Background and founding

In the second half of 2006 Wike Been and her sister Renée travelled around India and Nepal. In Nepal Wike worked for two months with a local NGO making an effort for women and children. During this volunteer work Wike helped with various projects this organization set up like an abortion clinic, a home for boys that lived on the street and the setting up and guiding of women’s groups in the country.

The longer Wike worked for this organization, the more she had the idea she wanted to do something lasting for the Nepalese women. Because of this work she got interested in the specific problems of the area like domestic violence, acceptation of divorced women, trafficking and illegal prostitution. These are sensitive issues within the Nepalese society which makes it impossible for the local NGO to get the means locally to address them. This is why Wike decided to keep helping the organization even from the Netherlands.

While Wike was still in Nepal she initiated the Didi foundation by making a plan together with the female director of the organization, Meena Kharel. Like the aforementioned project for boys who were living on the street, a house will have to be rented, but this time for a group of women with a background of trafficking, domestic violence or divorce. These women will be offered shelter, support and courses for a period of 1.5 years after which they will be economically independent and able to live independently. This project is necessary to provide a better future for these women that would otherwise end up in the margins of society. A valuable initiative in cooperation with a local NGO.

After she returned to the Netherlands Wike spoke about her ideas with friends and after a lot of positive feedback a group of ten young women decided to make a joint effort to realize the project ‘Womens Empowerment Nepal’. However, the ambitions of these ten women turned out to go much further then this project, which is why, when the Didi foundation was founded, it was decided to also set up other projects to enforce the position of women and children in Third World countries in the future.

In Groningen at July the 2nd 2007 the Didi foundation was born. Didi, the Nepali word for big sister, expresses the position we would like to take toward these women.

Mission
the Didi foundation wants to improve the social and economic position of women and children in developmental countries in a durable manner by investing in small scale projects in combination with local information and advice. In the Netherlands the Didi foundation wants to create awareness of the fact that an equal position for women and children can’t be taken for granted by giving information and organizing activities.

Goals
the Didi foundation wants to improve living conditions of women and children in developmental countries. the Didi foundation wants to achieve this by setting up and executing developmental projects in cooperation with local organizations to enforce the social position of women and children.

By succeeding of the developmental projects and local initiatives we want to contribute to the breaking through of taboos around subjects like women and child trafficking, prostitution and HIV/AIDS.


Who is who 

Renée Been - activity coordinator
I am Renée Been and I am 21 years young. I live in Groningen and I study psychology there. My function within Stichting Didi is activity coordinator.
I’ve been in Nepal voor 2.5 months together with my sister Wike. We both did volunteer work there, she with women groups and I with orphans. We had a great time and learned a lot about a totally different world. Amongst other things about the position of women in a country like Nepal. To go home, to our prosperity, and do nothing for the people there didn’t feel right. This is how my enthusiasm for Stichting Didi originated. I’m one hundred percent dedicated to this small-scale project with a group of nice people!

Wike Been - chairman
After reading articles and books on trafficking, I decided to do an internship at Jasmijn Gezond to further go into women-related subjects. The position of women in the world remained a great interest of mine, especially the subject of trafficking. Therefore it wasn’t entirely coincidental I ended up with the women’s organization Ideal Women Development Centre, when my sister (Renee) and I decided to do volunteer work in Nepal. The work this organization does very much appealed to me and I decided to keep doing something for Nepalese women from the Netherlands. During my volunteer work in Nepal I started to develop the Women’s Empowerment Nepal project, from which now Stichting Didi has originated! Besides this foundation I study Population Studies at the University of Groningen.

Katia Begall
I am 25 years old and study sociology in Groningen. I make an effort for Stichting Didi because I am convinced these kind of small-scale projects can make a real difference, especially when in cooperation with people who are on site. Because this project was developed together with the Ideal Women Development Centre and is also executed by this organization, we’re sure it fulfills the needs of the society of Bharatpur. And with this much enthusiasm and energy in the group I’m sure we’ll succeed!

Tessa Blikman
I’m Tessa Blikman, 20 years old and second year student Social Work and Service at the Hanze academy in Groningen.
I came into contact with Stichting Didi through Marjan. The idea to set up a foundation that makes an effort for Nepalese women together with some fellow students spoke to me. After going to a meeting I knew I wanted to dedicate myself for this project. I consider this an opportunity to mean something for these women who have lost so much already. Because of this I became an active member of the foundation. In the beginning of 2008 I will go to Nepal to help set up the Women’s Empowerment Nepal project!

Lianne van den Brand  
Inequality, injustice, discrimination, deprivation of freedom. All things that keep me occupied. I have been attracted to development work from an early age. I want to make an effort for people for whom living sometimes means surviving.
I grabbed the opportunity to mean something and to work with an enthusiastic group of women on a foundation that makes an effort for suppressed women and children with both hands.
I hope we can make a difference with The Didi foundation. To help women and their children to create a better and safer life for themselves with the help of our project.
As a social worker I am very aware of my environment. I make an effort to make the environment in which I live more livable. 

Astrid van Dijk - secretary
I am Astrid van Dijk, 24 years old, born in Makkum (Friesland) and have been living in Groningen for five years where I, to my own enjoyment, study sociology. By saying yes more than once to Wikes questions I have been involved in the foundation and activities of The Didi foundation from the very beginning. After her trip and activities in Nepal Wike was so enthusiastic about her idea of setting up house for Nepalese women it caught on to me. Her enthusiasm together with a strong faith in the effectiveness of small-scale projects have led to me becoming the secretary of The Didi foundation. Besides this, the problems mostly women and children in third world countries face are so diverse, comprehensive and harrowing that I want to dedicate myself especially to them.

Marjan Nugteren - fund co-ordinator
The most important and maybe the most obvious reason I make an effort for The Didi foundation is simply that I’m very interested in development work. It’s a chance to mean something real for people who don’t have as easy a life as we do in our prosperous country. It’s also interesting to learn something about a country, the people and its problems; all of which might not be familiar to the average Dutch person.
I’ve worked in a small children’s home in South Africa in the summer of 2006, where I witnessed what a difference the effort of only two people makes for a fair amount of children! Because of this I really love the project of Stichting Didi. We might not reach an entire population but we do give a few women a chance to a different, better life.
I study medicine and American Studies at the university of Groningen and I hope to work in a developmental country as a tropical doctor for a few years.

Irene Permentier - treasurer
The stories Wike told about the situation in Nepal got me very excited and I decided to help The Didi foundation not to make a small difference on a large scale, but a big difference on a small scale. And after a few months of working with great enthusiasm our signatures were on the document of foundation on the 2nd of July 2007…
…and I was officially the treasurer of The Didi foundation. From this memorable day on I make sure as much money as possible is being spent on the project in Nepal and I make a yearly report on the financial progress. Next to my activities for the foundation I study sociology in Groningen.

Kirsten Stoker - co-ordinator of information in the Netherlands
I haven’t been a member of the foundation from the beginning. Tessa, who also studies Social Work and Service, told me about the foundation and I was immediately excited. I visited a children’s home in India myself an when I returned home I knew I wanted to do more for people in developmental countries. We have it so well in the Netherlands and I think it’s very important to do something for people who don’t have it so well. I think the nice thing about this foundation is that we as young women in a prosperous country want to mean something for women in less prosperous countries.
At this moment I’m in my second year of Socials Work and Service at the Hanze academy in Groningen and I am 19 years old.

Esmeralda Tijhoff - PR
Hi, I am Esmeralda Tijhoff, historian and freelance text writer and web designer. As self-proclaimed feminist I have been dedicating myself for years for the freedom of everyone to be themselves in a secure environment. I think it is important to look beyond what is ‘normal’ and question everything. When I heard about the project of The Didi foundation it appealed to me immediately to be part of this inspiring group. The Didi foundation unites women and builds solidarity and understanding between population groups. It’s amazing to see how a project originates from Nepal and the Netherlands out of nothing that can actually make the difference for a few women.

What you can do
Your help will be greatly appreciated!

You can help The Didi foundation with the execution of the project ‘Womens Empowerment Nepal’ by

- making a donation to account number 21.23.14.092, for Stichting Didi, Groningen. IBAN: NL61TRIO0212314092, BIC: TRIONL2U
- to announce yourself as a regular donor for this project click here.
- also there’s always room for new volunteers, so if you are interested contact us!

The Didi foundation
Postbus 1649
9701 BP Groningen