Open letter to Dance4life
Dear Mrs Eveline Aendekerk,
The Algemeen Dagblad (and perhaps also other newspapers and magazines) very recently published a message with a photo from your “ambassador” Doutzen Kroes, who Thailand was locked in a toilet for a moment. Oh, oh, what a drama! Oh well, I thought, that is a poor attempt to get some press attention for an RTL4 broadcast “Kanjers van Goud”, which will be shown on Dutch TV sometime in the autumn.
Because I live in Thailand, the article caught my attention and that is why I also learned something about your organization “Dance4Life” for the first time. I then looked up my light on the Internet and took note of your very impressive website indeed. Roughly speaking, it is the intention of your organization to reduce AIDS and HIV infection in the world and to intensify or even initiate information for young people to prevent unwanted pregnancies and, above all, to 'enjoy' sex. You try to achieve this through an information program with music and dance in order to make the objectives clear.
It is a noble and therefore praiseworthy endeavor and in that context the statement of Confucius you used fits extremely well: “Tell me and I will forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I will understand”.
You work in 26 countries around the world and this year Thailand is included in the program for the first time. Your 2011 annual report tells about your work in all those countries, where several hundred thousand young people have now been “reached”. That "achievement" is also the only result of your activities, because there are simply no other measurable results. You can only hope that the data information lingers and that on this small scale there will be fewer unwanted teenage pregnancies and fewer HIV infections.
Now your organization is not too big with a budget of almost 4 million euros, which has only been realized for 80% and I understand that you do what you can with the available resources. Ambition cannot be denied you either, because despite not realizing the 4 million euros, your budget for this year has been set at 5 million, not a decrease, but an increase of 20% compared to 2011. Where does that money come from? come is not entirely clear. You calculate with the fixed values of larger contributions from sponsors such as the National Postcode Lottery, Durex (!), Orangina and even subsidies from the government and "Europe" and try to supplement this with your own fundraising campaigns from private individuals and companies by using the aforementioned television broadcasts on RTL4.
From a development organization, a term you don't like to use, with a budget of 4 million euros, one would expect some modesty in its performance, but that is not the case at all with Dance4Life. When reading the website and much more so when reading the slickly executed annual report, the objectives, objectives, strategy and approach, policy, communications, managerial and director functions, etc. fly around your ears, and the woolly and corny language , is more reminiscent of the commercial marketing of a new consumer product than of an organization that merely provides information on the sex life of young people. Maybe that's good for your actions towards sponsors, etc., but believe me, the stakeholders in all those countries don't understand it at all.
You will be working in 26 countries this year and hope to have “reached” approximately 500.000 people. You also know that this number is only a tiny fraction of all potentially interested people on this globe and that your work is therefore even less than the well-known drop in the ocean. You can't reform the whole world and every little helps, can you? It is in fact my first objection to your organization, it is too fragmented and therefore a lot of energy and money is wasted unnecessarily. It would be better to concentrate on a number of “spearhead countries”, so that the action can be more intensive and thus better results will be achieved.
Will a lot of money be lost unnecessarily? Well, I think so. Your annual report indicates that of the 3,2 million Euros available, 2,5 million has been spent on projects. That means that almost 25% “get stuck”. That's a lot. With your salary of approx. 75.000 euros per year (NRC Handelsblad) I have no problem, in fact, as you say yourself, less than similar positions at other organisations. But when I read, for example, that more than 2011 was spent on “travelling costs” in 300.000, I wonder in heart whether all the money made available to you could not be used better and more efficiently.
It is also not entirely clear to me what your work actually looks like. Let's take Thailand as an example. In Thailand, the problem of unwanted child pregnancies, HIV infections and AIDS is also big. In November of 2011 there was an interesting article about this in the English-language newspaper the Bangkok Post, which has been published on this blog in a translation. I recommend you read: Candle in the rain
This article shows that several organizations in Thailand recognize this growing problem of teenage sex and are trying to do something about it with information campaigns and the like. I was wondering a few things about the preparation of your work in Thailand. For example, have you spoken to or even collaborated with these organizations. I also wondered if the part “Dance and music” is geared towards Thai children, who are simply not too used to Western forms of music and dance. I also wondered whether you used documentation in the Thai language for the information, because, it is no different, knowledge of English or any other language is generally not great in Thailand. If that is not (yet) the case, consider my questions in the context of your nice words: “Give me an idea and I will make it big” (NRC Handelsblad)
That one now travel to Thailand is made by Doutzen Kroes as ambassador with a TV crew in tow, might be good for a television program in the Netherlands to raise more money. I also think she is a very beautiful woman, but believe me when I say that it will not have any particular influence on the work in Thailand. The children will also find her a beautiful Farang lady, but nothing more. Have you considered calling in a Thai “celeb” in this regard, because it would have a significant impact?
You spare no effort to put the work and image of Dance4Life in the spotlight. I include the research that you commissioned from the Royal Tropical Institute into the impact of the dance4life programme. The conclusion of the study was: the program works!
I quote: The research shows that young people have more self-confidence through sex education and the skills they are taught. Self-confidence is one of the important predictors of safe sexual behavior. The research also shows that dance4life's approach works. Through music, dance and role models, contact is made with young people in order to convey information and create awareness.
That is a nice boost and you also make good use of it in your annual report. What you do not put in the annual report is that there are quite a number of points for improvement in the report. Of those points for improvement, I think continuity is the most important. Because, Madam, you and your organization can provide information in one or the other country at any time, you can then count how many young people you have “reached”, but then you leave for the next destination. Next year, millions of young people will again be ready to receive information, and has that information worked for the earlier generation? Have there been fewer child pregnancies and has HIV infection decreased?
Information about responsible teenage sex should be a continuous process, a fixed value in schools, universities, youth clubs, etc. and that cannot be directed from a foreign country, in this case the Netherlands. You have a good program, but make sure that local organizations are trained by you, so that they can continue the work – with a subsidy from you and/or the local government.
Best regards,
Gringo
Thailand
Gut Gringo, the writing looks like "dear consumer man I have a complaint". I would say Gringo contribute to the Thai community with regard to sex education.
Goodbye Wilma,
What a strange reaction. Are you aware of Gringo's contributions to the Thai community ???? No. Maybe you should have asked first.
Gringo you are wonderful to me. Not just a stupid comment or saying that you don't like something, but very clearly without detours and well worded what you think of it. If I hadn't read your piece, I wouldn't have known anything about the organization, just like a lot of people in the Netherlands don't I think.
So Gut Wilma, talk to Gringo, email him and ask what he does for Thailand, the Thai and for the Dutch in Thailand.
I don't know him personally, but have been following this Blog for a long time. I do respect him.
And Gut Wilma what is your contribution?????
Ruud
Gud Ruudje, improve the world and start with yourself, never point your finger at other people. That was the moral behind my story.
PS Ruudje my name is written on several temples, that says enough. No further explanation from my side, I am not the author of the open letter!
Dear Mr Gringhuis,
How nice that one of last week's news items about dance4life has inspired you to learn more about our organization and how good that you took the trouble to write us an open letter. I would therefore like to respond to some of your points.
Yes, how hilarious that a tweet about Doutzen's toilet visit is measured out by the Dutch press. I'm afraid they just crave some 'nothing wrong' news. Well so be it.
I think it is important to let you know that in all countries where we operate we work exclusively with local organizations. After all, they know the local context and culture and therefore translate the program themselves to local needs and customs. Precisely because we work with existing organizations, we make optimal use of the existing infrastructure, which enables us to work as efficiently as possible and, as you have also noticed, to operate on a budget that is not too large. Our role towards our partners is indeed to train and strengthen those organizations. In Thailand, our local partner is the organization Path. And within the dance4life curriculum, Path again uses 'Up to me', which you also mentioned in your earlier blog.
In your letter you refer to our commercial approach. That's right, we also behave like a commercial brand. We do this very consciously because we believe this is the best way, anywhere, to reach teenagers. Not only does this make our program more effective, but it also makes us less dependent on government subsidies. I think you are frankly underestimating our stakeholders by stating that they probably 'don't get it'. Working with ambassadors is also an important part of this approach. We work together with local ambassadors, who are role models for the young people in that country and in this way also contribute to the effectiveness of our work. This is what Doutzen Kroes does for us in the Netherlands. In order to do her job well, we also visit our foreign projects with her. Doutzen and we are of course under no illusion that she can fulfill the same role for Thai youth as she does towards Dutch youth. In Thailand we are therefore still looking for a local ambassador. If you have any suggestions, we'd love to hear them.
With regard to our budget for 2011, your conclusions are incorrect. Pure overhead in 2011 was only 5%. And it would be very bad if we spent EUR 300.000 on travel. As stated in our report, this is only 5% of our total budget, or almost EUR 149.000. And these costs are incurred solely for the purpose of training and educating our partners. I always find the word 'bow' an interesting one. If a commercial organization has an overhead of less than 20%, it is said that this is unhealthy in order to guarantee good, professional business operations. With a charitable organization this should preferably be zero %. Strange, because professional management is essential when working with donations. As far as I'm concerned, we should abolish the word bow in this context. I find it hopelessly old-fashioned and very negative.
The effect of the work of charitable organizations is another one. Of course I dream of being able to say 'thanks to our work, teenage pregnancy rates have dropped by x% in Thailand'. If I wanted to prove that, I would have to spend a million euros annually on research. And even then it is difficult to prove. So that is not wise. For that reason, the sector, and so do we, work with a framework that examines which indicators can best be measured in order to say something about the ultimate effect. And in addition, questioning the target group is of course a very good way to gain insight into the effect. This means that we measure what we achieve quantitatively on the one hand and conduct qualitative research with independent researchers on the other (such as the research with the Royal Tropical Institute). I am proud that we approach this so thoroughly. Of course things can always be better and more advanced and we are constantly working on that!
I would like to conclude by cordially inviting you to attend the dance4life program in Thailand, so that you can see with your own eyes the effect the dance4life program has on Thai students. We are therefore happy to put you in touch with our partner organization Path.
Yours faithfully,
Eveline Aendekerk
It is true that your reply to Mr. Gringhuis but wants to answer anyway.
All in all, better in such a way than all those people who want to point the religious pedantic finger at the youth how HIV can be prevented through sexual abstinence and then at the same time want to convert them to one or another religion.
Respect and keep up the good work with your organization!
Beautiful Gringo! As if the Thai kids would know Doutzen Kroes, hahaha how did she come up with it.
Then they get to know her, there is nothing wrong with 'our' Doutzen. 🙂
The only drawback I can think of is that her beautiful white skin will make many Thai girls and women even more likely to start using those damned whitener creams to camouflage their beautiful brown skin.
In the end, the key question is: how long was Doutzen Kroes locked up in that toilet, and how did she finally get out?
Gringo, you summed it all up nicely. Another typical example of an activity from behind the desk. The viewing figures for Dance4life will be more important than the result for which the foundation is prepared. Let them transfer the money to Mechai Viravaidya, a man who is highly regarded and who operates a lot more directly in the field. The result will certainly be much more effective, as he has proven with his organization in Thailand.
Totally agree with this comment; As a Thai, Mechai is a phenomenon in this field.
Yes the charity industry a lot has been written and said about it but it will never improve I'm afraid. The boards of most organizations deserve a god's fortune and so do the well-known names, the overhead is appalling and in the end relatively little of your gift ends up with the people who need it.
You can bet that the Thai look up to such a beautiful creamy white blond-haired beauty and many Thai girls dream of wanting to look like her, but whether it helps to break the taboo that is based on HIV in Thailand is indeed doubtful.
Incidentally, the question is whether a Thai celebrity is willing to lend themselves to it since, as said, there is a huge taboo on it, perhaps a clean task for the sister of.
However, apart from that, it is hopefully a co-initiation to make sex more discussable in schools, etc. and to make good sex education a permanent part of the Thai education system in the long term.
The latter alone may be beneficial against the many unwanted pregnancies that occur in Thailand.
In that respect, there is still much to be gained, given the many efforts that the Mechai Viravaidya Foundation is making not only against HIV and AIDS, but also in this regard.
I have given money to charities for much of my life. I myself volunteered for 2,5 years for the Animal Protection in Apeldoorn for XNUMX years. I also had a board position in a national animal protection working group. Took me a lot of time but never got a penny for it, I didn't want that either.
Since there has been openness about the salaries of directors and board members at charities, I don't give anything anymore. I was a member of UNICEF. In 2010, the director of UNICEF received € 117.000 in salary. I immediately canceled my membership.
They defend these high salaries by stating that otherwise they cannot get good candidates for the top positions. Nonsense of course. If someone wants to earn a lot, he/she should work in the business world. An annual salary of up to € 60.000 is decent and should be enough.
I now only give some to collectors who come to the door. Those so-called charities, I'm fed up with them….
Kudos to you for your dedication.
For your understandable decision to stop with this too, too bad but there are people who unfortunately abuse it.
As far as transparency is concerned, that is very disappointing.
Also think about the share packages, I still remember that Jantje Beton had shares in a factory that made hand grenades (mistake thanks)
The Red Cross also had its peculiar investments to achieve higher returns, but yes, greed, that does not benefit anyone.
Well, everyone is free to give where he or she wants, or not. Gringo does make some good points, and I understand Khun Peter too, but maybe it's also good to highlight the other side.
A well-organized large-scale charity is like a business. From an emotional point of view, people say 'as much as possible should go to the intended goal'. When you buy a car or shampoo, do you also look at how much goes into the product and how much goes into marketing? And why do you think those companies, which SHOULD make a profit, put so much into communication and marketing? Very simple – because it brings more customers in the long run.
Now translate that to charity - if my $100 is put into marketing for a good cause, instead of going directly to the cause, and 100 other donors are recruited for $100 as a result, then that's a damn good investment - even if none of my donation goes directly to charity. Few people take the trouble to take in an annual report or long-term objectives, they prefer to zoom in on the salary, overhead or communication costs and then decide not to give more. Understandable but short-sighted, even though there are indeed charities that do make a mess of it.
The salary costs are a different story – not a government or a Khun Peter determines what a 'normal' salary is, the market does. Just as a beer marketer doesn't have to be a beer drinker, someone who works for a good cause doesn't have to be a philanthropist, although to his credit Peter did it for free. To run a professional company or well-organized charity, and to optimize that marketing budget in such a way that you get maximum return on investment, you need to have something in-house for that and then you simply compete with the business community.
Again, everyone needs to know for themselves if and where they give. But despite the fact that a small-scale or private project can often give more personal emotional satisfaction, a large professional organization often achieves much, much more, despite or precisely because of those high salaries and marketing budgets. Think about it and make your decision based on a correct interpretation of the full facts. Good luck and do good!
Logical, I also understand that someone looks at the market and then thinks in business I deserve that and that, then I also want to earn that at a charity institution, otherwise I won't work for it….
Only that way you've gone beyond your charitable institution, and you've just become a business. A vague border that is then crossed.
Kind of the same as with the Balkenende standard, which is also exceeded by those guys, with vague bonuses and perks.
But that makes Jan public, especially in these times when the abdominal belt has to be tightened, a bit sick of it, and I can't blame them for that.
The man with the collection box and the generous giver, do it with love and ideology or humanity, and that stings……
In fact, everyone here is a bit tired of charities.
Those things are just made up by advertising agencies these days
Bear with ring through the nose.
Pathetic dogs in Spain.
Save the cockroach…….
Or no, that last one is coming 🙂
It is time for all charities to be required to provide transparency.
So that people can later read in an annual report what has now happened with those money, and which of the intended objectives have been achieved!
Then later you don't have to read in the newspaper for the umpteenth time that you would have been better off throwing those pennies into the wind, with a bit of luck it would have flown in the right direction.
At the moment, less than 15 ct of each Eurrie generally reaches its intended target. (the rest are costs, management, and other trouble)
Jan, they are already obliged to do so, which is why we now finally know the (sometimes exorbitant) salaries of directors of most charities.
However, there are still those who do not comply with this obligation, but there is no sanction whatsoever, anyone who wants to can set up a "charity" by filling in a form with 10 questions and it will then be automatically approved . These types of organizations will of course disappear just as quickly as they started, after, of course, the necessary funds have been collected.
That's right, Miek, but you have transparency and transparency, and as long as it doesn't have to comply with guidelines or has no sanctions….
Now a commercial guy just calculates,
Cost on TV, so much
Sad story about a cat plague in the North Pole…..
Yield so much…
Profit,,, cat in the cup...... 🙂