Flow & Go Foundation
Our dream
Our dream is a healthy society in developing areas and economic independence for people in poor areas.
Flow and Go helps people, groups and communities who need change to live in dignity and ensures that they are heard and absorbed in networks to break their isolation and increase their future opportunities.
By sharing knowledge, using different methodologies from different areas of expertise and creativity, we discuss issues based on many different perspectives.
This not only provides immense added value, but also new solutions to problems, self-sufficiency for entrepreneurs and the fight against poverty.
Together, we stand strong is a powerful formula to make a real difference! Create to change
Our team
The Flow & Go Foundation consists of a passionate team of professionals. We have a wide range of competencies in the following areas:
Change management / entrepreneurship / HRM / marketing / communication / systemic work / talent-focused way of working / team development / creative thinking and coaching. We are also experienced in coaching top athletes and using theatre.
Supervisory Board
These are the members of our Supervisory Board: Mathilde Stam, Gad Bros and Geert Sanders.
Who is who at the Flow & Go Foundation:
Anne Heleen Bijl – President.
Anne Heleen Bijl, owner of Creative Consultancy, is a senior expert and trainer. She is specialised in creative thinking, entrepreneurship and communication. Anne accompanies organisations and communities around the world in their journey to innovation, finding creative solutions, breakthroughs, new sustainable products or creating an inspiring vision of the future. Her approach is hands-on, goal-oriented, creative, personal and professional.
Geert Kamps – Secretary.
Geert Kamps studied law and followed many training and coaching courses. He owns I-ken and has gained managerial experience in small and large organisations.
He participated in the Paralympic Games in London 2012 as a team manager. He trained and coached over 2,500 professionals and top athletes in personal leadership and team development.
Tjitske de Groot – Treasurer.
Tjitske de Groot is deployable as a process manager, interim manager, project leader in process support, and individual coach. Based on servant leadership, she provides tools that empower others. Her intrinsic motivation: “somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.”
Sjoerd de Vries – Board member network.
Systemic work creates impact and shows the interconnected nature of the various systems in organisations. This insight provides tools to be able to communicate at multiple levels. Sjoerd is a committed expert, consultant and coach for boards, management and teams in industry, public authorities and other organisations.
Karin Wassen – Board member communication/recruitment.
Karin Wassen is an independent entrepreneur and owner of several companies including The Yellow Brick Road. Her expertise can be used in the field of change and structure in organisations and effective marketing communication, LEAN and knowledge transfer. She also owns JoKaTi; a creative production company that provides a platform for wonderful stories. Karin always sees business opportunities and possibilities everywhere.
Flow & Go Foundation since 2014
2021
We are currently working on developing new ideas to make an even better contribution to our goal and dream in 2021.
2020
- The Entrepreneurs for Entrepreneurs project was developed and put on the market until everything came to a standstill due to the corona crisis.
- We had to say goodbye to Marcel and Nicole as board members of Flow & Go and we welcomed Karin and Tjitske as new board members.
- We had to say goodbye to Mathilde as member of the Supervisory Board. We welcomed Nicole to the Supervisory Board and Marcel stayed on as advisor.
- The new website has been under development and the Flow & Go course has been refreshed. Unfortunately, travel to the current projects is not possible due to corona. Contacts take place through the internet and zoom with, for example, the Naleli women.
2019
- Zambia: The bicycle project that was designed with Naleli women was rolled out with international and local partners. Rotary, Buffalo Bikes, Lebis College Naleli women, Municipality of Livingstone. Naleli Bicycle project video
- Provided training to the Naleli women. The bicycle project was set up in cooperation with Lebis College.
- Strengthened contacts with the municipality and provided training to municipal officials.
- Visited Naleli projects
- Found money and partners to support the cycling project, visited Rotary clubs in the Netherlands.
2018
- Supervised the joint project of Windhoek University and Groningen University of Applied Sciences.
- Sought housing for students from Namibia in Groningen.
- Made plans for 2019.
- Marcel is no longer able to travel due to private circumstances.
2017
We visited a hospital project.
- Zambia Flow & Go provided training for the Naleli women who want to start their own business and training courses (constellations) for the Naleli Foundation. Training for Lebis College and for the municipality of Livingstone
- Namibia. We worked with Imago dei which supports 90 projects in Namibia. Together with the board, we organised a seminar/symposium for project leaders of the projects in the township of Katatura. We also worked together with the national Namibian rugby team who supports sports in the townships of Katatura.
- Woman at work; project for the reintegration of women from the townships. These women were trained and worked with the management team.
- This year Flow & Go acquired its ANBI status and appointed a Supervisory Board.
- Contact with ICM to develop 'train the trainer programmes' together with Flow & Go Dutch trainers who want to gain experience in Africa
- Said goodbye to Gerard as board member and co-founder.
Namibië
2016 Zambia: Naleli women initiative
In April, the Flow & Go team travelled to Livingstone in Zambia. We are welcomed in the villages by more than a hundred women who each
wanted to start a business with microcredit. At that time, we didn’t know that by 2020, more than 500 small businesses would be the result of that start. They cooked for everyone outside and there were lessons inside without teaching materials. Instead, people were used as a blackboard (see photos: a white T-shirt is very handy).
Almost all meetings we had with the Naleli women were broadcast on national television. The women spoke about their ambitions and we told them about our dream that these women would not become each other's competitors but each other's ambassadors.
Business, politics and even the royal family became interested. So, we organised a party for all
in cooperation with the TV station. The result was that the King, the politicians and the business community promised on camera that they would each earmark a sum of money for microcredit every year for the Naleli women to start businesses.
We also talked to the bank so that women could get a card for their credit, we talked to Rotary to support the Naleli women and to the Mayor of Livingstone to shape future plans.
Trainers taught young entrepreneurs in the evening. In the small shopping centre where this was held, all rooms were used. Training sessions would even take place in the streets.
Flow & Go also provided training to students and lecturers at the University of Applied Sciences as part of network building for future initiatives.
Windhoek - Women at Work
At the end of April, our team visited Windhoek. They worked with a school called Woman at Work in the township, which is a school for the re-entry of women in the labour market. Here and in all other projects in the township, the team came across poverty and inhumane situations but also wonderful activities to elevate communities.
Schools have no windows, tables or chairs but they are full of enthusiastic children that are eager to learn. Hill after hill, you will find houses of tin, inhabited by poor people hoping for a better life. People with qualities at all levels.
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2015 Visit from Africa
Flow & Go gets the ANBI status. A Supervisory Board of three people is appointed. Mathilde Stam, Geert Sanders and Gad Bros, who together supervise finances and the direction of the foundation.
Namakau Syianga-Mmuangana, the entrepreneur of the year from Zambia, visits Flow & Go, at the invitation of the president of Flow & Go. She asks us to come to Zambia and train a group of women who united under the foundation name Naleli, which means stars. These women want to start businesses but are not admitted to the training because they did not go through the preparatory training.
We also get a message from pastor Zack Pienaar who got to know our team in South Africa.
He was asked by church leaders to become the first coloured pastor in the richest white church, in Windhoek Namibia, to build bridges between the different communities.
This church organises a lot of help for organisations in the biggest township there called Kataturi, which means: "You don't want to live here". Zack Pienaar also asks Flow & Go to provide training within this township as well as outside this township. Flow & Go prepares itself for this trip, both financially and in terms of content.
2014 – How it started
Six trainers and supervisors from organisations and governments travel to South Africa to provide training to local projects and established the foundation.
Flow and Go.
Anne Heleen Bijl, Nicole van der Ouw, Gerard Vonk, Geert Kamps, Marcel van der Pol and Sjoerd de Vries.
See photo for a Township Hotel.
Flow and Go organises training courses in South Africa to give men and women and communities new direction in their lives and local communities (townships).
Flow and Go provides training to welfare workers in Bloemfontein South Africa
Flow and Go provides training to professors and management of the University of the Free State.
Partly as a result of Flow and Go's work, the organiser receives an honorary professorship from the local King (Chief) for the University of the Free State, which hasn’t happened in 12 years with a white professor.
Flow and Go introduces training and systemic exercises on working with traumatised groups who have experienced violence and oppression.
We work on healing processes after a long apartheid period. (University of the Free State)
Flow and Go works with leaders of the various townships and church communities. The same training courses were later given to students.
We provide training on change management and creative change techniques for students, professors, community leaders and religious leaders.
Flow and Go works on network development with the university, with community leaders, with the King and religious leaders.