Deze pagina kan hier in het Nederlands gelezen worden.
As of 25 November 2016 ‘Stichting HWMCO-Nederland'(Foundation HWMCO-Netherlands) is officially registered in the Netherlands.
‘NiCA Foundation’ is since 17 July 2018 registered as a Community Based Organization (CBO) and daughter of HWMCO-Nederland in Kabale District (Uganda).
All official facts considering the registrations of both foundations can be read here.
Since we find it important that everyone who is actively involved with our foundations as a (board)member is not only known by a name, we would like to introduce ourselves below.
Our Core Team consists of:
Yvonne Verhagen (Founder and Chairperson of HWMCO-Nederland & NiCA Foundation)
Since many years I have felt attracted to Africa and an unconscious feeling has been living inside of me that I would want to make myself useful there. While we were in the procedure of adopting our youngest daughter (she was born in Ethiopia) we were painfully confronted with malnutrition. Helena was found in a very malnourished condition and brought to a shelter. For her life has been fought. No parent wants such circumstances for his child and to learn about them had hit me very hard.
In June 2011, the world of me and my family completely collapsed when our dear son and brother, Nicky, died in a car accident. In the process of dealing with that huge traumatic experience, the awareness of wanting to help out in Africa, that had already been living inside me for many years, returned stronger than ever before. Nicky had also felt attracted to Africa, and had wanted to make himself useful there. I felt that I wanted to turn my grief into purpose, yet because I had no clue about how and where in Africa to get started, I decided to be patient and trust that the way would unfold.
Some years later, I befriendet a Ugandan with whom I shared a huge admiration for late Michael Jackson, mainly because of the great humanitarian the man had been. Our friendship led to my first trip to Uganda in 2016, together with my husband and youngest daughter. Experiencing the poverty of the population touched us deeply, while we at the same time fell in love with the just beautiful country that Uganda is. In the same year I, with my husband, established and officially registered HWMCO-Nederland as a charity in the Netherlands for the purpose of providing disadvantaged children in Uganda a worthy future.
In 2017, ‘Nicky’s Care for Africa Foundation’ (NiCA Foundation) came about as a special tribute to our deceased son. It started as a project under HWMCO-Nederland, for it be registered as a Community Based Organization (CBO) and daughter of HWMCO-Nederland in Kabale District, Uganda, in 2018.
Today, I know that this unconscious feeling of wanting to make myself useful in Africa, that has been living inside of me since years, was there for a reason. With pieces over the years having fitted together I have been guided towards what has now become a most important goal in my life: helping disadvantaged children in Uganda build themselves a worthy future by creating opportunities for them and not in the last place by teaching them awareness in many fields that matter for them. Through the strong core team that has been formed with Ugandan Managers Aaron Twinomujuni and Noah Mubangizi, and our shared principles, we have achieved several goals while great plans exist for the future.
Aaron Twinomujuni (Manager NiCA Foundation)
I am Teacher by profession. I have previously been teaching at Bwama primary school for more than 20 years and was also the Transport Manager for the children of the school who cross the lake every day. Fortunately enough, we have registered zero cases of drowning of our children, but we were at high risk. I and Noah Mubangizi, whom I taught for seven years, we always wanted to help children, even while buying the unsafe traditional canoes with limited funding.
So, after meeting HWMCO-Nederland to build up together, we formed NiCA Foundation as the way of working together in provision of safe transport as our first objective, among other long term future programs. We are doing this as an international team, not because we are earning money through that, but because we wanted to help our community to get the needed sustainable development.
As a Manager of NiCA-Foundation I am very happy about our international team and the wonderful way we are moving together as such.
Noah Mubangizi (Manager NiCA Foundation)
As a person who grew up at Lake Bunyonyi and studied from Bwama Primary school, which is located on Bwama Island, I knew the problems which children were facing. In my childhood we used to cross the lake using traditional canoes for seven years; these canoes were unsafe, especially when storms came.
Because of that, being there for helping these children was on my heart, so when we met as a team, I was definitely willing to work together in bringing the needed help. I and Aaron Twinomujuni, when we met the Founder of HWMCO-Nederland, we proposed to establish NiCA Foundation as a Community Based Organization (CBO) with common objectives and goals, and providing safe means of transport to school going children as our first priority back then.
As a great international team we share common objectives whereby we focus on bringing development to children by providing them with opportunities to build themselves a better future, like a safe environment for their early education; among the goals we have achieved are three motorboats, five landing docks to help moving in and out of children to the boat, a swimming instruction center, several rainwater collection systems and also toilet buildings. We are also working hard to bring awareness on health and nutrition issues.
Last but not least, as a graduate in Environmental Science I want to emphasize that I am doing this work voluntarily (with everyone, both from NiCA Foundation and HWMCO-Nederland being unpaid) and definitely not earning money through it for myself. I have developed ways of earning, like agri business and retail.
Marc Verhagen (Board HWMCO-Nederland and NiCA Foundation)
The huge differences in living conditions between our rich Western society and Uganda, a country that is among the poorest in the world, are nothing but confronting. To only hear or read about the enormous poverty is something completely different than to witness it with your own eyes and to even be surrounded by it every day, as we are whenever we spend a period in the country.
With our joint foundation and of course with our deceased son and what he would have wanted in my heart, I absolutely want to contribute to the improvement of those living conditions and to providing especially many children that worthy future.
Other (board)members of HWMCO-Nederland:
Mathieu Raemaekers (Treasurer)
The majority of the Ugandan children grow up in sad circumstances. We believe that everyone, no matter where he is living, deserves opportunities to lead a beautiful and happy life. Where life is not always beautiful and happy, help is needed. That is why I am very eager to be part of HWMCO-Nederland, so that we can together commit ourselves to offer that help.
José Snabel (Secretary)
I met Yvonne Verhagen, who founded HWMCO-Nederland, in 2017. After reading this website and her stories I am proud of her for all she has, with the people around her and various volunteers, achieved for these underprivileged children. Personally I believe that difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations.
My best experience in this world is to feel that you are meaningful for someone else, anywhere in the world.
Give what you receive.
Receive what you get.
Appreciate what you have.
Michael de Boer
I absolutely want to contribute my part to make life somewhat more beautiful and better for the children in Uganda. HWMCO-Nederland and the plans that are existing make a lot of sense to me. I believe in development work that requires from the people involved that they learn and develop in ways that will eventually lead to them being able to create a better future for themselves and their children.
Other members of NiCA Foundation:
Constance Kekirwa
As a mother of three children who face water transport every day, I am very proud to be a member of this foundation and its partners, who are working hard towards bringing development in the area. Before NiCAF oundation, transport to and from school was by using dugout canoes; our children were at high risk. So far, nowadays our children have acquired safe means of transport to attend school. I thank God who has used our managers Noah Mubangizi and Aaron Twinomjuni, and HWMCO-Nederland for being genuine in their non-profitable activities and serving our community with ease. My contribution is in making handcrafts, with part of proceeds of that going to the foundation.
Bright Mutasikwa
My profession is in Tourism and Hotel Management. I had always wanted to support my community, but I had not found a way until this great foundation was introduced. I have previously been working at a hotel in Queen Elizabeth National Park where I earned only very little; now I work voluntarily for NiCA Foundation; I safely transport school going children over Lake Bunyonyi and I assist in swimming lessons, while also been offered opportunities to be active in tourism. I am very happy, because I know the desire in my heart to support my community fulfilled.
Innocent Tumuhimbise
I was taught swimming skills by Canadian volunteers in 2006-2007. The way team HWMCO-Nederland & NiCA Foundation is supporting this community (Lake Bunyonyi) and bringing development for the children has motivated me to also contribute my part as voluntary swimming instructor. I will, as part of the team, continue to do my best for the children to acquire the very much needed swimming skills.
Johnson Nihawa
I am very happy to be a member of this so fruitful foundation within our home area. What I see being done is so great. Currently, I am a secondary school student, but I studied my primary from Bwama Primary School; the situation was not easy until NiCA Foundation came in to provide safe means of transport. I will be of help for the foundation as much as I can. Nowadays, I am always available during my holidays.
Obedience Akandinda (Brighton)
I first visited Lake Bunyonyi community on invitation of Noah Mubangizi in 2018. Noah told me more about how he aquired his studies on Bwama island. For myself, I always went to school by road. Having to cross the lake every day by canoes seemed a very scary situation to me. As someone who studied social work and social administration, I was attached and that forced me to ask more about the situation. Noah told me they were working on a solution by bringing a motor boat and that they were also registering a CBO (Community Based Organization). I wanted to be involved! Currently, I am married to Noah Mubangizi. He is working very hard towards achieving the objectives of the foundation. I am so proud of the management of the foundation and the developmental skills that they are bringing to our community. I make handcrafts for selling and part of the proceeds from that goes to the foundation.
Specific goals we are committed to and for which funds need to be raised will be presented on this website. Of course we count on your trust, enthusiasm and support, which will enable us to realize our goals!
HWMCO-Nederland & NiCA Foundation
‘We Fight Poverty by Bringing Development.’
(Last updated February 2023)
