“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 at the Community House and in the Ark, a former church of the Diaconate, but now a thriving community center in Amsterdam-North. “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. 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.” The meetings take the form of a consultation hour, chaired by Marjolein Moorman, until recently the alderman for poverty and education in Amsterdam. She is now active in the House of Representatives. “We have to wait and see who the new alderman for poverty will be, with whom we hope to engage in conversation again.”

Tuesday – Neighbor 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 Neighbors’ Group aims for participants to find each other as a network and to be able to call each other for an appointment or help outside of Tuesday. “There are a few more men than women. Perhaps women find it a bit easier to make connections.” Marijke responded to a call for a flexible resident who could help with the Neighbors’ Group. “An official job interview followed, and the rest is history,” Marijke grins. She has been doing this for seven years now, in an upstairs room at the Community House. “The conversation in the Neighbors’ Group is about life, about choices, but also about lighter topics. We sometimes 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, together with Rikkert, runs the Social Consultation, 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 example, 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 at the swearing-in ceremony alongside the daughter, and a small celebration was held at the Ark. “The woman in question has also followed the budget course ‘In Kas’ and is now a volunteer herself,” Marijke says 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 entirely for Marijke herself. “Enjoying knitting, diamond painting, a computer game, mahjong, word games like Wordfeud, and so on.” But of course, Marijke is already busy preparing the activities for the following week: creating a text for the Language Café or looking for objects that fit the theme, such as tools or ingredients for a delicious meal.

Do something good too?

Would you also like to become active in a neighborhood group, the food bank, the social consultation hour, a Language Café, or somewhere else?
Contact us. Check outall possibilities onlineoffind your match in one conversation – We are happy to help you on your way!

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