SUNRISE DUTCH EDUCATION FUND
Desiree Lesscher started the education project in 2006 with four children from the orphanage; the SDEF foundation was officially established on June 29, 2007. But what is the story, and how did SDEF come into existence? Desiree tells her story…
About ten years ago, in 1996, Nepal was my first long-distance destination. From that very beginning, I have had a fascination with the country and its people. During subsequent visits, I did volunteer work in various children's homes. The deplorable conditions there deeply affected me, and I noticed that many orphanages house children who are not orphans in the true sense of the word. These are children who usually do have one parent or family, but this parent brings the child to an orphanage. In this way, the child can receive an education, which improves their chances on the labor market. As a result, relatively expensive spots are occupied, and there is no place for 'real' orphans.
During my last visit to Nepal in December 2006, the idea arose to establish an education fund. This fund is intended for children who still have a parent. The setup is for these children to continue living at home, while the fund pays for school fees, school clothing, books, writing materials, lunches, and shoes for twelve years. This helps maintain family relationships better, while the development of the next generation continues uninterrupted. In this way, places become available in the orphanages for children who are truly orphans. Once back in the Netherlands, I began working on the legal structure of the foundation to manage the fund. The fund is named Sunrise Dutch Education Fund. Sunrise, because that is the children's home I initially wanted to focus on. Dutch, because Nepalese children are given a chance with money from the Netherlands.
