Drawing, painting, walking and playing badminton; The inhabitants of Petten work every day to keep life somewhat livable for refugees in the emergency shelter. The shelter just outside the village has been in use for almost half a year. Acceptance in the village is growing, but it is still not clear whether the shelter will remain open after July 1. Rob Overtoom of the Petten village council does not care. He enjoys giving badminton lessons. “Sport is so important if you have to wait all the time.”
It is quiet in the sports hall of the reception center for refugees in Petten. Every week Rob Overtoom gives badminton lessons to children and adults. “Usually it’s quite busy, but it’s Ramadan, so people don’t have much energy these days. They were looking for volunteers last year. As a doctor I couldn’t mean much, but I like badminton. Self-taught! I learned it when I became a tropical doctor was in a refugee camp in Cambodia.”
Fanatical
His years of experience in a refugee camp also means that Overtoom knows more or less what the people who are now in Petten have gone through. “It was different there in Cambodia than here, but if you can do some sport then that is very important. For children there is often plenty to do, but for adults there is usually not much. It’s fun to see that some in full regalia are very fanatical about sports.”
In addition to badminton, residents of Petten also give language lessons, the neighbor of the center teaches drawing and painting every Tuesday, children from the shelter are allowed to go to a care farm every other week, they play games every Wednesday, there are mime shows and the gentlemen can at sports association Petten every week a morning of football. “It’s really fantastic what the village is doing,” says Annerieke Dekker of the North Holland North Safety Region.
Grow
Until 1 July, crisis emergency shelter is still the responsibility of the Security Region. How things will continue after that is still unclear. Dekker: “We are very pleased that the municipality of Schagen is making the reception possible. In the region, we now have 450 places with Avenhorn. It is possible that the COA (Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers) will take over the reception, otherwise it will stop here. I can I can’t imagine it, because the demand for childcare continues to grow”
“If they want to talk, I’m here for them”
Since the beginning of this month, the COA has taken over management of several crisis reception locations in the country. Whether that will also happen with Petten after July 1 is not yet clear. “It is obvious that we will take over Petten, but the COA has not yet issued a request. We are doing this in close consultation with the municipality of Schagen,” a spokesperson said.
Contact
Until then, Rob will continue with badminton lessons for the refugees. “There is a man from Syria here who is good at it. He showed me his medal. Sometimes I talk to them. If they want to talk, I’m there for them. But above all I want to offer badminton. And if someone leaves? I never really say goodbye. The world has become so small that it’s easy to keep in touch.”