Make a difference for a child as a buddy

Many children have fewer opportunities to participate in society for various reasons; due to a disability, poverty, loneliness or other reasons. Mooie Middag Maatjes is a buddy project for children and young people between the ages of 4 and 18 who are in a vulnerable situation. For them, it is nice to regularly receive all the attention and gain new experiences. Their world is expanded. In addition, the parents receive support and are relieved for a while. What it entails: • As a volunteer buddy, you come by once a week or once every two weeks to do fun things with the child • This can be at the child's home or you can do activities outside the home. For example, going to the museum together, playing a game, making music together, cycling or swimming together • As a buddy, you give exclusive attention to the child The project revolves around offering personal attention and undertaking fun activities that can make a big difference for the children. A volunteer says about this: "What is obvious to me can be very special to someone else. It gives me a good feeling to see that my buddy enjoys himself so much and can really be a child for a while." Would you like to do something for a child, but do you find it difficult to combine volunteer work with study or work? Then consider becoming a buddy together with your friend, girlfriend, housemate, sister, neighbor, aunt or whoever. A lot is possible! What we ask: • Patient • Friendliness • Good social and communication skills • Reliable • Enterprising • Available for at least six months; we ask this because it takes time to build a bond of trust with a child and almost all children need long-term buddy contact. What we offer: • Fun and useful volunteer work • You are part of an enthusiastic group of volunteers • Support and guidance by a (volunteer) coordinator • Training and volunteer meetings • Insurance against damage and accidents Calls: Oosterparkwijk. 9-year-old boy with autism and developmental delay. Mother would like to be relieved on Thursday afternoons when his brother goes to daycare. Someone who can teach him to ride a special (heavy) tricycle and/or go for a walk with him. Someone who is available for a long period of time, because of his difficulty with change. Sweet, cheerful boy who likes to be outside. Korrewegwijk, 7-year-old boy. Comes from a family of 9 children. He lives in a fantasy world, is a different fantasy figure every day. Communication is difficult, he speaks his own language and English. Fantasy world mainly takes place at home, outside he behaves more adapted. Then he also speaks Dutch, he was born in the Netherlands. We are looking for a patient volunteer who can connect with this creative boy. De Hoogte, 8-year-old boy. He has been in the Netherlands with his father for 2.5 years now. Nice boy, would like a buddy who will play with him and go outside with him. He likes football, Lego, kickboxing, swimming and playing. He is in a wheelchair and has a disability in his lower legs. At home he can move around by crawling and jumping. He speaks good Dutch, communication with his father has to be done with Google Translate. Haren, 5-year-old boy, he lives in a foster family. He has already experienced a lot in his young life. He is looking for a buddy for a relaxing afternoon who has all the time for him and is patient. He likes activities in which he can get rid of his energy, cycling outside, playing with Lego, interest in technology, playing games. Ten Boer, 16-year-old girl. Characteristics of autism, ADHD and social-emotional development age of 5-8 years. She does not go to school, but she does go to day care. Intelligent girl, likes to go out, explore, but misses the connection with other children and young people. The request is to undertake fun activities with her in an accessible way. Walking in the forest with the dog, playing with Lego together, taking the bus to the center when she is ready for it. Mother indicates that her daughter is sweet and intelligent, needs attention, to make her world bigger. As a 24-7 informal caregiver, mother cannot always offer this. A volunteer who is patient, listens to her and can guide her slightly when necessary.