The largest emergency shelter of the Netherlands closes on May 2nd. Radboud University was closely involved with the Heumensoord camp. Who are the volunteers that helped the asylum seekers with all sorts of things? Today: student of Political Sciences Floris Heij (23).

What do you help with at Heumensoord?
‘Every Sunday, I work at the library. The original idea was that we would only loan books to the people living in the camp, but in reality you mainly help people who study there – the Dutch language, for example. I also entertain the children. You can find them making puzzles in the library, coloring or doing language games.’

Do you gain anything from it?
‘It is not like I do this out of moral considerations. I enjoy doing it, and I have plenty of time on Sunday. I just happened to stumble upon this, but I could just as well have been working in a nursing home.’

What problems did you encounter?
‘Children are brought here by their parents to be entertained, while the initial plan was that children younger than ten years would not be allowed inside. It is a library of course, not a daycare center. The rules regarding which books can be loaned and which should stay in the library are a bit unclear as well. Some loan them, others don’t – as a result, of some of the language books only a few copies remain.’

Had your idea of ‘the refugee’ changed?
‘I encounter people who want to learn Dutch. They make an effort to learn it, because they realize that they can never return to their own country. I have a lot of respect for that. Kids learn it very quickly: they see links that you no longer do because Dutch is your mother tongue. They are just people who make the best of their situation.’ / Nicole Nibbering