Country Teams: a bridge between cultures
Over 200 different nationalities
There are around 3.9 million Dutch citizens with a migrant-background; 2.2 million of them have a background in a non-Western country and every culture demands a different approach. In order to help Christians from each of these 200 different backgrounds with their faith integration and in order to help Dutch Christians approach other cultures, we build Country Teams.
What is a Country Team?
A Country Team consists of volunteers with expertise on a specific culture or ethnicity. For example, we currently have an Eritrean, Chinese, Arabic and Farsi Country Team. A Dutch-speaking migrant from this culture is matched with a Dutch-born citizen with knowledge of, or a heart for, this culture.
How do the Country Teams help?
It is extremely valuable when a (Christian) migrant meets someone with a similar background who has lived in the Netherlands for a longer time and who can help the new migrant with their (faith) integration. The Country Team thinks of ways to bring migrants with a similar background together. Meeting and building relationships are the first steps. Additionally, it is necessary to build bridges: between the Dutch culture and the migrant culture or between the migrants if they arrived from a war-torn country. From these initial contacts a community can be built, and a birthplace of ideas and activities can start to flourish.
Besides the building of bridges, the Country Team can take on an advising role towards churches and organisations who desire to build respectful contacts with migrants from a certain culture.
How can you help?
Our dream is to have a Country Team for each culture! To achieve this high goal we need financial support. The volunteers receive expenses and activities cost money.
We are also actively looking for migrants and Dutch-born citizens who’d like to be part of a Country Team. Are you a migrant or are you passionate about a certain culture? Contact us via the contact page.