BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON NATURE PROJECTS
There is a saying that ‘God created the world and the Dutch the Netherlands’. This is exactly why we need volunteers to help with nature projects in the Netherlands.
The Netherlands don’t have nature but they created it. First the land itself, by building dikes it’s now possible to live beneath sea level. And later the landscapes were formed and maintained by the economical use it had. Thousands of sheep would maintain the heath. Roof hatchers maintained our grass swamps and the use of peat for the ovens used to make that small drenched were made in the peat lands.
The most beautiful natural areas in the Netherlands can therefore be considered as cultural landscapes.
The problem nowadays is that there are barely any sheep’s left, it’s cheaper to have tiles on our roofs instead of thatched roof and electricity is a lot simpler than burning peat. The loss of these habits means that these very unique landscapes which are so typical for the Netherlands will disappear if not maintained. If nothing would be done to preserve our cultural landscapes they would disappear as well as some unique plants and animals and ecosystems, leaving a forest behind.
Dutch nature organizations therefore still help nature by maintaining some old uses. Nowadays they do not get any profit from the work they do, but it helps to preserve our cultural landscapes with its unique plants and animals and ecosystems. In some areas however it is hard to get there with machines, and things have to be done the same way our ancestors did them; by hand.
Dutch nature organizations cannot handle all this labor-intensive work. And some unique natural areas would disappear if not hundreds of volunteers would yearly help out with the maintaining of the Dutch cultural landscape. In the summer SIW groups help out as well.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON WETLAND PROJECTS
Especially the impact of SIW projects on reed areas has been substantial. For years we have been supporting wetland areas were a lot of work has to be done each year to preserve these unique areas.
It’s not strange to have a lot of wetlands in a country that’s below sea level. In fact if the dikes would break half of the Netherlands would be either sea or wetland. Birds frequently use the wetlands in the Netherlands in fall and springtime. They come from Siberia and northern Europe during their migration to warmer places in fall and to cooler places to nest in spring. Most wetlands in the Netherlands consist of swampy grasslands, reed areas and forelands (areas next to rivers). In the swampy grasslands unique mosses and plant species grow.
The thatches generally harvest the reed areas to collect reed to thatch the roofs. Because the reed is no longer used on Dutch houses the wetlands slip full and would eventually disappear if not cleaned. This has to be done the old-fashioned way; by hand. Machines are too heavy for the soil and will get stuck.
The reed is gathered on boats and transported. Sometimes it is used for farms or burned if transport in the area is too difficult.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON REFUGEE CENTER PROJECTS
Refugees that are applying for asylum in the Netherlands are given a place in a temporary stay. They stay there for a short time until they are heard by the Dutch intelligent agency. After the hearing they go to a refugee centre that helps the refugees with the orientation of their lives in a new country. But this situation has changed the last couple of years.
Since the last years we have a generaal pardon in the Netherlands. Generaal pardon literally translated is a general excuse. The term generaal pardon is used in the context of immigration. It means that people that are already live in the Netherlands for a long time have a bigger chance of staying here. With a generaal pardon people are not being judged individually but as a group. There are a couple of criteria for a generaal pardon such as:
- the years that someone is in the Netherlands.
- the integration process (language).
- having a paid job.
- no crime record.
For SIW this means that there are less refugees in refugee centres so also less projects at refugee centres. But we still have one project this year at a refugee centre.
As SIW we hope that the projects helps the children to have a playful and happy period. A time when they can just be a child having fun.
Often the work is very hard. Not only because the program demands a lot of creativity and organization. But more because you will stay and live in an accommodation in the refugee centre. A place where the atmosphere is sometimes very depressing. The children you work with might just disappear because their parents were moved to an other centre. Also, many refugees decide to leave the system and live as illegal immigrants somewhere, often in poor conditions.
On the other hand, working with refugee children can be very rewarding, you are one of the few sources of joy in their lives.

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