About the foundation
The Help Sosua kids go to School Foundation
- Established: 27 November 2007, closed: 14 December 2018.
- Registered at the Chamber of Commerce for Gooi-en Eemland, in the Netherlands.
- Recognised by the Dutch tax authorities as a charity able to receive tax-free donations: ‘ANBI verklaring’ with effect from 6 December 2007 till 14 December 2018.
- Bank account number:
- email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The Help Sosua kids go to School Foundation was set up on 27 November 2007 by Sylvia Berkley. The actual activities had already commenced in the second half of 2006.
During her holiday in the Dominican Republic in February 2006, Sylvia saw widespread poverty, children roaming the streets with bare feet, prostitution and other things wrong. After returning to the Netherlands, Sylvia decided to try to help by enabling more poor children to go to school. To this end, she got in touch with the Sosúa Kids Organisation in Sosúa. This organisation is run by a group of American Canadian and Dominican people, all of whom are voluntary workers. The organisation ensures that school uniforms, shoes and learning materials are provided to poor children. Everyone has to buy these items to be admitted to the state’s schools, and poor parents or orphans are unable to pay these costs.
Financial assistance is also provided for the Colegio Evangelico Asher, by contributing to furnishing costs, teachers’ wages, clothes and food. In 2006, a Dominican couple, Judith en Roberto Terrero set up the Colegio Evangelico Asher, a private school for children who previously lived on a rubbish dump. Haitian children who are refugees are also admitted to this school. These children cannot go to the state schools. The government contributes nothing to their school, because it is not a state school.
The Foundation is small-scale, has no commercial ties and works with donations that mainly come from private individuals.