Our mission is to help streetchildren in their daily struggle for life. Since 1988, ‘Help mij leven’ has been raising funds for REMER and Sparta. Occasionally we ship small amounts of medication, toys or other humanitarian goods to Brazil. Help mij leven publishes a quarterly newsletter, its volunteers frequently hold meetings and lectures in schools and churches. 'Help mij leven' also recruits volunteers that go and work for REMER in Brazil. Help mij leven advises and coaches the people of Sparta and REMER where needed.
How does Help mij leven operate?
The foundation is an all-volunteer organisation. This helps us keep overhead-costs to a minimum. Over the last years we’ve been able to invest 97% of our funding towards the work in Brazil. More information can be found in our annual reports (Dutch version only).
The 'Help mij leven' foundation is accredited by the Dutch Committee on Fundraising Organisations ‘CBF’ (www.cbf.nl)
CBF is the Dutch national accrediting body that inspects public interest bodies and, if they meet high standards of probity and integrity, will award a public certificate confirming that the organization is well-run and deserving of support.
CBF is a member of the International Committee on Fundraising Organizations (www.icfo.de).
Who do we receive donations from?
Personal donations are of great importance to ‘Help mij leven’. These provide us with a large and steady income. This income is crucial to a steady financing of the activities in Brazil. Apart from that, REMER and Sparta rely heavily on this personal support from The Netherlands. It gives them the strength to carry on with their hard work in often dangerous circumstances. Therefore we cordially invite you to make a donation!
‘Help mij leven’ also receives donations from grants, churches, schools and companies. Our main partner organisations can be found under "Samenwerking" (Dutch only). In addition to these partners, ‘Help mij leven’ receives support from many other organisations that organise fundraisers and/or support us financially.
How was ‘Help mij leven’ founded?
The foundation was founded in 1998 in order to support the work of Robert Smits, a Dutch man that went to Rio de Janeiro to alleviate the problems of streetchildren. Robert is the founder of Sparta and REMER and is still the driving force behind the work of these organisations.
How is ‘Help mij leven’ organized?
The ‘Help mij leven’ foundation is headed by a board of 7 people. They are the core team of the foundation and are responsible for the following tasks:
- Fundraising
- Communication, education and publicity
- General operational issues
The board members are also responsible for - and closely involved in - other activities within the foundation:
- Publishing of a quarterly newsletter
- Recruitment of Dutch volunteers that are willing to work in Brazil for a given period of time
- Maintenance of a website
Board members and other volunteers are frequently asked to participate in organising fundraising events and lectures such as those which take place in churches and schools.
The activities of board members and other enthusiasts are completely voluntary. People carrying out activities for the foundation are not financially compensated in any way.
How can the ‘Help mij leven’ Foundation be reached?
For additional information, or for assistance with payment of donations, please email or call Aldo Golja, board member:
Phone: Aldo Golja : +31-10-4653767
Email: mail@helpmijleven.org
Mail: Postbus 155, 2665 ZK Bleiswijk, The Netherlands
Donations can be made out to ‘Help mij leven’, situated in the town of BLEISWIJK:
International bankaccount number: IBAN: NL23 RABO 0107 6146 42, BIC: RABONL2U
When making payments in The Netherlands, use this account number: 10.76.14.642.