Child Focus semi-finalist for Appeltje van Oranje

Child Focus Saba is one of the semi-finalists for the Appeltje van Oranje prize awarded by the Oranje Funds for social initiatives within the Dutch Kingdom. This year, the theme is “Powerful Children” and it is focused on initiatives that are committed to children who are growing up in vulnerable situations.

The semi-finals were held in Curaçao on November 5. Of 33 entries, 11 organizations from the Dutch Caribbean islands were selected to make presentations, and of those, only two proceed to the finals in the Netherlands. K1 Britannia Foundation from St. Maarten was selected to enter the final round in the Netherlands in 2017.

Child Focus’ presentation focused on the after-school activities programme. Project leader Stacey Simmons and translator Caroline Teeuwen presented the project with special highlights of the year, such as the teen music workshop, inter-island chess tournament, summer camp and theatre performances.

Child Focus representatives also expressed their vision for the future, which included providing more training for volunteers, taking children on field trips to learn more about the world outside of Saba, staying current with new strategies which will improve management, and organizing more special workshops for youth by bringing in specialists from abroad. In this way, children can be exposed to new concepts and ideas.

Simmons said, “When one is immersed in an experience which you are passionate about, your soul is nurtured and you feel alive. This is the experience that we want to give to the children of Saba. This is not just an achievement for Child Focus, but for the island of Saba, because of the many volunteers and collaborating organizations who dedicate their time and effort to the activities.”

The Daily Herald.