“Volunteering makes it easier to connect with other people”

Who are you?“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.”No translation needed.

What do you do in your daily life?“Besides taking care of my child, I study at home for my NT2 State Exam – I hope to take the exam in December. Furthermore, I love art, I also create paintings and sculptures myself. In my church, the Holy Virgin Mary, the Egyptian Coptic church in the North, I help a group of young children with crafts and painting at Sunday school.”No content to translate.

What do you do as a volunteer?“I am a hostess at the Community Center on Waterlandplein twice a week, on Tuesday and Friday mornings. I do this as a language internship to further improve my Dutch. I would like to take additional conversation classes on Fridays. Learning to speak Dutch well is very important to me. Maybe I will also assist with the creative drop-in on Mondays; I am still a bit unsure if I can explain everything well, but it seems like a lot of fun to do.”The most fun thing I have experienced here is…“I find contact with people from the neighborhood very important; being a volunteer here at the Community Center makes it easier for me to connect with people. It’s nice to help people, provide them with information, and see them happy to see me.”What is your tip for people who want to start doing volunteer work?“Volunteering is a good way to improve your Dutch language skills. I now dare to help people, and that is good for my self-confidence.”Photo: Rob BeenseWould you like to do volunteer work? Make an appointment with the Volunteer Center Amsterdam Branch North, at 020-6365228. Every Tuesday morning there is a drop-in consultation from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm at the Community Center Waterlandplein.