The Kolewa Foundation – For a future with a smile!
Mission Statement
The Kolewa Foundation is a non-profit organisation with ANBI status. Our purpose is to help yearly as much as possible poor and disadvantaged children and young adults on the most isolated and most underdeveloped islands of Indonesia. We provide medical help in the field of (in particular) cleft lip, hearing impairments, spina bifida, anus atresia, severe deformities from burns and other diseases. With this, Kolewa takes these children out of physical and social isolation and gives them a new future. Also, in line with, we offer possibilities to follow (special) education and we give access to clean drinking water.
The Kolewa Foundation is completely dependent on donations (of wealth funds, companies, service clubs and individuals). Kolewa is a flat organisation and has a low overhead (max. 5%). The execution of all our projects takes place on Bali by our sister organization Yayasan Kolewa Harapan Indonesia. Yayasan Kolewa Harapan has a small, local team on their payroll. This team is supported by volunteers and (student) interns. Yayasan Kolewa Harapan Indonesia wants to be a “Solid Organisation” with continuity and business and legal certainty for the local team.
Vision Statement
On a yearly basis, Kolewa offers over 200 vulnerable children and young adults access to medical care and/or suitable education. We want these children/young adults to have the opportunity to fully participate in society and we want to prevent them from ending up in a life of isolation and neglect and thereby grow up without education because of their handicap or appearance.
Core Values
From within Kolewa, we operate from five 5 core values. We express these values to each other, within and also outside of the foundations.
“For Everybody”: Children with a physical handicap or limitation have the right to a humane and promising life. We want them to be able to grow up just like all other children, and to participate as completely as possible in their home environment. Also, we do not want them to be left out at school. They are part of it.
Confidence: A new island, new people and an upcoming operation: these are all heavy changes for a young child. Every patient coming to us comes together with a parent/supervisor who gets intimately involved during the medical process. We treat each other and the children respectfully and with love, to give the children the best time as possible while they are with us.
Inspire: Before the operation and during aftercare, the children stay in our shelter home called ‘Rumah Bicara’. We sing, tinker, dance, cook, swim, learn English and maths together with the children to give them an inspiring time. The children can develop their talents and can discover new qualities during their time with us.
Result-oriented: We are a small organization, that’s our strength. Because of our personal involvement, we can at directly. No long stretches but straight to work. We are creative in the process of finding solution and continue the process until it is done. In this way, we quickly achieve a positive result.
Collaborating: In addition to the Kolewa Foundation in the Netherlands, there is the Yayasan Kolewa Harapan foundation located in Indonesia. Here, an enthusiastic and professional local team works to help our patients. The stable network of our Indonesian field partners is essential. Our long-lasting collaborations with multiple organisations and institutions that focus on eye and hearing problems, speech therapy and revalidation are very important to us. In this way, we contribute over and over again to a sustainable improvement of local care. From the Netherlands, we frequently get help from volunteers and trainees.
The Kolewa Foundation – Give them a future with a smile
