Go on holiday. As obvious as it may seem to many people, it is not for everyone. 1 million families in the Netherlands cannot afford it and that number is growing. There is a solution for 800 of those families: De Vakantiebank.
Motivation: ‘Give him what he is entitled to’
“I* lost my job in 2013 and after that I got cervical cancer. I wouldn’t be able to get pregnant because of this, but it happened like a miracle. Unfortunately, the father of my child left us during the pregnancy. I’m back now working but as a single mother it is not financially possible (and has not been possible for the past 4 years) to go on holiday.
I really want to take a break with my son for once to really enjoy each other instead of always rushing from school to work and worrying about getting through the month in between. To give him what he is entitled to. And to be able to experience a carefree holiday just like his school friends. A dream that would come true for both of us.”
*All motivations are anonymized.
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Applications very different
It is an example of one of the motivations out of the thousand applications that were received this year at the De Vakantiebank foundation. One thousand is the maximum, after that it is no longer possible to apply. Because there is a holiday available for 800 families in total.
The families that call on De Vakantiebank are very different, but what is striking about project leader Pim Loeff is that there is often a case of illness. “For example, they write in their motivation that they can finally leave, because their daughter or grandmother has been discharged from the hospital after a long time. We hear stories like this a lot.”
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Motivation: ‘Never went on holiday’
I am a single mother of 3 boys aged 7, 4 and 3, my oldest son has ADHD and I also have health issues. I would like to take my children on holiday this year but I have a low income and with 3 children the cost will be too much for me. My children have never been on holiday and that is why I appeal to your organization so that you can consider our application.
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Few volunteers
The Vakantiebank started about 10 years ago as an initiative of camping store chain Vrijbuiter, which started it in the context of corporate social responsibility. Back then, there were several dozen holiday weeks to be given each year. It is now an independent foundation and each year about 800 families are helped.
“And if you keep in mind that more than 1 million families in the Netherlands live below the poverty line, it is very important that we grow,” says Loeff. He is also the only paid employee of the foundation, ten volunteers support him. More people are needed to grow, especially volunteers and they are – just like paid employees – not exactly easy to find at the moment.
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Motivation: ‘She never, that really hurts me’
I am a single mother of 6 children. I have a small WIA benefit that I have to do everything with, so I never have money for the holiday. My kids never go on vacation. I would love to get away with them for a while. Because my children have not asked to live in poverty. My kids often see their friends go on vacation. She never, that really hurts me. I would like to give them a week of vacation.
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look after the cat
With money they receive from various partners and funds, De Vakantiebank buys holidays at a discount from a large holiday chain. In addition, various recreation entrepreneurs donate places in their holiday parks or hotel rooms. And private individuals make their holiday homes available.
In addition, Loeff sees that more and more private individuals offer their home when they go on holiday themselves and leave behind a cat that needs to be cared for, for example. But no matter how well-intentioned, the foundation does not go into that. “Suppose the family that uses it has to go home earlier, then there is no longer a babysitter for the cat.”
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Motivation: ‘Partner in the WIA’
We have a large family and also care for a disabled child, and a partner/parent who is ill for a long time and will end up in the WIA. We’ve never been on vacation. The kids would love to, but we can never afford it. We live on one income because one parent is chronically ill and therefore cannot participate in the household, as a result of which the other parent cannot work because she takes care of the family, cares for the partner and is a caregiver. Completely unfeasible financially.
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For the whole family
Recent research among more than 27,000 members of the EenVandaag Opinion Panel shows that not everyone can go on holiday: only 16 percent of people with a lower income can afford it this summer. There are more initiatives such as De Vakantiebank, but they are often aimed at a specific group, such as children. “We are – as far as I know – the only one that offers a holiday for the whole family,” says Loeff.
“We think that is very important, because so many families have never been on holiday together and if grandmother and the dog are also part of the family, they should be able to come along too.” Because the demand is greater than the supply, families can call on De Vakantiebank once every 3 years.
Definition of poverty in the Netherlands
Poverty is defined as income below a certain purchasing power standard. The Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) uses the low-income threshold to define poverty. When the disposable income of the household is below this limit, we speak of a household at risk of poverty. The household then has insufficient resources to achieve a certain minimum consumption level.
In addition to income, other factors are also taken into account to describe the risk of poverty, such as how long a low-income family lives, the size of the fixed costs and one’s own opinion about the financial position. In 2020, the limit for a family with two minor children was 2,110 euros and 1,680 euros for a single-parent family. For a couple without children, the limit was 1,550 euros.
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