About us
Mariëlle Daemen, Chair
“Children are the future! In The Gambia too many children cannot go to school due to poverty. Girls need to help out at home and take care of their younger sisters and brothers. Boys are on the street selling stuff or have to work in the fields. This is not what I have in mind with the expression ‘children are the future’. Through the Kids2School Foundation I want to contribute to a better future for more children in The Gambia.”
Chantal Muyrers, Treasurer
“When my children were at the age of four, it was not the question if they would go to school but to which school. Unfortunately many children do not have this choice. Not everywhere in the world education can be taken for granted like it is in the Netherlands. Also not in The Gambia. The stories of Mariëlle, Elfie and Mathieu and their drive to make education accessible to as many children as possible made me enthusiastic to contribute to this as well. Because all children should have the opportunity to go to school, wherever they are born.”
René van de Kandelaar, Secretary
“Everyone who wants to contribute to a good cause, often is left with the feeling what actually is going to happen with their donation, where will the money end up. At least that is what I often experienced. These are questions you rarely get an answer to, and as a consequence keeping the involvement with the good cause at a low level. Through our chair I became aware of the challenging situation of education in The Gambia. Education is the basis for a better future, which unfortunately is out of reach for many children in The Gambia. Through the Kids2School Foundation I have the opportunity to actively contribute to a foundation with a clear goal, fully transparent and with an efficient allocation of donations. In short, a foundation you would give to. I am honored to play an active role in this foundation.”
Elfie Rutten-Daemen, Staff member
“In The Gambia children are truly happy and proud when they can go to school. Through education the children not only can take better care of their families in the future, they can also contribute to the development of the country. The future of Gambian children and The Gambia as a country are close to my heart. As such I am actively involved in Kids2School.”
Mathieu Rutten, Staff member
“Every time we visit The Gambia and I see the smiling faces of the families because they are happy that their children can go to school, it gives me a great feeling. Through the Kids2School Foundation we can make more families happy and give them hope for a better future for their children.”
Buba Sowe, Coordinator in Gambia
“I have been a tour guide for my entire life and have had the opportunity to visit many places including families in the country and elsewhere. Anytime I visited a community I saw a need to help kids who are very clever but because of poverty they cannot attend school. I also realize that if these clever kids are given an opportunity, they can make a lot of difference in the future. So I began to think of a way how to help them an starting a new project like Kids2School that will help kids realize their dreams is just wonderful. I think this project will not only help these kids in the future, but it will also help my country to develop its own resources who will later contribute to the development of their own societies and communities, to lift the country from poverty with the right education. So I am very happy to help.”
