Impact
January recap: collective action at the start of the year
The year began amid ongoing crises. Developments in Gaza, Sudan and Iran continue to affect access to safety and basic services, while changing dynamics in Syria require close attention. Together with our partners, we are monitoring these contexts to assess the situation closely.
In the Netherlands, January also brought harsh winter conditions that disrupted daily life, including for schools and families. Globally, winter continues to intersect with displacement and conflict, reinforcing the need for timely and practical responses.
At People for People, our focus remains on collective action: connecting corporate resources with NGO expertise to deliver targeted humanitarian support. January showed how speed, collaboration and local insight translate into concrete outcomes.
Below are some of this month’s highlights.
Ukraine: restoring access to education through collective action
School bus project with LifeLine Ukraine and Pouw Vervoer
This project started with a clear request from our long-standing partner LifeLine Ukraine. In two locations, schools were unable to provide in-person education after their school bus was destroyed. For children who had already experienced years of disrupted schooling, access to education depended on restoring transport.
On the day the request was shared, we contacted our partner Pouw Vervoer. Thanks to them, within 24 hours, a replacement school bus was arranged and is currently being prepared for transport to Ukraine.
Working closely with LifeLine Ukraine, we coordinated additional supplies to accompany the bus, including school furniture, backpacks, hardware such as screens, and educational materials. Several partners contributed goods, based on needs identified by the local partner.
Collective action in practice
Beyond logistical coordination, this project reflects how different forms of contribution come together in practice. Within Picnic, a designer volunteered their professional skills to create hand-drawn colouring illustrations for classrooms in Ukraine. Together with handwritten cards from Dutch students, created through our partner Young Impact (more on this below), these additions connect material support with moments of exchange.
These contributions highlight that companies bring more than goods alone. Professional expertise, time and operational capacity all play a role in translating a partner request into a coordinated response.
Warehouse day: mobilisation in practice
As part of the Ukraine education project, we organised a warehouse day to prepare supplies for transport. Business volunteers from Atabix, Picnic and several organisations based in the Europlaza building – a shared office building in Amsterdam where our warehouse is located – joined us, alongside volunteers who travelled significant distances to contribute their time.
During the day, more than 30 volunteers packed and prepared school materials and backpacks for shipment. In total, 610 backpacks were readied for transport.
The warehouse day also offered insight into the work behind cross-border aid. As one volunteer shared:
“Thanks for today guys. I was only there for the morning, but it was really great to do. You really see how much work goes into getting supplies to Ukraine.” – Sarah, Picnic
Another volunteer wrote afterwards:
“I like working with you. I had a wonderful time.” – Gaasan Wony
An employee from the Europlaza building reached out and signed up as a volunteer, indicating she would be available to roll up her sleeves after work going forward.
These moments highlight a core strength of our approach: when opportunities to contribute are clear, mobilisation follows.
Impact exhibition: Europlaza edition
Our travelling end-of-year impact exhibition moved to its next location in January: Europlaza.
The exhibition was first hosted at the end of 2025 at the headquarters of our founding partners bunq and Picnic. It presents moments from 2025 and reflects the collective work carried out with partners, NGOs and volunteers. In 2026, the exhibition is travelling to different partner locations.
During its week at Europlaza, we engaged with companies in the building around partnership opportunities, crisis response and how existing resources can be mobilised when needs arise.
The exhibition continues to serve as a starting point for dialogue and collaboration. We are currently planning the next stop in February.
Are you interested in hosting the impact exhibition at your organisation? Let us know.
Young Impact school takeover: exchange through participation
As part of this project, we joined another school takeover with Young Impact in Zwijndrecht. During the session, students learned about access to education in different contexts and wrote cards for children in Ukraine that will travel with the school supplies.
Reflecting on the day, Eluna, Project Manager at People for People, shared:
“What stands out every time is how much these sessions resonate with students here in the Netherlands. The messages they write show care, thoughtfulness and a strong sense of connection with children elsewhere in the world. It’s meaningful to see how learning translates into empathy and concrete action.”
The takeover illustrates how education, dialogue and participation can complement material support, creating space for understanding alongside practical assistance.
Winter support: redirecting seasonal stock where it’s needed
While access to education is one immediate priority, winter conditions continue to shape needs across several crisis contexts, including Ukraine. Through our NGO partners, we continue to receive requests for winter essentials such as jackets, warm layers and accessories.
We are therefore actively engaging with companies that are phasing winter items out of their collections. Seasonal overstock, unsold size ranges, returns or sample collections can often be redirected quickly and responsibly through our network.
This approach builds on existing collaborations with partners such as Bol.com and Otrium and allows usable goods to be deployed where they are most relevant, while reducing waste and storage pressure for companies.
If your organisation has winter items that are no longer commercially viable, we invite you to explore how these can be repurposed through our current winter response.
👉 Do you have winter items available?
Volunteer Expertise Community Groups: applying skills where they add value
Alongside hands-on support in our warehouse, January marked the launch of our Volunteer Expertise Community Groups.
These groups were created to better apply professional skills from our network beyond operational tasks alone. By bringing together volunteers with expertise in areas such as crisis response, communications, partnerships and operations, we strengthen our capacity behind the scenes and improve our ability to respond quickly and precisely.
The aim is simple: to translate private-sector knowledge into practical support that enhances our humanitarian response.
Learning sessions: using AI responsibly
In January, we hosted another internal learning session focused on the responsible and efficient use of AI. In this session, we explored with an external guest speaker how emerging technologies can support our work, while aligning with our ethical standards and safeguarding sensitive information.
The goal is to ensure that innovation strengthens our impact without compromising accountability, safety or responsible communication.
Looking ahead
February marks four years of People for People. We are currently preparing our 2025 impact report and continuing conversations with partners about the year ahead.
As global needs remain high, our focus stays consistent: building strong partnerships, maintaining high mobilisation capacity, and responding where targeted action can make a practical difference.
Thank you to everyone who continues to contribute time, resources and expertise. Together, we turn urgency into action.
