Stichting Present & ORTEC
There is often a gap between the willingness or ability to help someone else and undertaking action in volunteering. Dutch social enterprise Stichting Present wants to close this gap by connecting people who are willing to volunteer with people who could use some help. These people in need are in different, often vulnerable situations. Most of them face social isolation or don’t have a direct network of people to help them.
Recently, Dutch ORTEC Data Science & Consulting partnered with Stichting Present. Employees who wish to volunteer register internally to commit themselves to Stichting Present, either individually or together as a group of colleagues. For ORTEC, this is a great way to pursue the outside perspective by transforming a ‘regular’ teambuilding event into a community service to contribute to a more livable society.
Together for others
With over 150 ORTEC employees each dedicating between 2 to 4 hours on helping someone, we are collectively spending around 450 hours on community services. Through social or practical activities, everyone can support others in a place nearby their homes, as Stichting Present operates in various cities throughout the Netherlands.
Social activities – some examples
- → Walking outside with elderly who don’t often go outside their homes
- → Doing (outdoor) activities with people with intellectual disabilities who may not always get all the attention they deserve
- → Preparing meals for and with homeless
Practical activities – some examples
- → Restoring and/or painting an old or neglected home
- → Rewilding someone’s garden
- → Cleaning the home of someone who’s not able to
The difference it makes
It’s valuable to experience how just a few hours can sometimes make a (big) difference for someone else. Small actions can sometimes lead to big differences.
During the activities, it’s nice to help others and it’s very rewarding to be welcomed with great enthusiasm and genuine smiles. Beyond that, the supporting activity might even have a meaningful impact; for some, a little help from someone else may empower them to resume certain tasks or activities independently again, or for instance those who have been damaged in relationships with people may regain a small piece of trust in fellow humans again after receiving (little) selfless help from a ‘stranger.’
The kick-off: so much enthusiasm
On the 11th of August, ORTEC’s first activity took place at Marente, a care facility for elderly and vulnerable around Oegstgeest, the Netherlands, hosted by the local Stichting Present Leiden team. A couple of ORTEC employees spent the afternoon playing Dutch games with them while enjoying coffee, cookies and ice cream. For anyone who fancied a chat over a game, there was a chatting table.
It was a great start of our partnership. We were welcomed with homemade decorations and genuine smiles, which in turn made us smile.
Spending the afternoon this way has been very valuable to me. It is great to see how we, with just a listening ear and a helping hand, can provide residents of the elderly home such a wonderful time.
Let’s be there for each other
Doing voluntary (social) work is more than ‘some hours of fun.’ It’s a way to look after each other. One way or another, we can all somehow contribute to a livable society.
At Stichting Present, they are always enthusiastic about new collaborations. Sounds interesting? More information can be found on their website. (Dutch only; operating in the Netherlands only).
