Into the neighbourhood with Sam& for all children and the Vebego Foundation
Far too many children (one in 12) in the Netherlands grow up in a family with money worries. The Vebego Foundation is committed to helping these children, among other things. Since this year, they have been a partner of the “Sam& for all children” partnership.
Where can you turn when you need support for swimming lessons, sports fees, a bicycle or a laptop for your child? This is often a maze for parents, also because many municipalities have their own rules. Annouk from Sam& for all children: 'We are a cooperation between Leergeld Nederland, Jeugdfonds Sport & Cultuur, Stichting Jarige Job and Nationaal Fonds Kinderhulp. When parents have a request for help for their child, they can submit it to us online. We then forward the application to the appropriate cooperation partner.'
Participate
The Vebego Foundation is committed to making tomorrow a better day for underprivileged children and young people. And is there, with Sam& for all children, also for own people whose children could use some help, explains Marie-Lou Collombon, management assistant at Vebego. 'Even behind the front door of people with a job and a meal on the table every day, it can be hard to make ends meet every month. Swimming lessons, music lessons, good, fun school supplies, a birthday party and a treat at school are then not a priority. But they are so important for the child to be able to participate with peers, not to fall behind.'
Into the neighbourhoods
Meanwhile, more and more parents know how to find the way to Sam& for all children, but to reach even more people you sometimes need to take a slightly different approach. In this context, the action “De wijk in” was devised. In three cities (Utrecht, Groningen and Heerlen), Sam& for all children and the Vebego Foundation visited schools. These were primary schools where it was known that many of the parents were struggling financially. Marie-Lou was asked to go along in Heerlen: 'I didn't have to think long about that. Together with colleagues, we visited a school in Heerlen-North.'
Celebration
The intention was to keep the visit light-hearted and non-confrontational, explains Annouk. 'While school was out, we made it a small party in the sun with an ice cream cart and music. And make no mistake, an ice cream is really not a given for these children. You could also see the joy on their faces. This action also provides a nice contact with the parents - who often wanted an ice cream themselves - and you can give them low-threshold information.' Marie-Lou adds: 'It is also not a time for long heavy conversations. The aim was mainly for them to take the information with them and hopefully get in touch a bit more easily for that help request they have for their children. It may be a small gesture, but I think this works many times better than throwing a leaflet in people's mailboxes.'
Enthusiasm
Annouk is very pleased with the ice cream campaign. 'This was a test: does this way work? It turns out that it does. Schools are a good way to reach parents. In any case, there is so much enthusiasm about it that we will definitely do this again!'
