No matter how small your help request is, come along and we will be happy to help you get started

Everyone needs a helping hand to some extent from time to time. Yet asking someone else for help can sometimes be quite difficult. Fortunately, there are organisations that actively help with (discovering) requests for help and are committed to helping vulnerable residents get back on their feet. We, Amaryllis, are committed to helping residents of the municipality of Leeuwarden so that they can live their lives with pleasure and as carefree as possible. To show how valuable this can be, we visit Ineke van Haaften. Ineke knocked on Amaryllis' door this year and is overjoyed with the help offered.

69-year-old Ineke van Haaften moved from Maarssen in Utrecht to Leeuwarden about three years ago with the intention of being able to spend more time with her children and grandchildren. A wonderful thought beforehand, of course, but in reality a lot less rosy. "My son was emailing me every day asking: wouldn't you like to live here? That seemed like a lot of fun, but in practice you find that you spend a lot less time together than you thought. That left me in a bit of a hole," Ineke explains. Ineke feels lonely and alone in Leeuwarden. "That's why I knocked on Amaryllis' door at some point, asking if they could do something for me."

Ineke is then paired with social worker Marcel de Beer from Amaryllis. Together, Marcel and Ineke start looking for social activities in the neighbourhood. After some research, Marcel ended up at De Schakel in Camminghaburen; a multifunctional building used for church services, among other things. This turns out to be a hit. "De Schakel is in the neighbourhood and people meet there every week for socialising. We went there together and Ineke was really welcomed with open arms," Marcel says enthusiastically. Ineke agrees: "The feeling was right away. I now look forward to Friday mornings every week. Just sitting together in a room drinking coffee and having a nice chat. That already does me a lot of good." 

Social contact is something Ineke has been diligently looking for. And even though Ineke is quite social herself, finding fun activities in a foreign city proved difficult. A helping hand can sometimes help just that little bit. Marcel explains: "Loneliness is more common and we do get questions like this more often. In this case, she doesn't need a heavy social work programme or counselling, but is just looking for social contact. That is why we first looked to see if we could do something in the neighbourhood. There are quite a few nice initiatives in the neighbourhood, but a lot of people just don't know about them. We do have those contacts with Amaryllis and can thus form a link between the initiatives and the residents. Actually a very small and simple action, but it delivers a lot."

Besides the cosy get-together in De Schakel, Ineke now has a buddy visiting her once every fortnight. Together they undertake fun things, like an outing to the Fries Museum, for example. "I didn't like that afterwards, but it was nice to get away from it all," she jokes. Ineke has also now joined National Association de Zonnebloem (Leeuwarden-east), where she has the opportunity to attend an activity every month. "Then, for example, we all go to the garden centre together. In May and June, there is a special opportunity for people with a particular wish. Say I say I'd love to parachute jump, you can. Not that I would, but it is possible!" she laughs.  

Ineke is happy all over again and in doing so, Amaryllis has been able to lend a hand. As long as necessary, Marcel will still visit Ineke. "That is also what we strive for, temporary assistance so that people can move on by themselves afterwards. We'll see how things go over the coming period together. The funny thing is, when I went along last time, I wasn't actually even needed. That's what you like of course."

According to Marcel, this is perhaps the most important message: "No matter how simple or small your question for help is, come along and we will be happy to help you on your way. Even if you have doubts; no question is superfluous! Whether it's loneliness, debt relief, addiction or psychological problems; we can help you with anything. In some areas, we are not experts, but we can refer you. This is because we work closely with specialist providers. Together, we can make a difference. So if you have a question for help, don't hesitate to contact us!"