Experiences
To sit still is not an option
As Community Manager I frequently interview host families and their guests.Text: Jet Krantz After a trip through the beautiful Limburg landscape, I arrive on top of a hill in the village of Cadier en Keer. Heerko and Els give me a warm welcome. It turns out that they open their homes to all kinds of
Lots of people think in differences, Amran thinks in similarities
Text by Lilly Wiggers. Foto © Maaike Poels. Amran (19) fled from Yemen eight years ago. He travelled through Malaysia and Spain, eventually coming to The Netherlands. He is currently studying in Tilburg and has been living with Judith, John and their children in Dordrecht for two months. A Hospitable Home “When we bought this
“Staying with Bert in Eindhoven changed my life”
Hussam from Syria: Before I stayed with Bert, I was living in the azc in Drachten. I was living in the middle of the forest, far away from Eindhoven where I eventually got my house. Staying with Bert in Eindhoven changed my life. He encouraged me to start learning Dutch and start my life. He introduced me
Ibrahim stayed with Joke and Harm in Bennekom: “You are my brother and sister.”
Text by Lilly Wiggers. Ibrahim from Turkey stayed with Joke and Harm in Bennekom for four months. Ibrahim ‘s family has now arrived and they live in the Netherlands. Whats that like, a refugee with a status in your house? I spoke host mother Joke by phone (because of corona) to hear what her experiences are. The
Moe
You have probably already seen Moe. As an active person his volunteering efforts have cropped up on videos for the news agencies AJ+ and Brandpunt+, amongst others. Moe is the only member of the Takecarebnb team so far with the expert position of having been both a guest and a volunteer. I caught up with
As I enter the next stage I’ll be starting a new life
Monica At a dinner for host families I meet Monica. She is bright eyed, intelligent and honest. Monica is hosting Syrian sisters Amal and Sabah at her home in Amsterdam. She is an adventurous person, having travelled to many different countries over her lifetime. ‘After a while I began to realize what a good life
It is healing to be in an environment like this
Basketball coach Alaa Al Tarcha has been living in 28-year-old Sarah’s spare room for the past two months. He says they get on very well and he loves the experience of living with a Dutch person. “You are in Dutch culture: you learn what they eat, what they drink, what makes them happy, what makes
They were there for us in our very worst days
Photo: Franklin Heijnen (for illustration and not related to the people in this article) Mohammad and Hassan are refugees from Iraq. They are friendly, thoughtful and quick to smile. After being persecuted for their homosexuality they were forced to flee. Upon arriving at their refugee center (AZC) they were immediately singled out: like most couples,