“You see people brighten up when this burden falls off their shoulders”

Who are you?“I am Edwin van Batum, 53 years old, and have been living in Amsterdam-Noord my whole life. I was born in the Vogelbuurt and then lived in different neighborhoods in Oud-Noord. For the past 26 years, I have been living in Oud-Nieuwendam, where there is a village atmosphere.”What do you do in your daily life?“I am looking for work, so I am busy applying for jobs. I have worked as a financial administrative assistant for seventeen years. In the meantime, I have been volunteering in home administration at Humanitas for four years, with breaks in between.”

What do you do as a volunteer?“I coordinate home administration; I visit participants at their homes for an initial intake interview. During this process, I assess what is needed to help the participant get back on track financially. Then, I connect the participants with volunteers. The goal is for people to regain control over their finances and be able to manage them independently within a maximum period of one year. You see people improve when this burden – uncertainty about their financial situation – is lifted off their shoulders. I am also a volunteer for home administration. On average, I spend a total of about two and a half days per week on this.”The most fun thing I have experienced here is…“One day I went to visit a participant for a first intake. I rang the doorbell at the nameplate, and a man opened the door and let me in. Then this man disappeared from sight; I was waiting in the living room and no one came. After a while, my phone rang, the participant I had an appointment with asked where I was; she had been waiting in the hallway for a while. What turned out? I was in the wrong house! I never saw or spoke to the resident of the house where I was… A very strange situation, and quite risky that someone would let a total stranger in – and then not show up.”What is your tip for people who want to start doing volunteer work?“Just do it! In any form. You always create a bit of happiness in someone else and it strengthens your involvement in society.”

Would you like to do volunteer work as well? Contact us to make an appointment or [contact].”Check out our job board.