Eméli and Anne are linked via Helping out, a Utrecht volunteer organization that was founded in 1979 by a number of parents of a child with a disability. This initiative has grown into a professional organization with 40 employees that, among other things, links young carers to an experience buddy.
“We often think that the care should mainly go to the person who has the disability. But the people around him or her are also heavily burdened. The children who take extra care of their parents, for example, also need help,” says Wilma Louwerse of Helping out. “The week of the young carer is important to make people aware that children, for example, worry much more than we realize. They are often strong and flexible and also very valuable to society. Precisely because they already have experience in caring for another.”
Many young people who care for others do not easily see themselves as informal carers, but take it for granted. According to Handjehelpen, they do need recognition and therefore also a buddy. Handjehelpen ensures the right match between a requester for help and a volunteer or intern.