The Board

Tatiana Kalinina – President

My name is Tatiana. I am founder and president of the foundation Niños en Contacto. I am Russian and was born in Moscow. In 2000 I moved to the Netherlands and live here since then. I graduated from the University of Amsterdam in European Policy. During the study I got very interested in economic development and poverty reduction issues. I am an idealist and want to make the world better and more humanistic. After my trip to Colombia in 2007 I decided to found an organization that would help disadvantaged children in very poor places in Latin America to get better education and through that a fair chance to improve their lifes.

Arjen van Loenen – Treasurer

My name is Arjen and I’m the treasurer of Niños en Contacto. I study Urban Planning at the University of Amsterdam and one of my specializations is Urban Planning for Developing Countries. Traveling is one of my biggest passions, though I’ve never been to Latin America. That doesn’t stop me from being enthusiastic about our project, because it’s a concrete way helping less fortunate children getting a better chance in life and making the world a little better.

Vanessa Hoen – Board Member

My name is Vanessa Hoen. I live in Hoofddorp, The Netherlands. At age 15, I moved to The Netherlands from Suriname, and here I completed my secondary education and continued higher education as well. I studied Spanish during 4 years and at the moment I am studying at the University of Amsterdam and completing my bachelors program in European studies, separately focusing on Latin American Studies and International Development. In my spare time I like to travel, cook, cycle, and shop. But what provides me with the most satisfaction is making a difference, which is why I joined NeC.

Julia Skinner – Fundraiser

My name is Julia Skinner and I am a Peruvian architect. My interest in development projects started when I came to study at the Institute of Housing Studies (IHS) in Rotterdam, where I did a course on Housing the Poor with a fellowship from the Dutch government. I have worked with urban and rural communities in Peru, El Salvador, Colombia and have continued doing this through different organizations in The Netherlands. The Niños en Contacto Foundation is an important part of this.

Myrna Maat – PR & Communications

My name is Myrna. I have a Bachelor in Tourism Management and a Master in International Communication. For my studies I travelled to France, Australia, and spent several months in Latin America to improve my Spanish language. I am interested in communications, international collaboration, and foreign languages. During my time abroad I have become more aware of how privileged I am with my Dutch nationality. Many children and adults live under different circumstances and have less future perspective. Because of this I like to make an effort to create opportunities for others.

Roy Captijn – PR & Communications

My name is Roy, I am a graduate in Industrial Design Engineering. During my studies I have become increasingly more interested in the social side of designing. Apart from studying I have travelled a lot and participated in volunteer projects abroad. I also have interests in the areas of social innovation and entrepreneurship, sustainable development and international cooperation. I like to commit to the foundation because I think it is important that children in poor areas get a chance on a better future.

ADVISORS AND FRIENDS OF THE FOUNDATION

Jan Melis – Advisor

Jan is a civil engineer, later in his career he was C.E.O. of a number of civil construction companies in developing countries in the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. After retirement he does voluntary work: 8 years in Spain and 2 years in Brazil (supporting an orphanage).

Karin Stibbe – Advisor

Karin’s expertise is in capacity building in developing countries, especially in urban development and urban design. She worked for UNCHS/UNDP, DGIS, Royal Haskoning and the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies in Indonesia and Egypt. Presently she has her own consultancy firm Atelier O2. Her aim is to conribute to poverty reduction through capacity building and community development. Therefore she is committed to the work of Niños en Contacto.

Jan Beerenhout – Advisor

Jan Beerenhout is friend and advisor of the foundation. For this, he uses his many contacts as member of Rotary International. He is a very energetic and curious person. Jan has worked for more than 30 years in the municipality of Amsterdam. He was and still is involved in many social problems, like social renovation and cohesion, the fight against poverty (food aid), local politics, construction of society and integration of immigrants. He is a writer and reader, he is a columnist for a Turkish magazine and a couple of Dutch weblogs. He is also involved in the Russian community in the Netherlands and the relationships between Russia and the Netherlands. For his commitment, in 2005 he received a nomination as Knight in the Order of Orange Nassau.

Marijke van der Galiën – Friend

After finishing secondary school I went to Peru to do voluntary work for half a year. After three weeks of Spanish lessons in Lima, I went to Huancayo to work in a project that offers a room and support to working kids. After that, I began to study Latin American Studies at the university of Leiden. During my study, I went to Argentina for three months, to do an investigation of the reconciliation after the violations of human rights during the military dictatorship in Argentina.

Rosalina Mendez – Friend

I was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela and majored in Modern Languages at the Metropolitan University of Caracas. I have worked in human relations, communications and Public Relations. I am very involved with national emergency situations. I moved to The Netherlands in 2006, since then I have been studying, engaged in entrepreneurial activities and giving Spanish lessons.

Hilde van der Pas – Friend

After graduating from journalism I lived in Colombia for a while, and that is when the country stole my heart. At the moment I am studying International Relations at the Universiteit van Amsterdam and I am very enthusiastic in supporting this project as much as I can, to make the world just a little bit better.

Emma Brands – Friend

Hola! I am Emma. I studied museology and work at the Anne Frank Huis museum. I am facinated with many different aspects of Latin-America: colors, developments, diversity of landscapes, architecture, history, food and culture. Further I like travelling, art, cooking, jogging, reading, going out and of course my friends and family.

Wendy van Trigt – Friend

My name is Wendy. I graduated in Cultural Anthropology at the University of Utrecht. My final research on the influence of catholic cultural heritage on Ladino and Maya women I did in Guatemala. Now I am working at the National Museum of Education in Rotterdam. Here I develop educational programs for children of different ages.

Angelique Kroon – Friend

My name is Angelique. I was born and raised in the Netherlands but my mother is from Peru. In Peru I was confronted with poverty in a way that we don’t know it in the Netherlands. Due to my background I have always desired to help people in developing countries. At the moment I study International Relations, and I would like to specialise on Latin-America and development studies. Working with Niños en Contacto I would like to help in creating a better future for disadvantaged children in Latin-America.

Yvon de Reuver – Friend

I am Yvon. I studied Cultural Anthropology in Utrecht and I have a Master degree in International Development Studies. For research purposes I have visited Guatemala and Colombia. In Colombia I worked as an intern for a project ran by the Red Cross about natural disasters. I like to support Niños en Contacto in improving education for poor children in Latin America.