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Introduction Safe Water and AIDS Project Foundation (SWAPKenya.nl foundation)

The foundation was registered with notary office Vermeul in Rotterdam on 31 August 2021 and registered under KVK number 83857516 with the aim of supporting the Safe Water and AIDS Project (SWAP) in Western Kenya with community projects. After registration, the procedure for opening a business bank account was initiated. In December 2022, a business account was opened at ING bank, on which donations have been received since then.

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Vision and mission

Everyone has the right to a dignified and healthy existence. Based on this vision, the SWAPKenya.nl foundation wants to dedicate itself to people in Western Kenya who need quick (financial) help. These are concrete, short-term and small-scale projects or requests for help. Like a contribution to repair a house after a flood, school fees, the purchase of a wheelchair or other aid, a drinking water supply for a village or a few sewing machines for a small business. Small contributions that can make a big difference to someone. To help someone on their way to independence, to empower someone, or for better future opportunities.

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Objective

The foundation aims to serve the public interest by providing social and welfare assistance to vulnerable people in Western Kenya.

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Board members at the time of establishment

         - Geesje Eleveld - Chairman

         - Fred Botermans - Secretary

          - Alie Eleveld - Treasurer and contact person for Safe Water and AIDS                     

          Project in Kenya (SWAP).

To avoid conflicts of interest, Alie Eleveld stepped down as board member and treasurer, but she remains the main contact person for the SWAPKenya.nl foundation. She was succeeded as board member by Tilleke Kiewied in 2022.

In 2023, Fred Botermans stepped down due to work commitments and was succeeded by Harriët Strik.

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Board members, roles and responsibilities

The three board members constitute the board. If necessary, other members can be appointed with special skills or experience. We are a flat organisation and equal. Each board member is aware of her role and there is close contact with each other, as well as with Alie Eleveld, the contact person in Kenya. Board members of the SWAPKenya.nl foundation are jointly responsible for implementing the objectives. The foundation is committed to achieving good results in improving the quality of life of vulnerable people in the rural community of Western Kenya.

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Board term

The term of office for board members is 3 years. After that, a board member can be re-elected or replaced by a new board member.

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Geesje Eleveld – Chairwoman (since 31 Aug 2021)

The chairman leads the SWAPKenya.nl foundation as a whole. The chairman is the figurehead of the foundation and maintains external contacts. The chairman writes out and chairs the board meetings. The chairman also monitors the progress policy. The chairman is in close contact with the technical advisor (Alie Eleveld) in Kenya, who monitors developments on the ground and prioritises activities that need support. The chairman maintains good contact with the other board members.

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Harriët Strik – Secretary (since 16 January 2023)

The secretary provides secretarial and logistical support to board meetings, takes minutes and maintains the website and social media. The secretary ensures that all board decisions are implemented, communicated and documented. The secretary liaises regularly with the chairman and treasurer.

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Tilleke Kiewied – Treasurer (since 16 November 2021)

The treasurer oversees the organisation's finances on behalf of the foundation and oversees the financial control functions within SWAPKenya.nl foundation. The treasurer handles the monthly financial transfer of donated amounts. The treasurer advises on financial procedures and ensures they are followed. The treasurer has regular meetings with the chairman and secretary and responds to financial problems as they arise.

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The duty of loyalty

There are three drivers of board members' decision-making: organisational strategy, interests of primary beneficiaries and personal experience and wisdom of board members. Board members have a duty to oversee the organisational values, vision and mission; they ensure continuity and objectivity in their application when making decisions.

 

Each board member of SWAPKenya.co.uk foundation undertakes to put the interests of the foundation first.

 

Close attention should be paid to:

 

- Conflicts of interest: a board member must ensure that their loyalty to

   SWAPKenya.nl foundation does not conflict with their personal or organisational 

   interests.

 

- Personal benefit: a board member must not derive any personal benefit from the

   work for the SWAPKenya.nl foundation. They are only entitled to compensation for the   

   expenses actually incurred by expenses actually incurred by them in the performance of their

   duties.

 

- Confidentiality: all information between the board and the contact person in Kenya is

   confidential and should be treated as such.

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Background information on SWAP

The 'parent organisation', Safe Water and AIDS Project (SWAP) is a Kenyan-registered NGO that has been operating in western Kenya since 2005 with public health programmes, scientific research, community support and emergency aid.

 

SWAP's vision is to create a healthy and empowered community, where everyone enjoys the highest possible quality of life. Its mission is to provide innovative solutions to improve the health and economic status of communities. SWAP works with the Ministry of Health, Education, Water and other healthcare stakeholders, reaching out to the most vulnerable communities. The wide range of services includes scientific services research, social marketing of health products, social behaviour change communication, drinking water enterprises, water and parasitology laboratory services, COVID-19 response and counselling, emergency assistance, orphan and community support, social and economic empowerment of women and fund management. The focus is on drinking water, sanitation and hygiene, menstrual hygiene management and clean energy, nutrition, COVID-19, HIV/AIDS, Malaria, neglected tropical diseases, orphans and vulnerable children, maternal and child health and early childhood development.

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SWAP is governed by a board of directors with diversified skills and backgrounds, which meets four times a year. A management team oversees day-to-day operations. Internal systems, procedures and financial operations comply with international standards. SWAP is subject to annual external audit and has a zero-tolerance policy on corruption.

 

Contact person in Kenya: Alie Eleveld

Alie Eleveld is a public health expert, she has lived in East Africa since 1984 and holds a permanent residence permit in Kenya. In 2005, Alie founded and ran the NGO SWAP for many years; since 2017, she has been technical advisor.

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Alie is the contact person in Kenya for the SWAPKenya.nl foundation. Her job is to oversee the crowdfunding activities that support vulnerable communities in Kenya. With her field team she identifies and selects the projects/people that need support. Alie provides monthly updates and success stories for DonorSee and the SWAPKenya.nl foundation. She also ensures that the donated amount reaches the people for whom it is intended. Alie has intensive contact with the board and participates in the board meetings of the SWAPKenya.nl foundation.

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Justification for the establishment of the Safe Water and AIDS Project Foundation (SWAPKenya.nl foundation)

The NGO SWAP has had a major impact on rural communities in Western Kenya since its inception in 2005.  The SWAP field team has empowered village communities, empowered widows and orphans, and prevented disease outbreaks with its emergency response during post-election violence, cholera outbreaks and responses to flooding. Western Kenya has a high burden of disease and poverty and is a flood-prone area. It has the highest HIV rates in the country and as a result there are many widows and orphans.

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Additional donations are very important. It has therefore been decided to continue raising money for community support through crowdfunding. SWAP was approached by Donor See, a US-based crowdfunding platform. Here, donors and benefactors can be linked to projects uploaded to their website. However, it is not possible to transfer the donated money to Kenyan bank accounts. It was therefore proposed that the Dutch Alie Eleveld should try to set up a charitable foundation in the Netherlands. After consultations and online research and careful selection of the founders, the registration of the Dutch Safe Water and AIDS Project foundation (SWAPKenya.nl foundation) was realized in Rotterdam on August 31, 2021 (KVK 83857516).

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​Method of the SWAPKenya.nl foundation

Board members work with SWAP to assess and prioritize their funding needs. There are four board meetings per year and there is regular contact via email or other forms of communication. Crowdfunding is done via Donor See and the money raised is deposited into the business bank account of the SWAPKenya.nl foundation. The amount received will then be transferred monthly to SWAP for implementation of the projects. The board members have access to the Donor See platform and can monitor the progress of projects, to ensure that funds are not used for profit or commercial purposes and that the amount raised reaches the beneficiaries. Fundraising will initially take place via the foundation's website and social media. If desired, the foundation's activities can be expanded by, for example, presenting at meetings or events, writing press releases, etc. As soon as the website is ready, ANBI status will be applied for (end of 2023). The financial administration is kept by the treasurer and made public upon request. The board members do not receive any salaries or allowances, only (possibly) reimbursement of travel expenses and administrative expenses. At least 95% of all funds raised benefit the people and vulnerable communities in Western Kenya.

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Areas of support eligible for fundraising

-       School fees and school requirements for vulnerable and orphaned children.

-       Medical aids such as wheelchairs, glasses or occupational therapy for physical disabled

        people.

-       Medical costs for vulnerable families.

-       Assistance to (starting up) small-scale businesses for widows and single people mothers

        and families with children.

-       Shelters and emergency shelter after demolished or collapsed houses, fire incidents,

        floods etc.

-       Support schools in improving water and sanitation infrastructure, vaccination, nutritional

        programs for menstrual hygiene management and health clubs in schools.

-       Providing safe drinking water to underserved communities.

-       Distribution of food and other essential provisions during floods and other natural

        disasters.

-       Support of health centers during disease outbreaks (cholera, malaria).

-       Empowerment programs for young people.