Group leader project at Emmaus for two weeks

The project

This project will take place in cooperation with Emmaus Haarzuilens where the volunteers will live and work together with the residents of Emmaus. Because of the summer market, which will take place at the end of the project, this period of year will be extra busy for the Emmaus residents.

The volunteers will help out where necessary, which can mean some days can be busier and others can be less so. The work will include picking up second hand goods together with the Emmaus residents, sorting them and placing them in the shop.

Also, the volunteers will help with gardening and other maintenance work on the grounds of the community and help in the kitchen as well. At the end of the project the volunteers will help with the set-up and dismantling of the festival and they will also organize a fashion show in which they will present some of the second-hand clothes that are for sale.

Accommodation

You will stay in a comfortable accommodation at the Emmaus terrain.

-Beds and pillows are provided for, but you need to bring a sleeping bag. There is a common bedroom (so men and women combined).

-You will cook and eat together with the residents of Emmaus.

-The volunteers can make use of the (sanitary) facilities of the Emmaus building.

-There is a separate shower and toilet available for the group. Towels and toiletries must be brought by the participants.

-The participants can make use of the washing machine of the Emmaus group.

-Wi-Fi is available in the building where the participants stay.

Organisation

Emmaus Communities around the world enable people to move on from homelessness, providing work and a home in a supportive, family environment. Companions, as residents are known, work full time collecting, renovating and reselling donated furniture. This work supports the community financially and enables residents to develop skills, rebuild their self-respect and help others in greater need.

Companions receive accommodation, food, clothing and a small weekly allowance, but for many, the greatest benefit is a fresh start. To join a community, they sign off unemployment benefits and agree to participate in the life and work of the community and abide by its rules, for example not bringing drugs or alcohol into the community. Emmaus is a secular movement, spanning 36 countries.

Our partner, Emmaus Haarzuilens, is a live/work community for former homeless people and others who strongly feel related to Emmaus ideology. Volunteers will not only work, but also live together with the inhabitants of Emmaus Haarzuilens. Living together also means preparing and eating meals together and do some cleaning and light house work. It also means that volunteers are expected to live by the rules of Emmaus Haarzuilens, for example not bringing alcohol and/or drugs into Emmaus communities.

Interested?

Please send your motivation and CV as soon as possible to Walter Reekers from SIW.