As April comes to an end, we reflect on our activities over the past month.
Here’s a summary of our initiatives:
- Eid al Fitr and projects in Gaza
- Moments of connection at our Rolling Aid Event in Heerhugowaard
- Announcing our partnership with Otrium!
- Volunteers, donations and more space in our warehouse
- Director Marcella Simons speaks at Purpose Day
- Building connections with the community in Rekken and Haaksbergen
Upcoming…
- Unveiling our new crisis strategy
- Impact Day May 4-5
Eid al Fitr and projects in Gaza
🌙 Eid al-Fitr🌙 is a time when friends and family come together to break the Ramadan fast and share some delicious meals 🍽️
While the past year has brought challenging times, uncertainty, and hunger for so many, we are also seeing beautiful stories of people coming together to share small moments of connection and joy.
In Gaza, where it’s already extremely difficult to put food on the table during Ramadan, a local partner helped distribute warm meals, toys, and cookies for Eid-al-Fitr in Rafah (South Gaza). Thanks to their perseverance and hard work, these kids will be able to be kids again as they share a warm meal for Eid.
We also partnered with two other local organizations to bring food parcels to people in the north of Gaza and fresh vegetables to people in the south.
Moments of connection at our Rolling Aid Event in Heerhugowaard
On April 14th, we held one of our Rolling Aid Events at a reception center in Heerhugowaard for 48 boys between the ages of 16-18, mostly from Syria and Eritrea.
Many were timid at first, but as the day unfolded with games, drawing and pizza workshops, the kids began to let loose and have fun. One of the kids said, “I really enjoyed making pizza, I learnt something new that I can do in the kitchen moving forward,” as he proudly showed off his pizza creation. 🍕
The COA later told us that one activity they really enjoyed was the bonding session at the start of that day. These moments help us build connections by creating an open environment and allowing us to simply listen to what the kids have to say. We break up into small groups (including a volunteer translator when possible) and start by playing some ice breaker games to get to know each other. Then we encourage the kids to share some of their thoughts about the Netherlands, their interests and dreams for the future through different activities. 🚀
Most of all, these moments are about having fun. Some kids like to share more, others prefer to draw their answers, and others just like to listen. But by the end, it’s great to see everyone smiling and laughing as we finish up with an energizer round of ‘the floor is lava,’ musical chairs or a dance battle. 🪩
The main thing we want these kids to take away from our Rolling Aid Events is the knowledge that they are not alone. There are people they can trust who care and are willing to welcome them, listen and help in the good and bad times.
“It was one of the best moments in my life,” one of the kids told us as we were leaving for the day. ❤️
Announcing our partnership with Otrium!
People for People joins forces with Otrium, a game-changer in the online fashion outlet marketplace, redefining the industry with their innovative approach to unsold inventory.
At People for People, our mission is to bring positive change to the lives of asylum seekers in the Netherlands. Proudly collaborating with Otrium, we’re making this vision a reality. Through their generous donations, asylum seekers benefit during our Rolling Aid Events across the Netherlands 🌟
Thrilled to partner with such a socially responsible and forward-thinking company, together, we’re making a tangible difference 💪🏼
Discover more about our partnership and Otrium’s donation program in their latest blog post: https://www.otrium.nl/blog/otrium-donations-nl
Volunteers, donations and more space in our warehouse
It’s been busy but fun times in our warehouse! We had 39 pallets of donations come in which we needed to load and sort. Luckily we also had 4 sorting days with a total of 35 volunteers who came to help us and have some fun. 🕺
One was a group of 12 volunteers from Merkle and Dentsu who did an incredible job (see the video below).
We also had 2 boys, Derk and Job, come help us for two days as part of their school internship program. They helped with getting some laptops ready and packing backpacks for Heerhugowaard.
Overall, this month we:
- Packed 53 backpacks and sport shirts for Heerhugowaard
- Did a drop off in Utrecht including 22 backpacks filled with school supplies, some clothing, shoes and games
- Provided 1,360 items to Leusden including backpacks with school supplies, hygiene products and (sport) clothing
- Donated (sport) clothing, underwear, shoes and 4 laptops to Rekken and Haaksbergen
Usespace also gave us 2 extra spaces in the warehouse that we can use to store stuff! This is really great because our warehouse is super full already and there will be another 60 pallets arriving soon, so the extra spaces are very welcome.
Director Marcella Simons speaks at Purpose Day
“It was such an honor to be included in the list of speakers for this year’s Purpose Day alongside such inspiring innovators like Rutger Bergman, Katie Janssen and Jaap Korteweg who shared how they turned their vision into a movement,” said People for People’s Director Marcella Simons in a LinkedIn post.
In our breakout session, Marcella got to present how People for People built a purpose army to a room full of leaders and future changemakers. 💪
Sometimes we feel powerless as we see crises unfold on the news. In creating People for People, what our founders aimed to show to the world is that we can make a difference, if we work together.
The Netherlands’ vibrant tech community is full of talented entrepreneurs, technical and creative minds who know how to move fast and get things done. At People for People, we’re honing this power towards humanitarian action.
If you’re keen to discover what we’ve accomplished in the past two years or are looking to unite and join forces with our collective, feel free to get in touch at info@peopleforpeople.info 💫
Building connections with the community in Rekken and Haaksbergen
It was a beautiful day, and not just because the sun was shining over our latest Rolling Aid Event for Rekken and Haaksbergen. At this event, we had more community involvement than ever before with local organizations, sports clubs, community groups and kids signing up to get involved and welcome their ‘new neighbors’ at Sportclub Rekken. 🥳
The special guests of the day were 78 boys from the two shelter locations between the ages of 13-17. These young boys have traveled far from home, many without their family or friends, to build a safe and peaceful future. It was so heartwarming to see them receive the acceptance and warmth they need from the community to find their way in a new environment.
The day was filled with activities driven by local community groups including a dance and body percussion workshop by the Stichting Culturije, a volleyball clinic by Geert Weijers (a trainer of the ladies 1 division) from the Revoc Association, a creative workshop by entrepreneur Ida Hartlief and a boxing clinic by COA Rekken. 🏐🕺
Perhaps one of the favorite activities of the day was the sports clinic organized by Sport Federatie Berkelland and Sportclub Rekken. An enthusiastic group of local children came to play with the boys. They had a blast and hope to play with the kids from the shelter more often. ⚽❤️
We believe that the connections that were formed today between the boys and the local community will continue with more events and friendships being fostered in the future.
We want to send a big thank you to all the volunteer translators who helped us make every boy feel included and heard. By the end of the day, everyone was smiling and high-fiving each other. One boy said about the event:
“We were all equal, no distinction. It was very funny and cool.”
This event was really a model for what we aim to achieve more and more in the future: people actively reaching out and embracing newcomers into the community. ❤️
Thank you to Hart van Syrië for providing a delicious lunch inspired by Middle Eastern and North African recipes. The boys were so happy to get to enjoy some dishes that reminded them of home. 🍲
Upcoming…
Here are some new events and People for People updates we’re looking forward to in May:
- Impact day May 4-5
- Unveiling our new crisis strategy
Want to join the People for People movement as we continue to bring a positive impact to people’s lives at home and abroad? Find out more about how you can volunteer your time, skills, and/or expertise by signing up via our volunteer form
