tjeko tripsConsidering to join as volunteer? Great!

“I work every day to ensure that me and my family have enough to eat”.

the story of a child

Let a child be a child. Even if it’s only for one day...

a visit to the ‘fun fair’

The societal value of Tjeko

educate and send out

Where will we be in 5 years?

Future plans?

every child should have a childhood

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9571 children that enjoyed a day of childhood • 50% paid visitors • 10% return visitors (within the 19day

period) • 19 days of fun fairs • 20+ schools • 15+ ngo’s • 1500 bags of popcorn made • 37 Ugandans trained • 8 european volunteers

• 5000+ pieces of bread given out • 100+ skippyballs • 4 trampolines • 16 hammocks • 100+ bamboo poles 3 Panna fields • 6 minigolf holes • 1 happy mascot • 3% of actUal tff contributed by ugandans

zomer 2011facts

The realisation that children in Uganda have almost no fun places to play caused Ferdi and Tatiana to think. “Whilst looking around for a playground for Maelle we were told to go to an orphanage that might have a place to play. We went there and it was fun but shortly after we arrived we saw children gathered on the other side of the fence. They also wanted to play. These children thought that you would have to be an orphan to be given the opportunity to have a fun playground and it broke our hearts.”

laughterTjeko is a Swahili word and means ‘laughter’ Tatiana tells us. “That’s what it’s all about with Tjeko. We want children to smile again even more when we see the importance of laughter in the lives of our own children.

What if there would be a place where all the children of a wide spread area (district, province) could come and play, and have fun, was a thought that followed naturally. We wanted a place where a child can be a child and unconcerned and relaxed, to be able to play and enjoy himself.”Ferdi: the Tjeko Fun Fair is the beautiful result of all the thoughts following our search for a playground for our daughter.

There are no real opportunities to play as a child in Uganda Tatiana continues on. With the Tjeko Fun Fair we offer playtime and space available to children of this area. Thousands of children enjoyed Tjeko last summer. We have had a trial period in offering ‘fun spots’. The response was overwhelming, it was a big success!

What Tjeko offers is very open and accessible. The entrance fee is comparable to the price you would pay to buy a pineapple. The reason it’s not free is because it’s tempting for people to consider it cheap.We really want the Tjeko activities to look good. Ferdi adds: We also want children who can’t afford it to come play at Tjeko’s, but then through NGO’s active in Uganda.

edutainmentIn article 31 of the Convention on the Rights of a Child states: .Every child has a right to play, recreational activities and leisure Ferdi continues. Tjeko wants children to experience that it is good to be a child and enjoy it. Every child has a dream. Tjeko wants to pro-vide the opportunity for children to have their dreams come true...right in their own backyard.We want to offer ‘edutainment’: recreation combined with development and education

Further on in this mini-magazine you’ll read more about the plans for the future we have for Tjeko in Uganda.

A few years ago, when Ferdi and Tatiana were in Uganda, the story of

Tjeko began. They were looking for a playground for their daughter

Maëlle to play for a bit. The only place they found was a little orphanage

playground. “Tjeko wants for children in Uganda to experience how good

it can be to be a child and to enjoy childhood.”

the right to...hAvE A CARE FREE ChIldhOOd

Mukunjja latif is thirteen years old. he wants to be-come a doctor. Strikingly many youngsters in Uganda express the desire to become a doctor. ‘This is be-cause there are simply not enough doctors in Uganda’, Mukunjja explains.

Over three million children in Uganda are already working, every single day. They rarely go to school, if at all. Often children provide for the basic needs of the family, for instance because they miss one or two parents. ‘I’m very fortunate to be able to go to school’, Mukunjja says, walking home in the scorching sun. ‘Many children can’t go to school because they have

no money. My father and mother passed away a long time ago. I now live with my aunt and her child. She also doesn’t always have the possibility to pay my schooling fee.’

strugglingIn Uganda, without education, you are more or less certain to spend the rest of your life struggling and toiling for your money. This is characteristic for the worrying situation in Uganda. Situations that cause children to be unfamiliar with a real childhood and with the possibility to simply play.

35 Million people live in Uganda. Almost half of those (17 million) is younger than fifteen years old. Mukunjja is one of them, a 13-year-old boy who is lucky enough to be able to go to school. But that is as far as his childhood goes. Tjeko helped this Mukunjja experience what it means to have ‘fun’.

mukunjja (13)

vISITS ThE TjEkO FUN FAIR

i asked: ‘are we really going here?’ it looked so amazing.’

The 13-year-old Mukunjja walks to the old and dusty shack of his aunt. It is obvious that she also is poor. Once back home, Mukunjja immediately needs to work. looking in his eyes, we ask whether he knows what the word ‘fun’ means. ‘I have no idea what that wordmeans’, he answers. ‘Today is the first day I heard it. I do know that kids should be playing and studying rather than working. I want to play together with all my friends, not having to work for just once.

amazingWe bring Mukunjja along to the Tjeko Fun Fair. There he can ‘give way’ completely for a day. Afterwards, Mukunjja tells: ‘It was quite a long walk to Tjeko, but when I saw what was ahead of me, I became so enthu-siastic! I asked: “Are we really going here?” It looked so amazing!’

Playing become a reality for Mukunjja. The entire day, he is active in sports, games, creative development and relaxation. Everywhere around him are jumping and bouncing children. They are racing go-carts, run-ning and loudly laughing. It is fantastic to hear their laughter and to see their eyes sparkling in joy. That is why Tjeko does what it does: the happy sparkle in the eyes of for example Mukunjja.

Mukunjja is not the only one enjoying Tjeko. Several children who joined Mukunjja in visiting the Tjeko Fun Fair, responded intensely excited at the end of the day:

› ‘All the Tjeko worlds are so cool!’ › ‘The world of sports with midget golf and panna soccer were my favorite.’› ‘The great theatre shows and the awesome world of games are my favorites. I can do what I want and play merrily.’› ‘In the world of fantasy, I learned to use my imagination.’› ‘Tjeko has made me child again.’› ‘I now know what it is to laugh and play.’

tjeko fun fairUGANdASUMMER 2011

tjeko academyThe two-week-long training was christened ‘Tjeko academy’. Personal development, park management, hospitality and leadership were at the chore of the training. The young adults did not get paid a wage, but received an allowance. The Ugandan young adults themselves have indicated that they got a lot out of the training. ‘People in Uganda are not good at making contact. They talk a lot but not much is said’, tells a student. ‘We learned to communicate intentionally, especially toward the children. A tool like that, you can use for the rest of your life!’‘The young adults gave us input as well’, says Ferdi. ‘We know what we want with Tjeko, but they added ideas of their own. We mir-rored their ideas to ours. They enjoyed being involved in Tjeko Fun Fairs in this way and we want to involve them as much as possible. They helped a lot with the last preparations for the Tjeko Fun Fairs and with set-ting everything up.

world premiereTjeko academy is a learning experience for the Ugandan young adults in several ways. It is wonderful to see that all the preparations and plans have be-come a reality. Tjeko academy will continue to develop in the future into a real education. Besides classes you might expect, there will also be business-related classes included in the academy. Tjeko acadmey strives to introduce a new standard in child-focused enterprises. Even at this point, Tjeko can already be considered a world premiere.

what young adults from the tjeko academy have to say:

‘Tjeko taught me a lot, like being patient, work-ing together with others, to love and be honest.’ (Nakibuuka Edith)

‘Tjeko academy has changed my way of life. I now know what communicating is.’ (James)

‘I am grateful for the Tjeko academy, because it has changed my life. I now have a positive attitude toward work and responsibility. I’ve also made new friends, Tjeko is like a family to me!’ (Miriam Aka Kero)

‘I’ve learned to work together and to communicate with people.’ (Elizabeth Mosi)

‘I’ve learned to laugh, even when things go wrong.’ (Peace)

‘I’ve learned to become more confident, to communi-cate and to talk to younger people. Tjeko had a major impact on me, which I’ll never forget’.

‘The Tjeko-experience is one of the biggest op-portunities you can come across in your life. I am so happy that I didn’t miss that chance.’ (Ngobi Benjamin)

Ferdi and Tatiana decided to look for young adults between 18 and 28 with proficient English and a desire to be involved in a positive initiative. To their surprise, 55 Ugandan young adults applied straight away, 40 of whom were eventually selected. This team became the driving force behind the Tjeko Fun Fairs which were organized by Tjeko at different locations within Uganda.

tjeko academy: A SOlId TEAM

We, as the Tjeko Fun Fair team, are very proud of what we have accomplished so far. But we’re not there yet. With your help and talent we can make Tjeko Fun Fairs better, more fun and more wonderful. Be a hand and foot for children in Uganda who don’t know what it is to be a ‘real child’.

what can you do? Tjeko is looking for enthusiastic people who are willing to help us by using the knowledge and skills from their field of work or studies for a few weeks and travel with Tjeko Trips to Uganda. Are you good with children, are you good at entertaining, or handy? Are you First Aid-certified, a carpenter, a sports coach, a manager, a marketer etc.: Tjeko Trips is looking for you!

as a volunteer of tjeko trips you get the chance to be in-volved in tjeko fun fairs and connect with children who have never really had the chance at a childhood. it is the ideal opportunity to visit uganda and do something that has never been done before.

when?From june 2012 onwards, Tjeko will be organizing trips to Uganda again to set up the Tjeko Fun Fairs. We are still look-ing for a few volunteers to round out our team. Are you one of them? Go to www.tjeko.nl and fill out the application. We hope to be able to welcome you as a member of the Tjeko team!

‘it was one big party’‘It was wonderful to see how the Tjeko tent was filled everyday with hundreds of little faces. I will never forget the enthusiasm of these kids. The Tjeko Fun Fair was hard work, but it was for an amazing cause. It was one big party with lots of dancing, singing, games and of course the play. After those four weeks in Uganda, I can say that I’ve gotten even more excited. And the value of Tjeko definitely extends beyond the children. The impact on the whole team, teachers and parents is just as big.

So awesome!’

Eline [25] Teamleader during the Tjeko Fun FairUganda

for you!tjekois looking

Tjeko is looking for volunteers. Passionate people

who are really excited about Tjeko’s mission:

making children in Uganda happy. Tjeko Trips is

looking for you to join us in coming to Uganda!

tjeko in 2012In 2012 Tjeko is going deeper with the Fun Fairs. This way, we can increase our reach with Tjeko using relatively little resource. We will also work together more with other parties. Tjeko offers added value to wonderful organizations that already work with the poorest of the poor in Uganda. It is all about the chil-dren for us - all children. Because every child should be able to be a child.

Our vision is to offer an improved Fun Fair to a minimum of 30,000 children in the Summer of 2012. Because we are already experienced, we can do this at a lower cost. This means that for every donation you make, MORE children can be children.

tjeko after 2012The Tjeko vision is huge. Working together with several parties, Tjeko wants to develop into a social for-profit fun park formula that will continue to develop on its own. This means that we are con-tinually working to make Tjeko into a concept that can be duplicated easily. In the future, Tjeko will present a new model for sustainable business opportunities in several developing countries.

Become a regular donor of Tjeko and receive the Tjeko

Funpass! You receive discounted entrance to more than

40 theme parks in The Netherlands for a whole year. But

even better: Every time you use the card, another child

gets to experience a day of Tjeko!

The proceeds of this card make it possible for Tjeko to

give as many children in Uganda the opportunity to play!

Because every child has the right to be a child!

fun idea? Give the card as a present! It makes a great

birthday present! It also makes a great gift for business

relations, or addition to a Christmas bonus!

order your tickets quickly on www.tjekofunpass.nl

TjekoFunPassFun For you? Fun For Them!

FutureTjeko keeps going. Now that we’ve had a taste of what’s possible, we know that it can be done even better. We are still quite a few steps removed from a concept that can be duplicated.

jij plezier? zij plezier!www.tjeko.nl

FunPass.indd 3

15-11-11 19:40

Ferdi, in his turn, was excited by the helpful coach-ing and input of hans. In 2011 the Pleisureworld Foundation, an intiative of Pleisureworld, decided to also financially support the Tjeko initiative. The first 1000 Euros are going to be used in 2011 for the setting up of the Tjeko Fun Fair.

Another co-operation that will benefit the Tjeko project is a special fun(d)raiser. Especially for Tjeko, there will be a 2012 special version of the memebership card of ‘The most fun day Out’. This card gives participans many discounts which make a day out even more fun. The card will be distributed through businesses and elementary schools and will find its way to 10,000 consumers. This way, more children will be able to enjoy a day of carefree fun, in the Netherlands as well as Uganda.

your inspirationYou are also inspired by Tjeko’s work and want to be involved in further developments of Tjeko. You can support Tjeko specifically for the project of this

upcoming Summer or support the future concept of Tjeko. Every form of help is needed and in the long-term you help us allow millions of children who live in poverty to enjoy a day of carefree fun. In this way, we give these children a better future together. Fill in the donation form and send it to us, or contact us by phone at 085 0021141.

more inspiration?Invite Ferdi van den Bergh for a motivational, stimulat-ing and practical (lunch)workship or lecture. In the exciting story of Tjeko, there are several take-aways for a broad audience. Passion, dreams, creativity and perseverance are only a few of the examples. Especially business and entrepreneurial networks and Rotary clubs find Tjeko a fun element for their meetings. There are often no costs associated with these workshops and lectures. however, there will be a presentation of sponsorship opportunities.

Contact us directly at: 085 002114

When hans van leeuwen met Ferdi van den Bergh in 2009, there was an immediate connection. hans was inspired by the simple motivation of the Tjeko team to focus on the experience of children living in poverty above everything else. In 2010 hans travelled to Uganda to scope out the potential of Tjeko on location.

inspired...

every donation gives more children the opportunity to enjoy a tjeko day!

Fill out the donation form and send this in an envelop with sufficient postage to:

tjekoPostbus 1582800 ad goudathe netherlands

or donate directly via our website: www.tjeko.nl and click on ‘doneren’ (donate).

Thank you for your donation!

ik wil het werk van tjeko graag ondersteunen met:

● € 10 ● Maandelijks● € 50 ● 2-maandelijks● € 100 ● jaarlijks● € .......... ● Eénmalig

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hierbij machtig ik stichting Tjeko om het bovenstaande bedrag volgends aangegeven termijn van bovenstaand rekeningnummer af te schrijven.

machtigingskaart

support tjekowww.tjeko.nl

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Stichting Tjeko, Postbus 158, 2800 Ad Gouda, Nederland, www.tjeko.nl, E. ask@tjeko.nl, T. +31 850021141, Rabobank 1537.23.432, IBAN: Nl75RABO0153723432, BIC: RABONl2U

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