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Volunteers in Boskoop, Zuid-Holland, assemble cots to prepare for refugee arrival. Oct. 7, 2015 (photo: Ready2Help / Twitter)
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Volunteers in Boskoop, Zuid-Holland, assemble cots to prepare for refugee arrival. Oct. 7, 2015 (photo: Ready2Help / Twitter)
Wednesday, 7 October 2015 - 17:19
Over 20,000 sign up to help Red Cross with asylum seekers
The call for volunteers by the Red Cross in mid-September to aid with refugees across the Netherlands has been heard and answered by more than 20 thousand people. At that time, the Red Cross had access to 6,500 volunteers for assisting in asylum seeker-related issues, but now the total is over 27 thousand.
Volunteers are sent messages by email or sms to help at specific times of day for a few hours. They are filling up their needs rapidly, with one representative saying that the reaction to daily scheduling needs is remarkably high, according to broadcaster RTL Nieuws.
Volunteers are helping with the sorting of goods, reception center set-up, clean-up as well as organising sleeping arrangements. Many doctors, interpreters and first-aid workers have gone the extra mile by providing the Red Cross with much-needed professional services, the representative added.
The agency is still calling for volunteers as further assistance is required for support networks for refugee aid. The Red Cross is still on high-alert as the full flow of refugees is now entering the Netherlands.