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Amina: 'Rich with healthy children and good contacts' | August 31, 2023

Amina: 'Rich with healthy children and good contacts'

One of the many volunteers who made the Sport Fun Days for Lelystad youth aged 6 to 16 a success is Amina. We spoke with her and asked her why she's volunteering. To our surprise, she didn't sign up at all. She didn't feel like she was the right person because she doesn't know much about football.t.

"But Amina, you're walking around here wearing a pink shirt so we can recognize the volunteers, aren't you?" Yes, that's right. She says: "When I dropped off my son, it turned out one volunteer hadn't shown up. And then someone asked me if I wanted to stay and supervise a group, which I did." I don't have to ask if she likes it; you'll see. And while we talk, she's also keeping an eye on her team and her son!

She's now realized you don't need to know anything about football. It's all about keeping the team together, breaking up a fight if necessary, and accompanying the kids to the next activity. She'll be back next year.

Poor in a rich country

She's already familiar with the Youth Fund for Sports & Culture, for whom City Marketing Lelystad is organizing these days. The Youth Fund pays her son's sports membership fees. She had to push herself, and she thought about it for a long time. It feels so contradictory. You live in a wealthy country, her husband works full-time, and yet they're unable to pay for everything their children need. Poor in a wealthy country—that's a strange observation.

Ultimately, her child's well-being outweighed her shame. Her son is happy he can play sports; that he has a bike through Leergeld; that he can participate in Sportbedrijf Lelystad's Summer's Cool program. Her daughter is happy that her braces could be finished with support from Kinderhulp.

And what's poor? Amina is rich with healthy children, good connections, and the ability to find the right organizations. For anyone still in doubt: do as Amina did, take advantage of the resources available, which are designed to give your children the opportunity they deserve. The chance to discover and develop their talents, the space to play and learn, and to grow up in good health.