Anupama supports economically homeless: "My life is going well and so I would like to give things back."
"That you can do it!" my surroundings often say. They admire my commitment to helping the more vulnerable. But it gives me balance and satisfaction. My life is going well and so I like to give things back. It feels good to be able to express my own values. Ten years ago I started volunteering at the hospital. There I picked up care where nursing left off. First in the pediatric ward, then in the trauma ward and then in the emergency room. I experienced many beautiful moments there and was able to offer support with the loss of a loved one. Then I started working full-time and volunteering stopped for a while. After a burnout, I returned to work at the Salvation Army and De Regenboog Groep last year.
A listening ear and motivating voice
.I support four economically homeless people and I see them every week. It is often difficult for these people to keep their spirits up. Usually you're dealing with financial problems and sometimes debt, when homelessness is added to that, people can slip quickly. Often I am a listening ear, because people don't see it anymore. And this is allowed. But things have to happen, so I motivate them. You can be sad, you can be miserable, but at some point action has to be taken. Sometimes I do have to stay realistic and toughen up a little bit. That's not always fun to do, for example, there are times when I can't participate but have to provide a solution.
Misunderstood
Sometimes people don't speak the language well or don't understand something, so things go wrong. For example, one woman had a subscription to a storage facility for her household contents. Bravely, she paid the rent in cash every month. But what was the case? The subscription was four-weekly. She fell behind schedule because she thought she was doing everything right and didn't understand the letters about it. Then all of a sudden there are all these extra costs and things quickly get out of hand. I can then call and explain the situation, so that a payment arrangement can be made. For someone like that, such a situation feels incredibly unfair: you are already in trouble, you think you are doing something right, but you still get all sorts of things thrown at you!
It is then okay to be sad and angry because of all the frustrations. The same goes for me in life and in the sometimes heavy volunteer work I did at the hospital and the Salvation Army. It is also okay for me to be upset for a while and go home with a knot in my stomach. Allow it, tomorrow is a new day and fresh again! You have to allow yourself that too!
Text: Sander Kersten and Jola Gosen | Image: Tessa Posthuma de Boer
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