When Mariska was 9 years old, she was touched when she saw Dutch singer Marco Borsato on TV with his song Speeltuin. The choir in which she sang went to Zwolle to sing with Marco Borsato for 'War Child'. Mariska became a donor and since then she wanted to go to Africa.

When she had the opportunity to go to Africa to volunteer in July 2012, she seized this opportunity with both hands. She went to South Africa, Kwaggafontein for six weeks and supported teaching adults in an ICT & education center. Here she saw what getting a degree meant for the future of adult students. This experience confirmed that this was what she always wanted: to work in Africa. The only thing that was still missing was living closer to the African community.

After obtaining her bachelor's degree in Communication Science and her master's degree in Business Administration, International Management, she decided to do voluntary work again in February 2014. She went to Malawi, Cape Maclear for three months and worked at Chembe Projects. She taught and trained teachers to support the most vulnerable children in the village. This time she lived in a host family among the locals, with an African mother, father, brothers and sister. This was what she always wanted from childhood, a wish came true. Here she lived in the real, pure Africa and immersed herself in the African way of living.

Mariska and Aaron met in Malawi. Aarons observation ‘you have a heart’, because she volunteered to commit herself to people that were simply born in a country with less opportunities, became fundamental for the name of this foundation. Mariska wanted to stay longer. She had fallen in love with the projects, the people, the country, and meanwhile also with Aaron. The first thing she said when she got back to Amsterdam Schiphol was: "I'm going back".

Mariska started looking for a job in Malawi, but this turned out to be more challenging than she expected. But as Aaron always said, ‘where there is a will, there is a way’. Mariska could start a paid job in the capital Lilongwe as the country coordinator for a Dutch foundation. The organization still had to be set up in Malawi. With the help of Aaron, she started looking for projects where volunteers could work through the foundation in Malawi. She also arranged accommodation, planned trips and arranged the necessary papers. Mariska and Aaron were a good team, Mariska with the knowledge she had from the Netherlands and her experience as a volunteer and Aaron with his knowledge of Malawi, the culture and the people. Everything went well and soon they were able to receive the first volunteers. However, the Ebola outbreak threw a spanner in the works. This outbreak was not in Malawi, South East Africa, but elsewhere in North West Africa. So, although the virus was closer to the Netherlands than to Malawi, the number of volunteers fell sharply due to fear of the virus. Unfortunately, Mariska's contract was terminated.

It was not possible to find reasonably paid work in Malawi and that is why Mariska and Aaron decided to work and live in the Netherlands for the time being and try to give support from the Netherlands to people in Malawi. Mariska moved back to the Netherlands in February 2015 and went to live in Amsterdam. After traveling back and forth to Malawi for a little over a year to see each other, Aaron came to the Netherlands in June 2016. In the Netherlands, Mariska worked as a Participation Coach at a foundation in Amsterdam that is committed to vulnerable Amsterdam residents and at VluchtelingenWerk Nederland as a Social Guidance Team Leader and Language Coach Coordinator. She is also in Malawi for longer and shorter periods of time to focus on the further development of OneHeartMalawi.