Fazal and Zoë - volunteers Informal Care
Zoë is self-employed and found herself out of work due to the corona crisis. She started looking for volunteer work and deliberately sought an organization with a human face. For a few months now, she has been hanging out with a young woman who struggles with anxiety.
Fazal is from Afghanistan and has lived in the Netherlands for 20 years. He worked at a company that carries out assignments for government agencies (IND, justice, police et cetera), but lost his job due to reorganizations. Now he is a buddy at De Regenboog Groep. He is paired with a status holder, also from Afghanistan.
Fazal: "Zoë, how are you finding volunteering so far?"
Zoë: "It tastes like more. I also get a lot out of it for myself, I notice, especially the human contact. As a freelancer I worked from home, even before it became hip, so to speak. And now I hang out with someone. But what really matters to me is that you have impact with this work. What about you?"
Fazal: "I have exactly the same thing. You connect with someone and see the thanks in their eyes. You also get compliments. You can't put that into words. Our king talks about a participatory society. This is the part I contribute. I read somewhere that a third of the Dutch only volunteer once a year. That shocked me, so little."
Zoë: "Maybe it also has to do with culture. The Netherlands has become such an individualistic society. I'm half-Indonesian myself. If a great-aunt of ours is ill, you are on the doorstep immediately. You help each other. In my opinion, that is less obvious in Dutch culture.
Fazal: "That's what I love about De Regenboog Groep. In my interpretation, the Regenboog symbolizes 'togetherness.' There is a lot of talk and talk about social cohesion, but De Regenboog Groep puts it into practice. We live in an I-society. The fine print of De Regenboog Groep says: we. It is an organization that brings people together. I feel comfortable here. Why? I know what status holders have to go through. I was an asylum seeker myself. What you can discuss with a buddy is really different from talking to a psychologist. He can give you tips, but he doesn't know what you've been through."
"We live in an I-society. The fine print of De Regenboog Groep says: we."
.Zoe: "How did you actually like the training we got at De Regenboog Groep?"
Fazal: "I was exempted for the course because of my experience with status holders. But I can say that I really like the guidance. If there is anything, you can always go there."
Zoë: "This is my first introduction to volunteering, and being a buddy is a good stepping stone. I also think for others considering volunteering. It doesn't require much of your time. I meet with my buddy every week. I have to admit that it took some getting used to in the beginning. I didn't really know what my role was. Are you a social worker or just a buddy? And what can and cannot you do as a buddy? Are you always the one who listens or can you tell your own story? The other day I was lost during an audio tour. Then she took me in tow! Somehow that works well. I myself suffered burnout a few years ago and have ADHD. I know how complex some mental challenges are. My buddy often holds up a mirror to me. She learns from me, I learn from her."
Fazal: "What makes it difficult for me sometimes is that I go to my buddy with one temperament and then come home with a completely different temperament. His stories - his somber stories - automatically make me think back to my own time as a refugee and I take that backpack home with me. That makes it quite tough mentally."
Zoë: "It can indeed be confronting. But that's what you learn on the course: how to make sure you don't bring the problems home too much."