Since March 5, Huruy (26) has been working one day a week as a volunteer at the Food Bank in Amsterdam. Here he helps with the distribution of the packages and he receives forklift driving lessons to hopefully get his diploma for forklift driver soon. Huruy came to the Netherlands from Eritrea in 2015. He became acquainted with NewBees through Semhar, a good friend who works as a matcher at NewBees Amsterdam
Huruy: “I really want to get my diploma as a forklift driver. That is why I am so happy with this traineeship. But this is not the only reason. When I’m working at the food bank, I think about all the families with small children, people who have been hit hard by Corona and don’t have a job. More and more people have a hard time and make use of the food packages. Through this work I not only help the food bank but also these people, these families. That makes me happy.”
Driving test soon
“Every week I get two hours of forklift driving lessons. I will take the driving test soon. To study the theory, my supervisor gave me a book with all the rules. The book is in Dutch. I don’t understand everything, but I understand all the important chapters. When I will have my diploma, I will be allowed to drive the forklift on my own, without a supervisor. This traineeship lasts a total of six months. I have time after my exam to gain driving experience. The location of the Food Bank in Amsterdam is also the regional distribution center of North Holland. We are responsible for receiving and distributing food packages for nearly seventy food bank locations in the country. In the morning the trucks come in and I help placing the packages by location in the warehouse. “
My colleagues help me improve my speaking skills
“I have good contact with my colleagues. During the breaks we talk about life in the Netherlands, about our work. I tell them about my country, my culture. We share our stories. I followed language lessons at NLtraining for two years. The conversations with my colleagues help to improve my speaking skills. Nowadays I sometimes help Eritrean friends and colleagues who do not speak Dutch.”
More chances for a good job
“After this traineeship, I will continue with my studies. Last year I obtained my MBO diploma in electrical engineering level 1. I want to get to level 2 now. The combination of the MBO diploma level 2 and the forklift driver certificate offers me more opportunities for a good job. For example, at a billboard advertising company, such as the one where I did an internship last year. Install, repair, assemble, maintenance, I like everything. If my fridge is broken, I fix it myself! I also help my neighbours when they have problems with their appliances. And they help me when I don’t understand something in Dutch.”
Huruy’s traineeship came about from our ProSocial Traineeship, which is part of the Social Service Time More information? Look into our project Prosocial.
