News archive 2010
30-12-2010
Annual review
Working Hands 2010
On the 24th of May 2010 seven men and a woman left from Ukraine. Three Dutch men and the woman refurbished a small local hospital in Lozove together with Ukrainians. Four Dutch men created showers in the dormitory of the secondary school at Koretz.
Camp Ukraine 2010
2010 was already the eighth consecutive year that Foundation Oekroe was in the position to organise summer camps for poorest children and youngsters in a western region of Ukraine. Eventually 27 Dutch volunteers left early Monday morning August 3rd, 2010 for Ukraine. They have ensured that approximately 200 Ukrainian children and youngsters had a great time in their own country, with time for healthy relaxation and time for the serious biblical subjects. After the camps the children who returned home were "changed", as we have heart from multiple parents. And they meant it in a positive way.
Child Relief 2010
Also during 2010 Foundation Oekroe has been able to provide support in case of medical problems mostly for children. After Foundation Oekroe receives a request for support, through one of the regular trusted partners located in Ukraine, such a request is carefully evaluated before a decision is made. You would like to help everyone, but unfortunately that is not possible.
With gratitude, we look back on everything Foundation Oekroe has been able to do during 2010 with the help of many. With renewed courage we will continue in 2011, both with the summer camps as well as Working Hands to shine some light into the lives of particular children and young people in Eastern Europe. Do you support us?
2-12-2010
Successful info event
Last Tuesday night (November the 30th) Foundation Oekroe’s info event started at 8pm. The evening was the kick-off for the preparations and registrations for Camp Ukraine 2011 and Working Hands 2011. During the first part of the event general information was presented about the history of Foundation Oekroe as well as about the country and people of Ukraine. Over 30 people were present who were informed adequately. After the break there were two parallel sessions. There was extensive information about Camp Ukraine 2011 including the two new camp sites. Also a lot of information was provided about Working Hands 2011.
Already more then 20 participants registered for Camp Ukraine 2011 which is a great number, but more people are welcome! For Working Hands 2011 there were at least eight serious candidates. Again, also here people can still sign up! The first signs are good. But ... now the real work begins!
29-11-2010
Romeo did not survive heart surgery
Romeo got his heart surgery the 23rd of November at Kiev. Unfortunately we received the very sad message Romeo died the night after his surgery. Corine has attended his funeral on behalf of Foundation Oekroe.
19-11-2010
Heart surgery Romeo
Romeo was born May 2010. He has Down syndrome. He also has a few small holes in his heart. His loving parents, who we have met ourselves, have two other children as well. Romeo is likely to have heart surgery on November the 19th. The average success rate is 85% according to doctors. Romeo's father works as a heating engineer in winter and earns approximately € 80 per month. In the summer he gets a social security payment of € 50 per month. The mother looks after the children. Foundation Oekroe will take care of the costs the parents will incur during this operation at Kiev. A week before the surgery itself, the parents and Romeo went to Kiev. They have to stay there until two weeks after surgery. Could you please pray for the good recovery of Romeo? We'll keep you informed. The Foundation Oekroe Child Relief project overview you will find here.
10-11-2010
Rabobank supports Foundation Oekroe
This morning was the presentation of the checks payable by the Fund of the RABO Profit distribution and Society and of the Cooperative Fund. Foundation Oekroe qualified for both awards.
1. Cooperation Fund: Foundation Oekroe has been promissed an amount of € 750, - to be spend on a laptop. This laptop will be used for presentations and the administration of the Oekroe Foundation. On behalf of the Rabobank this check was handed over by Frank Oudwater to Ton den Butter, one of the board members of Foundation Oekroe (see photo).
2. Profit distribution and Society: Foundation Oekroe has been awarded an amount of € 5000, - in order to finance a number of additional showers in the dormitory of the secundary school at Koretz where Foundation Oekroe "Working Hands" has built 10 showers May/June 2010 along with Ukrainians. (Photo: Atie Kuyt, board member and St. Oekroe Jaap de Mooij Founder and Chairman of Foundation Oekroe and Mr. Kees van der Bent on behalf Rabobank)
Foundation Oekroe is grateful for receiving a subsidy from both funds and will ensure the funds will be spent accordingly!
On behalf of Foundation Oekroe,
Jaap de Mooij, Chairman
10-11-2010
Succesful orientation trip
Last week several representatives of Foundation Oekroe visited Ukraine. It was possible to follow them through this website, RTV Katwijk and through Twitter. Of course the new project location for Working Hands has been visited. Good arrangements have been made and talked through and some promising new contacts have been established. Previously completed projects were audited. The need for such audits was again clearly demonstrated. Also, two new summer camp sites were visited. Both look very good. The reservation will soon be converted into a booking! Finally, many visits were made to (very sick) kids and teenagers who's medical treatment will be funded by the foundation (see the page on child relief). Sometimes those young people are facing a dreadful situation at home as well. Finally children and young people were visited for who already have got surgery and/or medical treatment funded by Foundation Oekroe.
18-10-2010
Orientation trip
During the period 3 – 9 November several Oekroe representatives will visit (at their own expense) the Working Hands project at Hrytsiv selected for 2011. The delegation will also visit some projects where Working Hands worked in 2009 and 2010. As the final stages of projects are handled by a local contractors those projects have not yet been visited after the completion of the works. Also Transcarpatia will be visited, the region where the annual summer camps take place and where kids are living who are supported by Oekroe on an individual basis (see child relief). The information collected and photographs to be taken will be presented during the information event planned for end of November.
12-08-2010
Oekroe at street fair Rijnsburg
Of course Oekroe has been present at the street fair during the annual week of festivities organised by the 65 year old Orange Society of Rijnsburg. Although Camp Ukraine 2010 has just been finished we are already looking forward to Camp Ukraine 2011. At the stand you found in the first place some enthusiastic volunteers to tell visitors about the activities of foundation Oekroe. Next to this some Ukrainian gadgets were on sale such as Matroeska's etc
What Camp Ukraine could lead to....
Part of the fund raising of Foundation Oekroe is the so-called 'adoption plan'. Sponsors get the opportunity to 'adopt' an Ukrainian kid for one week of camp for € 40,-. In a few days those who have done so will receive a photo and a little story from the child they 'adopted'. Some stories written by the kids themselves are quite touching. As an example a 14 year old girl wrote: "during this camp I found Jesus and I want to follow Him for the rest of my entire life !"
As of now on this place a monthly column (i.e. a periodical) will be published about aspects of life in Ukraine. Furthermore the kids in Ukraine will be asked to write a little article about the Oekroe summer camp they attended.
In addtition to its own camps, Oekroe also supported two other camps
Also this year Oekroe supported some other summer camps in Ukraine, next to the three summer camps the foundation organised and executed. At Lavki, the little village at the foot of the hill on which the so-called KGB camp is located, a school camp has been held. This camp was for the kids from the village. Every day approx 60 kids were eagerly waiting a the school gate to attend school camp. Partly due to the financial support of Foundation Oekroe it has been possible to organise this camp which lasted 6 days. It is very special that in this "Russian Orthodox" village a summer camp could be organised during which the kids were also told stories from the Bible! Note: during 2008 Oekroe Working Hands built a toilet facility at this school.
Kovacs Sandor, one of Oekroe's contact persons in Ukraine, has organised a summer camp in the Carpathian mountains. The kids who attended this camp came from the vicinity of Odessa (near the Black Sea) and from Transcarpatia. Oekroe cooperated by supporting this camp financially. Also this camp has been very successful from several perspectives.
3-08-2010
Welcome home Camp Ukraine 2010!
After a good and well deserved rest and an extensive German breakfast the group left around 9am for the last stretch to Rijnsburg. Progress could be tracked on a map on the home page of this site. At 7.30pm the 27 members of Camp Ukraine 2010 were warmly welcomed by a large crowd of family, friends and Oekroe fans at a central spot in Rijnsburg, Oekroe's home town. The first experiences were exchanged here. It has been a special kamp from several perspectives. Due to some personal problems Oekroe founder Jaap de Mooij wasn't able (for the first time) to join the group to Ukraine. Also there were two supplementary drivers both at the trip to Ukraine as well as on the way back. Furthermore it was the first time it rained cats and dogs for 5 days in a row during the camp. However the enthusiasm of the Ukrainian kids in the camps remained unchanged!
19-07-2010 until 3-08-2010
Camp diary
For Camp Ukraine 2010 diary click here.
30-06-2010
Result tourist market Katwijk aan Zee € 880
Participants of Camp Ukraine 2010 have arranged a very nice stall at the first tourist market of the summer season at Katwijk aan Zee (near the North Sea beach). Of course Ukrainian souvenirs were for sale such as Matryoshka dolls and chess boards. There was a sweep stake where visitors could win attractive prices which were sponsored by local businesses. By guessing the right number of beads and/or puppets visitors could win a voucher for a meal in one of the restaurants at Katwijk. The stall attracted many visitors (who also pulled their purse!). Due to the enthusiastic efforts of many Camp Ukraine participants the various different activities resulted in a splendid result of € 880, -. This amount will be fully dedicated to Camp Ukraine this summer. Tuesday July 6 the Oekroe Foundation will be present with new activities at 'the other market’, a charity event at the next tourist market at Katwijk.
14-06-2010
Sponsor bike tour yields € 5000
Friday morning the 11th of June 16 participants of the Oekroe bike sponsor tour 2010 depart from Rijnsburg in the direction of Leersum, a trip of about 110 km. It’s cloudy but not raining and not too cold. The group has wind in the back and drive for only 10 minutes in the rain. Via Reeuwijk, Oudewater en Houten (hence south of the city of Utrecht), the group arrives tired but satisfied in Leersum. After a few hours they have a splendid Dutch rice table cooked by “Surf” and “Turf” from Rijnsburg!
The second day the group departs around 9am in splendid weather conditions in the direction of 'Oekroe home town' Rijnsburg. They bike via De Bilt and Breukelen (the name Brooklin(e) in the USA originates from this old Dutch city), hence north of Utrecht. The second day the group is increasingly facing head wind. Those who bike all the time behind the back of others thought there “wasn’t too much wind”. In the end the group arrives, amongst others thanks to the evacuation vehicle, around 5.15pm thank God in good health at Rijnsburg where friends and family who staid home welcome them.
It were two splendid days, no breakdowns, nobody who gave up and no complaints. Thanks to the sponsors € 5.000,-- has been raised for Camp Ukraine 2010. The group has enjoyed the trip, not the least because they know it will enable this summer a couple of wonderful summer camps for many Ukrainian kids where they will be told "the good news”, the Gospel of our Saviour. Sponsors, thank you fro much!
07-06-2010
Working Hands 2010 has been a tremendous success!
For two weeks (as off Tuesday the 25th of May until Friday the 4th of June 2010) eight members of Working Hands have been at work in Ukraine at two different locations which lay 200 km apart. Both projects have been executed successfully, while the local contractors will take care of the last “open ends”.
At Koretz there is a secondary school with about 600 students of which about half – due to the large distance between home and school – are staying overnight at the school dormitory. This dormitory didn’t have any working shower. Together with a local contractor as well as with help of some of the students 10 working showers have been created. Works consisted of demolishing the old shower rooms (which never functioned due to lack of funds when the school was established), reestablishing the bathrooms, renewal of the water piping, new electrical cabling and adoption of the sewers. Just before the Dutch group had to leave for The Netherlands the first bath room has been plastered. The local contractor will finish the plastering of the other 9 bath rooms as well as will take care of the tiling.
The second project was at the very remotely located village of Lozove that belongs to the region of Derazhnya. Here Working Hands cooperated with an excellent local contractor to refurbish and upgrade the local medical station, which apparently never got any maintenance. 24 new maintenance free window frames with double glazing were prepared beforehand and were ready for installation upon arrival. Those window frames were all installed on the first day. Next small rooms have been combined to larger spaces for which 3.5 meter (10 foot) high walls were demolished and new walls have been erected. Also he entrance of the medical post has been renewed. After departure of Working Hands the heating, the ceilings, the floor (linoleum) will be renewed, while the electrical cabling will be modified on the account of Oekroe. See photos below.
Every time it seems to be a miracle how, due to your support and with relative limited resources, it is possible to achieve so much in a country like Ukraine!
05-06-2010
Car wash action yields €368,60
Saturday the 5th of June was Oekroe car washing day. From 10am until 4pm many cars have been completely cleaned in the centre of Rijnsburg (Oekroe home town) for a minimum fee of €7,50 per car. Higher amounts were of course welcome as well, as all the money raised is for the kids in Ukraine.
Peter Noort, Peter van Duijn, Daan Kromhout, Tosette Barnard, Elise Verhoef, Anne van Egmond, Ilse Schoneveld, Marnella Noordermeer and Paulien Noort have 'worked their socks off' with the impressive result of €368,60
04-06-2010
Working Hands on the way back
Today the members of Working Hands are on their way back to The Netherlands. Ab and Erwin left very early (approx 4am) by car and were at the border with Poland around 8am. In their car they transport the tools which were taken from The Netherlands into Ukraine. After 6 hours of queueing they undergo a very though check-up. Their paper are being checked multiple times. Dogs are used to search their car. At 3.40pm they are allowed to dirve to the Polish side of the border crossing. Around 5pm they enter the EU and are on their way in Poland. Nine hours of waiting while it rains cats and dogs is not fun.
The rest of the group are on a flight due to depart Kiev airport at 5.45pm (4.45pm Dutch time) and arrive around 8pm at Amsterdam Schiphol airport.
30-05-2010
Last news from Working Hands!
Yesterday evening Jos returned from Ukraine and sent up-to-date info as well as some pictures. The project at Koretz (shower in a dormitory at a secondary school) progresses very well. New sanitary sewer and water pipes have been installed, while the first shower has already been plastered. Next week Working Hands hopes to start with the tiling. Students from the architectural engineering department assist Working Hands and the local contractor. They assist with plastering, carpentry and with electrical works. To work together with the local students and to transfer knowledge in this way turns out to be extremely satisfying. Teun, Jan and Albert (vd Kwaak) are enjoying themselves. Also at the Lozove project (small hospital) work is progressing extremely well. The new window frames have already been placed, while the team is now working at rearranging the interior of this little hospital. In order to achieve this, new walls are being erected. As a consequence also the heating installation is being modified. There is a good cooperation with the local contractor. All in all Working Hands is very thankful both works are progressing so well. Below pictures are from the project at Koretz.
28-05-2010
Good progress at Working Hands 2010 projects
28-05-2010 The Working Hands team is working at full steam, both in Koretz as well as in Lozove. Everything is well. Accommodation and food are excellent. The window frames at Lozove are already in place. In Korets the team is dealing with electricity and with the new showers.
The cooperation with the Ukrainian workers is very good, despite the language barrier. Translators are available at both locations. For them it is kind of special, as it is the first time those English teachers are speaking English with people from abroad.
Jos will travel home Saturday the 29th of May, while the rest of the team will stay in Ukraine until Friday the 4th of June.
19-05-2010
Working Hands goes to Ukraine !
19-05-2010 The nine members of Working Hands 2010 hope to arrive at both projects on the 24th of May. The hospital at Lozove and the Dormitory at Koretz lay approx 240 km apart. 7 members will travel by plane while 2 member will travel by car which will also be used to transport the tools. Tuesday 25 May will be the first working day. The members of Working Hands will work together with their Ukrainian counterparts. English teachers will act as interpreters to bridge the language gap. Both groups hope to meet each other during the weekend to socialise and to exchange experiences.
Financials are not fully secured yet. The contribution from the Ukrainian side could be at stake, as the national budget has been rejected. Furthermore we are facing a very low exchange rate for the euro. September 2009 you got 11,5 Hryvnia for one euro, today you get 9,75 Hryvnia, which is 18% less. Consequently we would highly welcome your financial support.
30-04-2010
Queen's day 2010
17-04-2010 Queen’s day 2010 has been very good. Foundation Oekroe had a double stall at the flea market at Rijnsburg. It was good we had stalls with a roof as we had quite some rain during the event. During the whole market an abundant number of Working Hands 2010 and Camp Ukraine 2010 members was present to provide information on the planned activities end of May and during he summer. Ukrainian souvenirs were for sale. Many visitors played the ‘Dr. Bibber’ game. Many compositions of houseplants were created and sold. In summery it has been a very successful event through which it has been possible increase publicity regarding Oekroe’s activities in Ukraine for the poor people there.
All the texts on this site were switched to orange (like this text) during Queen's day. Click here for more information on the tradition of Queen's day in The Netherlands.
17-04-2010
Preparatory trip Working Hands 2010
17-04-2010 Some ‘quartermasters’ will leave Monday 19 April for a rush visit of the 2010 project locations in Ukraine. They hope to be back in Rijnsburg Thursday April 22nd after a trip of about 4000 km. Detailed arrangements are to be made for the refurbishment projects in Lozove (small hospital) and Koretz (showers in a dormitory at a secondary school). Amongst others the scope of the projects needs to be agreed with the Ukrainian counterparts as well as the need to arrange accommodations for the Dutch people that will work at both projects during the period May 24th until June 4th. The preparations for those projects are well under way. Click here to see more details. The list of tools to be used by the Dutch workers and will be taken to Ukraine is in the process of being completed. This list together with a declaration of authentication by a Dutch notary is necessary to be able to take the tool into and afterwards out of Ukraine. Also vaccinations of the Dutch workers are being arranged.
10-04-2010
Collection at Katwijk soccer derby yielded more then € 900,-!
The collection at the derby Quick Boys - vv Katwijk on Saturday 3 April 2010 yielded € 919,35!
15-03-2010
Almost € 1000.- collected at soccer match !
It’s already mid March! 18 weeks from today we will have had the first few days in Ukraine! Before that’s the case a lot needs to happen. You could think of the preparation of the materials for sports and games, the booklets for the participants and not to forget the financials as well as our transport. Saturday the 13th of March we collected money before the local soccer derby Rijnsburgse Boys – Katwijk. The collection resulted in € 972.33 which will be split between the summer camps and Working Hands.
Monday 22 March we will already have our third monthly preparation evening where we will do team building, while the various working groups will debrief the status of their preparations. That evening there will be a special guest. Corine van der Kooi, our contact person in Ukraine, is on leave in The Netherlands and will be present that evening.
05-02-2010
Preparations have started!
The summer of 2010 seems to be far away, however in 6 months we will already be back from the summer camps 2010. Monday 19 July a group of 28 younger and somewhat older people will depart from Rijnsburg The Netherlands in order to give more then 200 Ukrainian kids, who could not really afford this themselves a fabulous holiday. After the camps they will return in Rijnsburg around 19.30 in the evening of Tuesday 3 August. However it is not that far yet! As you could see in the guest book on this site the children in Ukraine are already very much looking forward to the summer camps of the Oekroe foundation. We had our first preparatory evening meeting the 14th of January 2010. During that meeting we created the various working groups as all participants to Camp 2010 are actively engaged in the preparations. We will keep you up to date!
03-12-2009
Working Hands and Camp Ukraine 2010
Monday night 30 November at 8pm was the start of our information evening for Camp Ukraine 2010 as well as for Working Hands 2010. An encouraging number of people were present. Many folks were present who have been in Ukraine before, but there were also a number of new faces. After welcome and opening there was a presentation on the country and culture of Ukraine. Of course also about the children there, who often live under miserable conditions. To illustrate this further a film was shown about the projects Working Hands completed so far. Information regarding the project of 2010 will follow soon after the preparatory trip to Ukraine next week. After that a short film of the 2009 summer camp was shown.
Many people were convinced by the words spoken and images shown as is illustrate by the number of participants who already committed themselves at this early stage, both for Working Hands 2010 as well as for Camp Ukraine 2010. There are already 7 participants for Working Hands and more are welcome.
Until now 19 participants have registered themselves for Camp Ukraine 2010. Splendid. In case you would get the interest to support the people of Ukraine, no matter whether it is with Working Hands or with the summer camp, please let us know. You will not regret. Soon the intake interviews with the participants will take place. During those personal meetings there is a discussion what is being expected from him or her and which talents participants could contribute. During January the monthly preparation evening meetings will commence. Keep an eye on this site. As of now there will be frequent updates regarding Working Hands, Camp Ukraine 2010 and the medical support Foundation Oekroe could provide to children and teenagers in Ukraine. It goes without saying that we are only able to do this when we get sufficient support. We need your prayers as well as if possible your financial support
18-11-2009
Camp Ukraine 2010 is coming ! Doubting ! Join ?!
Living in another country for a while. And doing so in a Eastern European country! Especially Ukraine, a country that’s often in our news programs nowadays. Please be assured, by the time we will go there everybody will be healthy again. Run a children or teenager summer camp together with Ukrainian leaders. You will experience the habits in that country while you will certainly realise yourselves under which splendid circumstances we do live here in The Netherlands!
The Oekroe Foundation from Rijnsburg (The Netherlands) for the first time organised summer camps in Ukraine during the summer of 2003. Since then we have been in Ukraine annually with a group of 22 to 30 youngsters and somewhat older people from Rijnsburg, Katwijk and the wide surroundings, in order to give Ukraine children, who possess so much less than we do, a splendid summer holiday.
For the children the summer camps last 12 days. 12 days during which you will get a very strong bond with them. The language is really not a problem. In every camp there are usually 2 translators. Besides amongst the older children many do speak a little English.
During the camps we as Dutch people arrange sports and games. Regarding the camp games you could think of the typical games we also play during the summer camp in The Netherlands such as living ‘stratego’. Of course the children will be told stories from the Bible. That’s driving us. We will leave for Ukraine early Monday morning 19 July and we hope to return Tuesday evening 3 August around 7.30pm. Of course you will go the Ukraine well prepared. We do have preparatory meetings every month. And what about the costs? Those are really reasonable. The contribution is maximised to € 500.- to cover for your own costs. On top of this, participants are expected to raise money to cover the costs of the camps themselves.