During the Christmas collection in Urk, a record amount was raised for Ethiopia and Eritrea, namely 140,000 euros. It was the fiftieth time that the collection was held on Christmas Day by the Interchurch Foundation Ethiopia/Eritrea (ISEE) from Urk.
The foundation was founded in 1973. Two Urk women saw the misery and famine in Ethiopia and Eritrea and wanted to do something about it. The ladies, Rie Kramer and Marij Oost, decided to pack their suitcases themselves and travel to Ethiopia. When they got there, they hitched a ride on a food transport and ended up in a starvation camp. She tried to help there, but in vain. Collection by all churches
When the people from Urk returned to Urk, they came up with the idea of holding a collection for the people in Ethiopia and Eritrea. They decided to do that on Christmas Day.
All churches in Urk participated in this. And that was special, says the chairman of the Jan van den Berg foundation: “All the deacons of the churches were warmed up by the women, that is very special.” In addition to money, also clothing
In the years that followed, many people from Urk sent clothing to African countries. “At one point the costs were so high that we decided to stop,” says chairman Van den Berg.
Instead of shipping, the clothing was collected in one store and then sold. The money raised by that sale then went to Ethiopia and Eritrea.
The second-hand clothing store.
Various charities
The money from all collections and collections goes to various projects in both countries. For example, the money from the clothing store goes to the Solon School in Hawasa. “That is a school for blind children. This allows them to learn Braille and then move on to regular education,” says store manager Hetty Kramer.
A lot of money also goes to building new schools. The foundation mainly helps with its financing. A project that stuck with member Frans Hollewand is about a group of women. “We helped them fatten sheep, keep chickens and sell fruit on the street.”
“Then you stand among the muck, and they have to become houses.”
— Elske Schilder, member of the foundation
Members of the foundation regularly travel to both African countries to see how the money is spent. Every visit makes an impression, says member Elske Schilder. What she remembers most is the poor living situation in which people live: “Then you are standing in the muck, and they have to become houses.”
More attention to Eritrea
In recent years, the foundation’s focus has been mainly on Ethiopia. In the coming years, the new chairman Jan van den Berg wants to focus on Eritrea, because he believes that this is desperately needed. “It has been very noisy there for a number of years with the threat of civil war. The need is really great there.”
2023-12-25 19:54:47
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