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.
VCA Centrum
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.
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.
Hein Hoefnagels (76) still has both feet in society: He plays squash, bridge, volunteers as a bus driver for nursing homes, goes on bike rides with blind people, and much, much more. “My secret? Living as carefree as possible!”
“I know deep down that I am a valuable woman. But doing volunteer work also makes me feel that way again. This way I can contribute to society, keep my social contacts up to date, and feel useful again. Yes, that brings me joy.”
March 27 – VCA Meet – What does the new privacy law mean for your organization?
“At the age of 42, I had a stroke. Instead of being a manager in triple gray on the Zuidas, with a good salary, a new house, and a thick BMW, I spent two years in a rehabilitation clinic.”

