foundation
The Silent Work Foundation aims at the forgotten children of Africa. It supports small scale local initiatives. The Foundation Silent Work is independent and unattached to any specific ideology or religion. Silent Work supports initiatives in the following dominions: safety, hygienic drinking water, nutrition (agriculture, cattle-breeding and fishery), medical support, education and housing. Where possible the foundation supports sustainable projects where youngsters will receive professional training. Silent Work supports as well: assistence to process traumas. The care for safety and a better future for deaf and/or disabled children is an important priority.
Silent Work is an initiative of Wiljo Woodi Oosterom. She builds up and maintains contacts, together with Demba Abou Bah, with people in the areas where the request for support by local population is destined. She maintains these co-operative relationships. The Foundation tries to collect the means necessary to realise the projects. All requests for projects are tested in relation to the goals of the Foundation. Just a minimum of the finances is spend on over all costs of the office. The Foundation reports annual about activities. The board members work on voluntary basis for Silent Work.
board
The board of directors of Silent Work:
Wiljo Woodi Oosterom, Chairperson
Barbara Ederveen-Winkler, Secretary
Kenneth Kruydenhof, Finances
Yvette Boonstra-van Veen, board member
Margreet de Boer- Kwakman, board member
collaborators in Africa
Wiljo Woodi Oosterom
After her husband passed away (1990) Wiljo renewed her first profound experienced meeting with Africa (1980) and this resulted in an intensive alliance with the West-African part of the continent. In the meantime, her ties with many people in Senegal, Mauritania and Rwanda, lead to sustainable projects in all sorts of domains, with a continuous focus on ” the forgotten children “.
Refer to the page about Wiljo Woodi Oosterom for more information.
Demba Abou Ba
of Mauritanian origine, works and lives 4 months a year in the Netherlands. He co-operates the development and preparation of projects in Senegal and Mauretania. He is the executive director, in co-operation with Wiljo Woodi, for the projects and intermediates when problems arrive. Further, he intermediates in Mauritania, concerning applications for handicapped children with the Liliane-fonds (appliances, surgery and education).
Abdou Djibba
contact for Silent Work in Senegal and Mauritania. He visits regularly the projects, reports, executes financial obligations, purchases materials for projects, keeps in touch with Silent Work about progress and problems. When Wiljo Woodi resides in Africa, he interpretes at meetings for projects in African languages (a.o. Wolof and Jola).
Oumar Guissee
is an expert in meteorology. He is the approachable and reliable person in Nouakchott, Mauritania. He organises paperwork and formalities, keeps in touch with the national authority. He as well interpretes in African languages (Pular) and Arabic.
Amadou Ditjani
is leader of the school and the wise man (alderman) for the region in Mauritania. He co-ordinates the projects in villages and keeps in touch with local and regional authorities.
Abdoulayhi Sy
co-ordinates water projects in Mauretania.
Si. Souleman
is the personal contact in the Sahara for the (ex-) slave-villages. He regularly visits the projects, researches applications, he supervises people in need of medical care and reports.
Codou Diop
conducts a data processing centre for pupils, girls and women in Sokone (Senegal); she also dedicates herself to the pursue of better and equal conditions for women.
Ousman Tabo
will direct in Touba Couta (Senegal) a data processing centre and a location for exposition and sales of art- and craft products, manufactured in differing african countries. Besides he maintains and repairs the total computer network of Silent Work.
Sokhna Ba
is president of the women-union in Pulli Fulbe and Tjiiënt (Senegal); she founded and supervises the activities centre in the region Fass Boye.
Eugene Murenzi
is a Roman Catholic priest in Mushubati (Rwanda), he co-operates in the development and preparation of projects, is co-ordinator of Komera, by Silent Work started family-homes, and classrooms for a labouring/learning project for the deaf and/or mentally disabled children, controls finances and reports regularly. He interpretes as well for Wiljo Woodi, in Kinyarwanda.
John Paul Rutakisha
a Roman Catholic priest in Busasamana (Rwanda); he as well co-operates in the development and preparation of projects, co-ordinates and supervises projects in the region Gisenyi Rwanda, controls finances and reports regularly. He does interprete for Wiljo Woodi, in Kinyarwanda.
Likewise a growing number of engaged people in Mauritania and Senegal contribute in Silent Work projects in the areas of hydrology, agriculture, special education and construction.
Silent Work West-Africa
Silent Work received in Mauritania ONG- antenna, by which Silent Work West-Africa has been officially acknowledged and registered. Thus the acces to Ministries is very much simplified, it makes it easier to get licences for construction and sinking for waterwells.
Certain taxes are no longer cashed, we are able to advice the government. Permission for labour concerning ‘foreign’ Africans is possible. The board and members of the concerned regions are completely African.
This Foundation is now the co-operative partner of Silent Work in the Netherlands. They organise village meetings are, they contact the Ministries, they research the ideas for new projects introduced by inhabitants, they test those on their realizability and expertness. They guard the quality from the start until the completion of the project and its sustainable continuation.
