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Edwin van Batum (53) has been living in Amsterdam-Noord his whole life. He is currently looking for a job and is busy applying for positions. Additionally, he is active as a volunteer at Humanitas, where he coordinates home administration tasks.
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Jan Petit has a busy job, but the flexible volunteer work he has been doing recently makes him very happy. “Thanks to her, I have learned: it’s the little things that count!”
“I am Joep Scholder, 64 years old, and have been living in Noord for 15 years. Every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, I help customers with broken electrical appliances, welcoming them with a chat and a cup of coffee or tea.”
“I am Marian Labib, 32 years old; I come from Egypt and have been living in the Netherlands for four years now. For the past two years, I have been living with my husband and daughter (3) in Amsterdam-Noord.”
Dori Hoogerdijk (62) has been a volunteer at De Zonnebloem for over twelve years. She organizes activities for residents in the North. “I also regularly accompany as a guide during holidays and outings, spoiling the people!”
School’s Cool ensures that they can give children who are starting high school a good start. Irma Vejzovic (21) is one of the volunteer mentors who visits her pupils once a week to help them with their schoolwork.
Metta Touray was in South Africa last year, where she helped out at a children’s home for five months. Now she is a first-year history student at the UvA. She also reads to Nour for an hour and a half each week to help her with her language skills.
When Sander (34) was in his early twenties, he completely lost himself in drugs. So much so, that he even experienced psychoses. He no longer wanted to live like that, and he decided to fight for a change.