Thanksgiving, May 2026

As in 2025, a Thanksgiving celebration was organised at the local church at the beginning of the second school term, together with the children’s families, teachers and other members of the community. This was followed by a dinner for everyone involved. A total of 176 people attended. The gathering focused on connection, engagement and positive cooperation within the community. Three goats, three chickens, vegetables, potatoes and other food were purchased for the meal.

Costs: €750

Motorcycle, January 2026

To make the project more efficient, the foundation purchased a motorcycle for the local staff member who works on the project on a daily basis. The different communities are located some distance from one another, making transport an important part of the day-to-day work. The motorcycle remains the property of the foundation and its insurance is also paid for by the project. This allows families and children to be reached more quickly and regularly.

Costs:Motorcycle: €1.530
Insurance: €150

Annual Programme, January 2026

The annual ‘Beyond Barriers’ programme continued and was expanded further in 2026. In addition to education, healthcare and support during pregnancy and childbirth, extracurricular holiday activities are now a permanent part of the programme. A dedicated project manager has also been appointed to oversee the day-to-day support and coordination of the different families and individual situations within the project. This more intensive support helps increase engagement and continuity, while improving the programme’s chances of long-term success.

Costs:Education: €300 per child x 50 = €15.000
Healthcare workers, monthly visits & medicines = €5.400
Mama kits: €7 each x 100 = €700
Extracurricular holiday activities: €5.745
Local support: €4.235,50
Project management incl. visits & reports: €15.500
Total: €46.580,50

Establishment of the Van Bommel Foundation, January 2026

To keep the projects and activities clearly separate from Schoenfabriek van Bommel and organise everything as transparently as possible, we established the Van Bommel Foundation. The foundation allows us to professionalise our support for the project and provides a clear structure for future initiatives and donations. We have also started the process of obtaining ANBI status, allowing donations to be managed in a transparent and responsible manner.

Costs: €575,45

Christmas Packages, December 2025

In addition to the regular annual programme, we put together Christmas packages for all participating families, as well as several other families within the community. The packages included food, soap and small gifts for the children. This provided families with some additional essentials during the festive period, as well as something special to enjoy together.

Costs: €875

Funeral, September 2025

In September 2025, one of the children participating in the ‘Beyond Barriers’ project died after being struck by lightning in an open field. As the family did not have the financial means to pay for a funeral, the foundation covered the cost of a coffin and a shared meal for those attending the funeral.

Costs: €250

Thanksgiving, May 2025

At the beginning of the second school term, a Thanksgiving celebration was organised at the local church together with the children’s families, teachers and other members of the community. This was followed by a dinner for everyone involved. A total of 176 people attended. The gathering focused on connection, engagement and positive cooperation within the community. Three goats, three chickens, vegetables, potatoes and other food were purchased for the meal.

Costs: €750

Extracurricular Holiday Activities, May 2025

As an additional activity alongside the regular annual programme, we organise extracurricular activities three days a week during the school holidays, supervised by two teachers. The programme covers a total of 45 days throughout the year, giving the 46 children the opportunity to continue learning through play while taking part in sports and other activities. They also receive meals and all the materials required for the programme on these days. These activities help the children maintain their connection with school, increasing the likelihood that they will return to education after the holidays.

Costs: €5.745

Football Team Sponsorship, March 2025

Supporting local initiatives is an important way to build support within the wider community. We therefore provided Lagos FC Rubuguri with complete football kits for 24 first-team players. Although the team itself is not part of the Batwa community, we believe it is important to involve the wider local community in the project as well. This helps prevent social tensions and ensures that our support contributes to local engagement, cooperation and a stable environment for everyone.

Costs: €2.249,60

Annual Programme, January 2025

The annual ‘Beyond Barriers’ programme focuses on three main areas: education, healthcare and support during pregnancy and childbirth. Through the project, scholarships are provided to children from the Batwa community, healthcare workers regularly visit different communities in and around Rubuguri and mama kits are distributed to make safe childbirth more accessible.

Costs:Education: €300 per child x 50 = €15.000
Healthcare workers, monthly visit €300 x 12 = €3.600
Mama kits: €7 each x 100 = €700
Local support: €1.800
Project management incl. visits & reports: €15.000
Total: €36.600

Project Launch, October 2024

Running long-term projects in a complex international environment is not straightforward. As a first step, we therefore looked for an experienced partner organisation that could support us in setting up and implementing the project. We found that partner in Lattice, a Kenyan organisation with experience in social and community projects in East Africa.

Lattice supported the initial phase of the project through desk research, a field visit to Rubuguri and data analysis. Following the initial research, the team travelled to Uganda to speak with residents, schools, healthcare providers, the church, local authorities and other parties involved. This helped identify the most urgent needs within the Batwa community and establish the main priorities. The team also assessed how the available resources could be used as effectively as possible and how the project could be sustainably embedded within the local community. This initial phase resulted in a report and a concrete plan of action.

Costs: €12.000