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SURINAME 2022

Children of the Blind Community in Suriname

The Help a Star Foundation went to Suriname in November 2022 to undertake its first mission of support for children.

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Our Help a Star team is both excited and proud to announce this project in Suriname!

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The aim of this mission was to provide disabled children with the basics they need to prevent them from becoming victims of accidental drowning. Drowning is a serious worldwide issue especially for children living near large standing bodies of water or flowing, wild rivers.
 
This mission was our debut since becoming a foundation registered in the Netherlands in 2021. We, like the rest of the world had to turn inward during worst days of the pandemic but now we are prepared to return to doing the work that helps children to realize a safer future.
 
Our plan is to train about 40 hearing & sight impaired children in basic  swimming & drownproofing techniques that will, hopefully, protect them from accidental drowning. We have developed our own curriculum that was utilized for the first time. This project was a success.
 
The children were joining us in Paramaribo from the Kennedy School, Sudobe (Stichting Surinaamse Doven Belangen, (Foundation of Surinamese Deaf Interests) and the Louis Braille School. 
 
Our two founders, who are certified swimming instructors, – Sushmita & Tariq Getrouw lead the team with additional teaching & training support of David Getrouw as well as a small team of qualified volunteers.
 
We invite you to join on this important mission and other important future missions by providing a (small) donation to cover the expenses of this journey as well as following its progress on our social media outlets.

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All the help is appreciated. Donations can be done via this link: https://www.geef.nl/en/donate?action=26455&backLink=https://www.geef.nl/nl/actie/voorkomen-verdrinkingen-dove-en-blinde-jongeren-in-suriname/donateurs

Blind Community NSBS

Preventing drowning of sight and hearing impaired young people in Suriname


Too many children are drowning worldwide! This has to stop right now! Every drowned child is one too many! In 2022 it should no longer be the case that children die from drowning. We therefore want to do something about this immediately with our Help a Star Foundation by providing swimming lessons. Please help us help children and make the world a safer place for them. Therefore donate. Any amount is welcome

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In November 2022, the Help a Star Foundation organized a training course for about 40 children in Suriname to prevent drowning. This fits within the mission of Help a Star, see https://www.helpastar.org/mission.

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The Help a Star Foundation provided training with experienced and qualified instructors for a number of deaf and blind children. The Help a Star Foundation needs funding to get the instructors in Suriname, to arrange a place to stay for them, and to pay for the necessary facilities such as a swimming pool where the lessons and trainings can be given.

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With this training, the Help a Star Foundation once again did what this organization is good at and that is enriching the lives of children.

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Blind Community - NSBS 2.jpg

40 Deaf (hard of hearing) and blind (visually impaired) young people participate

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20 Deaf and hard of hearing students from the Kennedy School and Sudobe (Stichting Surinaamse Doven Belangen, or translated the Foundation of Surinamese Deaf Interests) and 20 blind and partially sighted students from the Louis Braille School participated in this special program in Paramaribo. Drowning is a worldwide (underestimated) public health problem. It is one of the leading causes of death in almost every country. While drowning injuries and deaths are high in the western world, the problem is much worse in the developing world. According to a study by the World Health Organization (WHO), drowning rates in lower-income countries can be as much as 50 times higher than in higher-income countries. Unfortunately, Suriname is also high, viz. place 29, in the overview of the number of drownings, see https://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/cause-of-death/drownings/by-country/ . Fortunately, the vast majority of drownings are preventable with exercise.

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Certified trainers and mentor program

 

In addition to the already existing swimming training in Suriname, Help a Star offers qualified and experienced trainers the opportunity to gain extra swimming skills for children with a disability with a special program. We have the cooperation of the schools and Sudobe for this. Local swim trainers are also trained.

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Surinamese Deaf Community - Sudobe And Kennedy School 1.jpg

Donations given to support Suriname '22 project

The Help a Star Foundation has received funding, donations and goods in many ways to make this important project possible. We are very grateful for every contribution we received and we feel honored that people and organizations are willing to help and also trust Help a Star to do good with the received donations, goods and gifts.

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We want to mention a few organizations who contributed to make Suriname 2022 possible:

  • Fernandes Autohandel N.V. Suriname (Bronze Friend)

  • Parochie de Vier Evangelisten Amsterdam and its people / parishioners (Platinum Friend)

  • Interparochiële Caritas Instelling Amsterdam Nieuw-West (Bronze Friend)

  • SRO (Contributed by donating life jackets for the particpants)

  • Koyo (Contributed by creating and donating reward decoration coins for the participants)

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We have a sponsor program and possibilities for your organization to become a partner or a sponsor. Interested? Please contact us via e-mail to learn about the options.

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We can still use any help. Yours as well. So if you can and want to, please donate. Our bank account details are listed below in the next section and in the footer details of this page.

Please support HAS Suriname '22: Help children

Contribute and show your support

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Please help us to realize this and other of our projects which will be organised in the future, so that we (Help a Star and YOU) together can provide these children more safety. There are many ways on how to contribute.

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ANBI status in the Netherlands for the Help a Star Foundation

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The Help a Star Foundation is an ANBI. This means that the foundation must ensure that at least 90% of the donated money ends up with the children who need it so much. Costs are therefore always very carefully considered and the available financial resources are consciously used.

In addition to the project in Suriname, we also prepare projects in Africa, among others.

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Note: A gift to Help a Star Foundation is tax deductible in The Netherlands because of our ANBI status.

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