Naftali (buddy at Maatjes Apeldoorn): "There is mutual interest in each other, and that makes me happy."

Regular calls for buddies are posted on "Apeldoorn Pakt Aan." What does it mean to be a buddy? To get a clearer picture, we speak with Naftali Felipa (30 years old), a volunteer at Maatjes Apeldoorn.

Naftali was born and raised in Apeldoorn and recently got her own apartment. She works in Nijmegen as a product/marketing manager. Family is very important to her, and she is a true family person. Additionally, she has various hobbies: baking and cooking, visiting museums, walking, boxing, and yoga. And alongside all these activities, she is a buddy for a fellow city resident once every two weeks.

There was an immediate connection!

Naftali signed up with Maatjes Apeldoorn and is now a buddy to a lovely 86-year-old lady. "The lady was always active and social, but this decreased over time. To help her get out more and socialize, I became her buddy. During the first meeting, the coordinator from Maatjes Apeldoorn came along for an introduction. We both felt good about it and there was an immediate connection. We then made an appointment and did something fun two weeks later. We do a variety of activities together. In December, we visited the Christmas market in Vaassen, went out for dinner, or attended activities at the care home – very diverse. We have contact every other week. By doing activities together, she socializes more. We also practiced using the taxi service. I arrange to meet her, and she comes by taxi. She manages this independently and gets picked up and dropped off neatly. By practicing this, she can more easily visit her children or attend an activity. This helps her to undertake things more independently."

Little effort

Naftali was doing a part-time course and heard from a teacher that he was a buddy. "When he talked about it, I was inspired to do the same. I immediately searched to become a buddy in Apeldoorn. I found it, but didn't do anything about it at that moment because I was going to travel in Asia for six months. After my trip, I came across it again and signed up immediately. I thought: 'Why not? Everyone always has time to do something for someone else.' I find it important to contribute to society and help someone. It takes little effort and time from me. This could even be during a phone call where we laugh and listen to each other. There is mutual interest in each other, and that makes me happy."

Clarity

The time Naftali spends as a buddy is, despite her busy life, easy to combine. "Because there is a connection, it feels like it takes very little time. It also helps to make clear agreements so that you know each other's expectations. We agreed to meet on a fixed day every two weeks. How long we meet varies per activity and we coordinate that together. Sometimes it lasts longer, sometimes shorter, depending on the activity. Together we decide what activity to do, so we both enjoy it. This way, it doesn't feel like it takes up my time at all."

Inspire and Discover

Naftali really enjoys being a buddy. She loves to tell others about it and has discovered something about herself. "I enjoy talking about the Maatjes Apeldoorn project. I always get positive and interested reactions. I hope to inspire others to do something for someone else.

Besides hoping to inspire others, I have discovered something about myself. I thought I wasn't really into caregiving and didn't have much patience for it. But now I've realized that I have more of a caring side than I expected. A wonderful discovery!"