Peace worker and eternal volunteer

From peace worker to election observer: Sjors does it all. Since a young age, he has been dedicated to helping others. He worked for many years abroad for a better world, but he is also active in the Netherlands. His motto? “Spending time is for me investing time, preferably in peace and a better world.” 

In fact, he has been a volunteer since he was seven years old. First as an altar boy, then in high school as the chair of the student council and a member of the school board. During his studies in Wageningen, his commitment to peace began to take shape as a discussion leader at the IKV and supporter of conscientious objectors. His career started as a ‘graduated volunteer’ at HIVOS. Doctors Without Borders sent him as a ‘volunteer’ to South Sudan and North Korea. As a national nutritionist and university lecturer in Nutrition in Suriname, he received US$ 40 per month. “For 1¼ jobs at that level, that income seemed like a volunteer compensation. If I hadn’t supplemented it with savings, Suriname wouldn’t have had a nutritionist for those four years.”

More than 100 countries

After working as a consultant at the Dutch embassy in Vietnam and as a lobbyist within GroenLinks, he became a peace worker 22 years ago. “I want to use my privileges for (hungry children and) people in conflict areas. As a civilian peace worker and election observer, I kept parties apart in Sri Lanka. At a summer university in Armenia, I trained young people in Alternatives to Violence.” All in all, he has stayed in more than a hundred countries.

From sauna to dance parties

In the Netherlands, Sjors is no less active. “I love variety, so I help with many events that take place once a year, such as the Africa Day of the Max van der Stoel Foundation and as a steward for the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten. At demonstrations, I pay attention to safety in traffic and sometimes I am a first aid responder. I volunteered every other week at the sauna on Da Costakade and acted as a spaceholder at monthly or weekly dance parties. The Volunteer Center Amsterdam inspires me because I can feel useful through them and meet different people. A nice bonus is that volunteers do not pay for entry and sometimes I am treated to a nice meal.”

“I learn a lot”

Sjors is also not averse to organizing activities himself. He gives workshops on topics ranging from lifting to conflict resolution. He offers chakra healing and massage therapy and teaches that as well. With experience as a guest lecturer on Peace at primary schools, he writes peace lesson materials for 9 to 12-year-olds. With ‘Walk about Love’, he guided young Israelis into the West Bank to meet Palestinians. In border prisons, he visited people who couldn’t get past customs at Schiphol. “That is greatly appreciated. You talk to people from various countries. I learn a lot from my volunteer work, but it’s also very nice when you can bring joy to others.”

The list of Sjors’ activities is endless, and he has no intention of stopping anytime soon. Next year, he will determine in Algeria whether refugees from Western Sahara receive enough food aid and will be a civilian peace worker in the West Bank.