Our goal and methodology
What is our main goal?
Our goal is to promote and support projects in developing countries, by our own means or with assistance from other indidivuals or organizations. These projects aim to to improve the living conditions of the local population.
What is our main driver?
Over the years, we have built quite an extensive network in Sri Lanka and have come to know many people. Through this network, we continue to find new projects. We take pride in the challenge of being able to help people at various locations to provide them with a secure livelihood.
Why are we doing this?
Founded in 1983, the foundation has been active for over 40 years. While we initially provided assistance in countries such as Sri Lanka, Ghana and Indonesia, we now focus solely on Sri Lanka. This is primarily because our former board members, who had contacts in those countries, are no longer connected to the foundation. Board members Piet, Christian and Olaf initially started working for Horizon Holland as deployed volunteers. Piet and Christian have backgrounds in horticulture and in providing education to people who are distant from the labour market. So helping others is in our blood.
What is our target group, what activities do we carry out and where?
We support people with mental and/or physical disabilities. We provide support to individuals, households and educational institutions in Sri Lanka. Over the past year, we have visited many small-scale projects in Sri Lanka. These have ranged from providing private assistance, such as building an adapted toilet for a young woman in need, to financing a motorboat for a wheelchair-using fisherman. We also carry out some larger projects in cooperation with the Sri Lanka Disadvantaged People Foundation and De Wilde Ganzen. These are projects focusing on water supply. We are currently working in Galboda, in the Kandy district. Here, 130 families live in a remote village on an old tea plantation. As it is no longer in use, most residents have no income. They depend mainly on donations and self-reliance. The water supply dates back to the 1950s and is no longer operational. In collaboration with the aforementioned organizations, we have decided to assist these families in obtaining a new water source, complete with tanks and water pipes leading to their homes. The latter will be carried out by the residents themselves under the guidance of the Sri Lanka Disadvantaged Foundation. This reduces the project costs significantly. Fortunately, the Mondolokaal Foundation has supported us with a donation of €1,000 for this project.
How do we find our projects?
We have a number of regular contacts in Sri Lanka who approach us. For instance, we have been in contact with the Ministry of Health since last year. The Ministry has a special department that assists individuals with accessibility issues. They have introduced us to several families in urgent need of assistance with sanitation, such as providing a wheelchair user with a concrete path to a toilet block and a physically disabled man with a shower facility. We also try to help people with disabilities become self-sufficient. One example is a young man who needed various tools to repair televisions and phones. Despite having received technical training, he is unable to work as an employee due to his disability.
Results from previous projects
Providing project assistance to individuals.
We support individuals or families in starting their own businesses by providing financial assistance. This can include providing a sewing machine, tools, or even a fishing boat. We also support projects for families with no or very limited income due to a family member’s disability. Often, these families also have a need for an adapted toilet or shower.
Providing project assistance to schools
Many rural schools have inadequate facilities for providing normal education. Most requests we receive are for water tanks, sanitary facilities, computers and photocopier machines, and playground equipment. It is great to see that we have been able to help so many children with such a modest amount of money.
Schools also regularly request support in setting up vegetable gardens. This serves educational purposes, and also stimulates parents to become more involved at school. Parents often help out in the garden in exchange for a share of the produce.
Larger scale projects
We take on larger projects in cooperation with the Foundation for the Disadvantaged in Sri Lanka and De Wilde Ganzen. Recently, we installed a water supply at a home for 60 disabled residents and drilled for water at a school, providing both the school and the surrounding families with water. We are also currently constructing a new water supply in a remote village.