Saba is gearing up for Saba Doet, the volunteer action event of the Oranje Fonds, this Friday, March 11 and Saturday, March 12.

A grand total of 23 projects have been registered of which one is a double-day project. In total there are 567 spots for volunteers, which already have been largely filled. Almost 400 t-shirts, caps and small first aid sets were handed out to the volunteers during the kick-off event last Friday, March 4. There are still open spots for volunteers to fill.

At the kick-off, coordinator Johan Schaeffer gave a presentation on the two-day “Make a difference weekend” event which is always held Kingdom-wide. The Oranje Fonds in the Netherlands is the initiator and sponsor of Saba Doet, and the Doet events in the other parts of the Kingdom. On Saba, the event is executed by the Saba Lion’s Club.

The Doet events serve to promote volunteering and the strengthening of NGOs. Saba Doet has been growing steadily since its inception and has turned into a true community-wide event. Two additional projects and three organizations have registered this year for the fourth edition of Saba Doet.

“We are very happy with the addition of Saba Cares and the Saba Girls and Boys Sports Society Afterschool Care,” said Schaeffer. The organization where Schaeffer works, Body, Mind & Spirit (BMS), has also joined with a project this year.

The 23 projects this year are: the cleaning of Giles Quarter; the school beautification of the Sacred Heart Primary School; a game day with senior citizens; the afterschool care playground project; the afterschool playground safety project; beautifying of the greenhouse patio of the LIFE program; painting of the H.C. Every Home for senior citizens; cleaning signs, rest sheds and the boardwalk on Mt. Scenery; building a manual sugar cane juicer at The Garden; paint touch-up of the Zion’s Hill Community Center; making memories with the youth taking photos of the elderly; making a bench at the scenic look-out point at Zion’s Hill; upgrading the petting zoo at St. John’s; setting up stage lights at the Zion’s Hill Community center; planting fruit trees and build ornamental at The Garden; spending quality time for parents and children at Chocolate Fun; working on the Sea and Rescue boat at the Saba Comprehensive School; planting at the Botanical Garden; improvements to the bus stop and lookout bench at Zion’s Hill; preparing healthy dishes with locally-grown products; cleaning up of St. John’s; preparing a weekend meal for the Meals on Wheels clients.

The 23 projects were submitted by 10 organizations: the Saba Comprehensive School, Saba Cares, the Saba Conservation Foundation (SCF), Saba Girls and Boys Sports Society Afterschool Care, Saba Reach Foundation, Reverend Gerard Bisschop Foundation, Child Focus Foundation, Saba Nature Education, Saba Lion’s Club and BMS.

GIS