteers reads an appropriate text related to this theme, with all sorts of useful words to learn. Each Language Café is attended by six to sixteen visitors who want to improve their Dutch language skills. “At the end of the Language Café, there is the word search. During this puzzle game, it is completely silent: everyone wants to find the solution.”

Wednesday afternoon – Social consultation hour

During the food bank distribution on Wednesday at the Ark, Marijke, along with Rikkert, manages the Social Consultation Hour, where people can come with questions about taxes, permits, or applying for a passport. “We are super proud of the things we have achieved. For instance, there is a mother of two small children, who suddenly became a widow, who was greatly helped in successfully completing the integration process.” Marijke was allowed to be present, along with the daughter, during the oath-taking ceremony, and a small celebration was held at the Ark. “The woman in question also attended the budget course ‘In Kas’ and is now a volunteer herself,” Marijke shares contentedly.

Thursday

On Thursday, Marijke herself is a participant in the knitting club, but in the meantime, she helps everyone with questions over the phone. Thursday is also the day for physiotherapy and the much-needed exercise.

Finally weekend for Marijke?

The weekend is completely for Marijke herself. “Enjoying knitting, diamond painting, playing a computer game, mahjong, word games like Wordfeud, and so on.” But of course, Marijke is already busy preparing the activities for the next week: writing a text for the Language Café or searching for objects that fit the theme, such as tools or ingredients for a delicious meal.

Want to do something good?

Do you also want to become active in a neighborhood group, the food bank, the social consultation hour, a Language Café, or somewhere else?
Contact us. Checkall possibilities onlineoffind your match in one conversation – We are happy to help you get started!

Are you interested in the free budget course ‘In Kas’? Then you can call Margriet at location De Ark in Banne Buiksloot. Phone number: 06-17412820.

Thecla Groot Koerkamp
Photos: Marcel Jansen