Impact
August recap: turning resources into action
Throughout August, we continued bringing people, resources and expertise together around practical needs.
From preparing winter support for Ukraine to creating new connections at COA locations across the Netherlands, our partners and volunteers helped turn available resources into meaningful support.
Preparing for winter in Ukraine
The fifth winter of the war in Ukraine is approaching. Continued attacks on energy and heating infrastructure mean that millions of people are at risk of facing winter without reliable heat or electricity.
That is why we have started a dedicated winter campaign, focused on helping vulnerable families stay warm and maintain access to essential energy.
Our first winter shipment consists of 90 pallets. So far, 85 pallets have been filled, including around 20,000 sleeping bags and warm clothing, thanks to partners including Bamboo Basics, bol, Nomad and others.
The first truck is being prepared for departure, and we are still looking to fill the remaining 5 pallets.
We are currently looking for power stations, heaters and winter essentials, including warm clothing and blankets, jackets, sweaters, footwear, hats, scarves, gloves and thermal underwear for children, teenagers and adults.
Other practical items such as baby and adult diapers, infant formula, baby strollers, hygiene products and household essentials are also needed.
Our aim is to reach 25,000 people and their families with practical winter support, with the possibility of scaling further as more resources become available.
There are several ways to support: donate goods, make a financial contribution, or leverage your network to help spread the word.
Bringing people together in Doetinchem
A People for People Day is about more than organising activities. It is about creating a space where people who might otherwise not meet can connect.
That was particularly relevant in Doetinchem. Before the new COA location opened its doors, there had already been some tensions in the surrounding neighbourhood. We were therefore asked to organise a People for People Day within the first two weeks of the location opening.
The aim was to bring together residents from the family location and the unaccompanied minors facility, COA staff and local organisations, and create an opportunity to simply get to know each other.
Through pizza-making, painting, games and creative activities, children, young people and parents joined in in their own way.
We also invited local organisations to meet residents. Caroline from De Doetinchemse Uitdaging introduced residents to Sjop voor Nop and other local initiatives.
The connections started naturally. Young people played with children, parents joined the pizza workshop, and people who had never met before started creating and sharing together.
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COA colleague
For Caroline, the day was also a first step towards longer-term connections in the local community. She came to meet residents, build familiarity and invite them to visit local initiatives in Doetinchem.
That is what a People for People Day can create: a first opportunity to meet, with connections that can continue afterwards.
A day built around choice in Scheveningen
We returned to Scheveningen for another People for People Day, this time with 27 unaccompanied minors.
Rather than following one fixed programme, we created several activities that ran alongside each other: sports, creative workshops, games and a pizza workshop.
This gave the young people the freedom to move between activities and participate in their own way. Some made their own pizza, others joined a game or creative activity, and many moved between different activities throughout the afternoon.
The COA team noticed the difference this made. Having several activities at the same time helped keep the young people engaged and is something they are now also considering in their own activity planning.
But the activities were only part of the day. The COA team also highlighted the value of the attention from volunteers:
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People for People volunteer
Connecting donations with families
Our network continued to turn available resources into practical support.
This month, we collected another 65 prams from one of our partners and brought a total of 108 prams to Nunspeet.
More prams are expected to become available in the coming weeks. We will continue working with partners to connect these donations with families across the Netherlands who need them.
Calling all experts: turn your skills into action
Support does not always have to come in the form of products or donations.
We are launching two Research & Action Sprints and are looking for professionals who want to contribute their expertise to our projects.
One track focuses on longer-term challenges facing displaced young people around education, offline technology and self-reliance.
The other supports our Ukraine winter campaign, with a focus on marketing, design, sales and corporate partnerships.
We are looking for researchers, strategists, consultants, designers and other specialists who want to contribute remotely and flexibly.
For companies, this can also be a practical way to involve employees and teams, putting existing skills to work where they are needed.
Fill in the volunteer form below and let us know which track you’d like to get involved in – we’ll be in touch.
Looking ahead
We are continuing to prepare the next phase of our Ukraine winter campaign, with the first shipment being filled and more goods being collected in the coming weeks.
We are also preparing a special edition School Take Over in Assen, where we will work with students to explore displacement, connection and taking action.
And next month, one of our colleagues will travel to Syria to start our new project on the ground. We will share more about this work in our next recap.
Help us drive impact: we’re still looking for a new van
Some of the most important work we do depends on something surprisingly practical: getting people and supplies where they need to be.
Every month, our van transports emergency aid, donations and materials for People for People Days across the country. After years of intensive use, it is reaching the end of its journey, and we are still looking for an electric replacement.
Whether through a donation, partnership, loan vehicle or demonstration model, every contribution helps us continue moving support to where it is needed.
