25 June 2009

On 15 June 2009 our highly appreciated committee member, Siem de Lange, passed away. Even though he had been ill for over a year, he still committed himself till the last moment to the Eline Foundation. We are very grateful for his efforts and valuable advices. Our sympathies are with his wife, children and grandchildren. We wish them all the strength to support this loss.

11 June 2009

Our latest Newsletter (# 4) describes the recent visit (April/May 2009) of Wilma, Jim, Eline, and Anneli to China. They enjoyed several meetings with Eline's Chinese birth parents and sisters.

In addition, they visited the Ming Jia School in Dashun, Fuling District, Chongqing municipality, where they officially started a project to support 6 children for several years until they finish school. Fuling TV made a report of this visit.

On Friday evening June 5th from 11 pm till midnight, Wilma and Jim were guests of the radio show "Dichtbij Nederland" ("Nearby The Netherlands"), to tell their story and the activities of the Eline Foundation.

On April 14, 2009, the composition of the Foundation Board has changed. The new chairman is Alfiero Metafuni. Wilma Leermakers is now both secretary and treasurer. Siem de Lange continues as general member of the Board. Hellen van Tol, Hilda Bloem and Giny Teusink discontinued their membership of the Board. We thank them for their contribution.

1 February 2009

Since last time we made some improvements to the website. Among others we included the last Newsletter (# 3). The family He are still doing well. He Yixin (19), Eline’s eldest Chinese sister, studies English at the Sichuan International Studies University. Her younger sister He Lu has become 14 years old and still goes to secondary school.

As from 1 February 2009 a project starts for the support of 6 children at the Dashun school in the Fuling district, the same school He Lu attends. Wilma and Jim will visit China from 22 April till 12 May. In the week of 25 April till 2 May they will both visit the family He as well as this project.

As from 1 October 2008, He Yixin (19), Eline’s eldest Chinese sister, has started a higher vocational education English at the Sichuan International Studies University. Her younger sister He Lu (14) attends, with the help of the foundation, secondary school.

KRO Spoorloos has again paid attention to the family He and also to other subjects that were relevant in the “China special” of 29 January 2007. This programme broadcasted on 7 July 2008. The family He is doing well. The amount of local contacts in the province of Chongqing, who can help the Foundation with more projects, is increasing. Joan Armstrong Huang is from the Fuling district, where the family He also lives. She helps He Yixin with her studies. Diederik Brinkman is the general manager of the Holiday Inn hotel in Pudong, Shanghai. Till recently he had the same position in a Holiday Inn hotel in Chongqing and has started a project there that supports children in primary education. He is still very involved in this project. The foundation investigates at the moment the possibilities of supporting these children in secondary education as well.