A Saba DOET volunteer cleaning the cemetery in Windwardside.
SABA--Saba DOET, the annual “make-a-difference” event where volunteers help out in the community, will take place May 28-29. Originally, Saba DOET and similar events in the other parts of the Dutch Kingdom were to take place March 12-13.
Oranje Fonds, the organisation in the Netherlands that initiates the annual volunteer event throughout the kingdom, decided mid-January to postpone the initiative due to the measures related to the coronavirus pandemic.
Even though Saba is COVID-19 free, the Netherlands and many of the other Dutch Caribbean islands are not. In Saba, DOET is co-hosted by the Saba Lions Club, whose members play an active role in the event.
Non-profit organisations in Saba are encouraged to register their projects. They can do so by filling out the details on
www.sabadoet.com. More information can be acquired by emailing
sabalionsdoet@gmail, or through the Saba DOET Facebook page.
Until mid-April organisations can submit a request to receive funding for their project. A maximum of US $650 per project is available – up to $500 for materials needed for the project itself and $150 for food and drinks.
This will be the third year that Saba DOET will take place, and it has been growing in size and popularity. In 2020, Saba DOET had 16 projects with about 200 volunteers. With more than 10 per cent of the population participating, Saba DOET has, relatively speaking, the largest participation in the kingdom when compared to the total population, said Saba DOET coordinator Johan Schaeffer. The large turn-out is partly due to the participation of Saba Comprehensive School (SCS) and its students.
Projects that are traditionally part of Saba DOET, and in the other parts of the kingdom, include the beautification and cleaning of community facilities and areas, and giving extra attention to vulnerable groups, including the elderly.
Saba projects last year included cleaning the cemetery in Windwardside, planting fruit trees on Fort Bay Road, an extra meal for the elderly, clean-up of St. John’s and beautification of Johan Cruyff Court, among others.
Sponsoring by the business community is most welcome. “After all, it is for a good cause. The broader the support, the more successful the projects turn out to be,” said Schaeffer, who expressed much appreciation for the volunteers. “We can be proud that so many of us participate here in Saba. The slogan is very appropriate: ‘Together we achieve more.’”
Meetings are being planned for next month where organisations will be briefed about Saba DOET and the procedures.
