Volunteers do work that otherwise would not be done
Volunteers pick up a lot of work that gets left behind. They help, care for, clean, repair, give language lessons from their company and more. They have one thing in common: they all give their free time and their energy to society without asking for anything in return. Why would you do that? Lilian and Xandra are volunteers and explain why they do volunteer work.
Lilian Kuerten adopted a container
Lilian has just moved from an upstairs apartment to a house on the ground floor. There are containers right in front of the new house. “The rubbish around it quickly became a thorn in my side. It is such a shame about this beautiful street and the view of the nature reserve De Vrije Geer behind it.”
Lilian knew that you could adopt a container through the municipality and found how to register via the website. “In no time at all I receive an app to pick up a cleaning kit. enclosed garbage bags, a garbage ring, dustpan and gloves. And don’t forget a key to the containers. In addition, I can open the side door to make bigger bags, which are next to the containers, to throw in. I also have a separate phone number to report waste. That works very well and is much needed. I see labels on dozens of people from Badhoevedorp and Diemen come here to dump their waste. annoying.
Do I think it’s dirty work? No, I actually think it’s a nice job. Or well, sometimes it’s dirty. But if there is a lot, then it is satisfying if it is tidy again after a cleaning campaign. You know, you can complain about it, but you can also do something about it. And you meet someone else. I am new here, but I avoid getting to know a few neighbors in a short time.”
Xandra Assebergs is a volunteer at bird and mammal shelter De Toevlucht in Amsterdam Zuidoost
De Toevlucht is one of the largest wildlife shelters in the Netherlands and takes in around 10,000 wild animals per year. 70 percent of his birds. Xandra started there as a volunteer 9 years ago: “I had a burnout. When things got better, I started looking for activities that I could put my heart into. I wanted to do something with animal welfare, preferably with my hands. I was able to volunteer at 2 wildlife shelters and ended up staying here. Now I mainly work behind the scenes as a fundraiser and I am only with the animals at the shelter in the summer.”
Xandra Assebergs
“It may sound romantic to work with animals, but only wild animals come to us. Wild animals have to remain shy, otherwise they won’t survive in the wild. That means we don’t hug the animals like in the shelter. The work exists for cleaning and feeding a large part of the pens. In addition, we patch up battered animals if necessary. We raise young animals and treat sick animals, that sort of thing. All kinds of things come in from Amsterdam and the wider periphery of the city: foxes , polecats, stoats, weasels, hedgehogs, squirrels, rabbits, hares and many wild birds. I really enjoy working with animals and putting them back in nature. It’s beautiful work.”
- The Toevlucht is always looking for volunteers. Interested? View on refuge.nl.
- You can read more about wildlife shelters on the Xandra website: wildopvang.nl.
Main photo: Lilian Kuerten