Who are we?

Board

The board of Movendi Foundation consists of five members, who were also the founders. After finishing a project called "Indiaproject2003" they founded Movendi Foundation. On this page they would like to introduce themselves.

Esther Blom

Development aid has a hold on me since my internship in the third year of my studies Human Movement Technology. Together with two fellow students I've made several adaptations for disabled children on the island of Negros (Philippines). During these three months I learned how easy it was to make a positive change in the lives of disabled people.

Our project in India has strengthened my motivation and I really like to devote myself for the Movendi Foundation!

In addition to volunteering myself for the foundation, I also work three days a week at the University of Delft as a projectmanager Sustainable Entrepreneurship. It's a varied job including research and design assignements. I can flexibly schedule my time, so I have the possibility to combine my job with work for the foundation. My job offers me the opportunity to encourage students and young graduates to do development aid to!

Girolanda Costa Ramos

After finishing my degree Human Movement Technology, I wanted to dedicate my knowledge in favor of development aid. My first experience with development aid was building a kindergarten in the Dominican Republic. What I really liked about this project was to make contact with the children after a long day of building. Despite the poverty of their neighborhood, they were always in for a game. I participated in the Indiaproject2003 where we worked at the MSI Home for handicapped girls (Kakinada, India). It was amazing to see how the people in India live. The fact that the objectives we set, were actually achieved was a great experience.

I was born in Cape Verde, which is also a developing country. The development of this country is hindert by a shortage of fresh water (rain), therefore there is insufficient agriculture. People get their income mainly from fishery, but this ain't sufficient for the entire population. In the future I hope to do something for the people there, maybe in healthcare or in a completely different branche.

Currently I'm employed by the counsil of Rotterdam in the department of Individual Services. Again, it is the social involvement what really attracts me. It gives me great satisfaction to help people with physical limitations getting their independence back. In both the Movendi Foundation as well as in my daily job I can do that.

Jan Willem de Joode

My interest in designing and manufacturing rehabilitation aids started when I did my internship at a workshop for wheelchairs for my secondary technical education-mechanical engineering. For that reason, I have been studying Human Movement Technology. Devising solutions for physical problems is a leading thread running through the study.

I did an internship at the 'Hoogstraat rehabilitation center' in the department of development and adaptation. I was occupied with designing and manufacturing rehabilitation aids for paraplegic patients. In addition, I've done an internship in the research department of Melbourne's rehabilitation hospital, where new design and manufacturing methods for prosthetics were developed.

Currently I'm an orthopedic consultant at Rijndam's orthopedic rehabilitation center in Rotterdam. Fitting of all kinds of orthopedic aids is one of my daily activities. All the know-how that I acquired at my work will certainly be useful for future projects of Movendi.

Tom Kalkman

I was born 1976 and raised in the region of Utrecht. After high school I started Human Movement Technology in 1995. My first experience in a third world country was during an internship in a hospital in Ethiopia. In the hospital, which is specialized in leprosy treatment, I made researches into the best footwear for deformed feet. For my thesis I developed a prothesis for walking and diving. After a year traveling through South America, I started to work in orthopedics. I have successfully completed a fast-track study programme to become a prosthetist and thereafter I gained a few years of working experience in independently measuring, fabricating, and fitting of all body-related aids. I work with doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, patients, production workers and insurance companies.

In early 2003 I've met the others and we started the project in India. It's a project to be proud of! I could directly apply my orthopedic experience ... and share it with my colleagues and the local technicians. With our new Movendi Foundation, I expect that we will apply more of this successful formula.

Annelies Verheij

In the past my mother used to read me the reviews of the Stichting Liliane Fonds. By this, I was at a young age already aware of the impact simple aids can have on the life of a disabled person in a developing country. Since then, it has always fascinated me. During my study Human Movement Technology, I got the opportunity to do my internship at a rehabilitation center in the Philippines. I experienced that it's possible to manufacture aids in a short period of time, that make a vast improvement in the life of disabled people. By then I had my doubts about the sustainability of my assistance. Only leaving aids, like a prothesis or a tool, doesn't provide sustainable aid. It's very important to have knowledge transfer. With this experience in my mind I started to set up the Indiaproject2003 and then the Movendi Foundation. Currently I'm a technical adviser of the company Aquarius. I visit institutions for the disabled and give them advice on the necessary aids. In short, it's a sort of development aid in our own country!

team foto india

From left to right: Jan Willem de Joode, Esther Blom, Girolanda Costa Ramos, Tom Kalkman, Annelies Verheij