Fiona dares to ask
The 25-year-old Fiona came to NLvoorelkaar through an acquaintance and after many years finally dared to ask her question. She sometimes has 30 epileptic seizures in a day, which makes the small everyday things very difficult. She posted her request for help and received a lot of positive, sweet reactions. "There were so many people who wanted to help me. It's so nice that you can!" says Fiona gratefully.
"I may fall away for a while due to an attack, but then you can call back later," Fiona says as if it's the most normal thing in the world. Fiona explains that she can have up to 30 epileptic seizures in a day, making it scary to go outside alone. Running errands, getting some fresh air or going somewhere are just very exciting for her. Because of this, she now trains her service dog Puk to catch her, signal her attacks and guide her, but this is quite a big job.
Because of sometimes 30 epileptic attacks a day I find it scary to go outside
"My family lives a bit further away and of course they also have their own lives. I prefer not to bother them and often have the tendency to want to do everything myself," says Fiona. But because her relationship of 9 years has ended, a huge help in Fiona's life is lost. Her life now consists mainly of sitting at home and she indicates that she is very lonely. That is why she took the big step to ask for help and immediately received a lot of sweet reactions. "When I read the messages like this and see that so many people are willing to help, I think I should have asked for help much earlier. I ask for help to pick up my life again and that is of course super exciting. But I I just really need help with daily things," says Fiona.
Fiona would love it if more people would dare to do this and hopes that she can mean something to someone else by telling her story. "I hope that people will also dare to do this, even if it is exciting. I would say do it! A lot of positive things came out for me. You can look for help in your area and so you don't have to leave everything to your family Fiona concludes.
Reading makes you happy!
Reading makes you happy! Did you always read a lot? Was there always time for a bedtime story? Unfortunately, this is not self-evident for every family in the Netherlands. Many children leave primary school with the reading level of a group 6 child. That is why it is very important that children come into contact with books and reading a lot and give this a permanent place at home. The Voorleesexpress helps children who have difficulty with the Dutch language and lets them discover how much fun language is. A family is paired for 20 weeks with a reader who comes home to read together. Eveline is responsible for families and partners of the Noordoever and tells us about this beautiful project. Eveline explains how important it is to start using language as young as possible. It is easier to get along with this society and this way every child gets a fair chance to participate. "By not focusing on school, strict rules or having to read, but rather looking at reading pleasure and doing something together, we want to keep it as accessible as possible," she explains. A reader comes to the family's home for an hour a week, it does not take much time and it has a major effect. It is easy to do and it is very valuable for the children. "You often see that some readers still visit after years, they have built such a beautiful bond that they continue to do this with love," says Eveline. Children receive 100% attention for an hour a week, the reader takes books with them and they love it when the reader comes back. "I myself also give information at schools. Afterwards a mother came to me once who said that she was going crazy at home and her son only wanted to read. He was so happy and diligent! Then you know you have achieved your goal. achieved," says Eveline enthusiastically. You often see that some readers still visit after years, they have built such a beautiful bond that they continue to do this with love! The Voorleesexpress works with approximately 300 volunteers and has recently started recruiting through NLvoorelkaar. "We reach exactly a target group that we have not yet reached well and we have a joint account with several employees of the organization," she says. The volunteers can vary from Pedagogy students to people with different professions. They do have two important things in common and that is that everyone loves reading and children. So do you have a heart for language and children? Then sign up quickly! Share these stories and inspire others to help too! Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Whatsapp Forward
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