About Angel’s Garden

Angel’s Garden is a young foundation established on 8 June 2007 and domiciled in Purmerend (Netherlands). Our mission is to help handicapped adolescents and chronically ill children in Suriname who are falling between two stools. For these young people no day, night, or weekend care is available. This makes them dependent on their families and restricts their social contacts. Angel’s Garden wants to provide a home for them to break the barriers of their social exclusion.

This annual Report is on the 3rd of January 2013 approved by the board of Angel’s Garden.

Board and meetings

In 2012 the board of Angel’s Garden assembled nine times.

Survey of important events.

Suriname
* In this year the chairwoman of Angel’s Garden, Zoelaiga Herfst, made a business visit to Suriname. During this visit she attended meetings about a building lot for the foundation.
* The District Commissioner of Commewijne, Ingrid Karta-Bink, expressed her continuing sympathy with Angel’s Garden and promised to do everything in her power to support the realization of its goals. Also the DC introduced Zoelaiga Herfst to the parliamentarian Jenny Warsodikomo. She is enthusiastic about Angel’s Garden and also promised to exert herself for the foundation.
* During this visit Zoelaiga Herfst was invited for an introductory interview at Huize Bathaljada in Paramaribo. Present at this meeting were Mrs. de Groot, director of this home, Mrs. Brons, member of the governing board, the chairwoman of Angel’s Garden Netherlands and the treasurer of Angel’s Garden Suriname. This was a productive meeting, exploring possibilities for future cooperation. The chairwoman of Angel’s Garden underlined that this foundation is not out for competition and strives for efficient cooperation with other homes in Suriname.
* In Paramaribo Zoelaiga Herfst had a short meeting with the chairman of Suriprofs, Stanley Menzo. Suriprofs support projects for children and adolescents in Suriname who are in a difficult position. Establishing contact with Suriprofs was important for Angel’s Garden as the young people to be accommodated by Angel’s Garden also belong to the target groups of Suriprofs. During this talk Mr. Menzo outlined the application procedure for subsidy, and it was agreed that the two foundations will keep in contact with each other.
* During the first half of 2012 a meeting was arranged between Mrs. Cost, coordinator for foreign countries of Agis health care insurance, Jimmy Wakidin, the treasurer of Angel’s Garden Suriname and Mrs. Strijdhafte representing Regional Development Land Management (Regionale Ontwikkeling Grond Beheer, ROGB). This meeting took place in the main office of ROBG. Mrs. Strijdhafte pointed out that two approvals for the allocation of a building lot to Angel’s Garden were still missing, one from the Ministry of Public Health, and the other from the Ministry of Social Affairs. Meanwhile, the board of Angel’s Garden applied for these approvals. She further expressed a wish for further talks with the chairwoman of Angel’s Garden in the Netherlands, at the time when all the necessary documents for settling the building lot of Angel’s Garden would be available.

Netherlands
* The director of the Maagdenhuis in Amsterdam, Mr. de Jong, assured Angel’s Garden of his continuing support for the project of this foundation. It was also thanks to Mr. de Jong that the chairwoman of Angel’s Garden was introduced to Mrs. Cost of Agis health care insurance.
* In the second half of 2012 a meeting was arranged between Mrs. Cost of  Agis health care insurance and the chairwoman and vice-chairman of Angel’s Garden. This meeting took place in the main office of Agis. One of the topics discussed was the possibility of working together with Agis. The conditions for such a cooperation were outlined by Mrs. Cost. Angel’s Garden expressed a wish to make it possible for parents with handicapped children in the Netherlands to spend a holiday with these children in Suriname. Mrs. Cost made clear that parents who are insured with Agis will certainly qualify for care in Angel’s Garden. Parents who are not insured with Agis, but entitled to care under ABWZ, would also be entitled to care for their child. Finally it was agreed with Mrs. Cost that the chairwoman of Angel’s Garden would keep her informed about further developments concerning the acquisition of a building lot in Suriname.
* In this year Angel’s Garden developed its own logo, which was meanwhile posted on the website.

Activities

Owing to a shortage of motivated volunteers, Angel’s Garden was unable to carry out its planned activities. Initially, three volunteers were recruited through theVolunteer Center  Amsterdam (VCA), but later it turned out that they were all of them people with a benefit, who were practically forced by the awarding authority to do volunteer work. Because of this compulsion, they were hardly motivated and quickly disappeared. Now there is a search for motivated helpers who really like to do volunteer work. In Suriname one volunteer was recruited, Chantal Dwarkasing. She works for a travel organization in Paramaribo and offered her help to raise funds for Angel’s Garden.

Donations

Mr Ronald Roorda, of Capital Impact, reaffirmed his support of the project, as he still sympathizes with Angel’s Garden. He wants to make every effort to help the foundation realize its goals. Mr Roorda keeps a keen eye on the settlement of the building lot.

The chairwoman was as yet unable to contact the bank with regard to the application of authorization forms for donations. This point will be high on the board agenda in the coming year.

Subsidies 

The board of Angel’s Garden has been in touch with Mrs. Artist of Skanfonds Suriname. During this talk the chairwoman of Angel’s Garden was informed about the modified procedure of the application for subsidies. Unfortunately, owing to other activities, the board of Angel’s Garden was unable to send an application for subsidy to Skanfonds. In the coming year, the board will still be entitled to do this. The board of Angel´s Garden in the Netherlands is holding back other applications for subsidies pending the settlement of the building lot.

Financiën

See appendix

 

Planning 2013

* Extending the network
* Recruiting volunteers
* Raising funds
* New office room in Amsterdam
* Paying a business visit to Suriname

This annual report was accepted by the board on 4 March 2013.