This foundation pays all of Joëlle's debts: 'Space for 1000 people a year'
March 26, 2025, 10:25 PM
No income for a few months, and the bills piled up. Joëlle and her family fell deeply into debt and saw no way out. Until her mother pointed out to her a foundation that repays Rotterdammers' debts. Now she is debt-free. “We were so lucky.”
For Joëlle, everything started with a misunderstanding about her benefits. Her contract expired, after which she briefly received unemployment benefits. It was later stopped due to an error. A new job seemed to be the solution, but because her employer also had financial problems, she did not receive a salary. As a result, she was unable to apply for benefits or benefits and was left empty-handed.
Debts continued to pile up. Rent, health insurance, tax authorities — payment arrears occurred everywhere. “It went up to 20,000 euros. I didn't ask for it. I kept thinking: what did I do wrong? It was a time of a lot of worrying,” she says Heart of the Netherlands.
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Help from an unexpected source
Then she gets an app from her mother: Stichting Nieuw Vaarwater could help her. “I immediately thought: where's the catch?” Nevertheless, she decides to sign up and has an interview. The foundation has strict conditions: the help is intended for families in Rotterdam with problematic debts that cannot be repaid in the short term. The cause must be a major event, such as unemployment, illness or divorce.
Joëlle meets the criteria. In November, she receives the redeeming call: the foundation takes over her debts. “I was kind of frozen at the time, for the first few seconds. Disbelief. I was very happy, but all the sadness also came out. It really felt like a way out.”
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A lot of money available, few registrations
Every year, the Nieuw Vaarwater Foundation helps a thousand families in Rotterdam. The money comes from the Van der Vorm billionaire family, who also invest millions in charities through their investment company. Nevertheless, the number of registrations is lagging behind. According to director Bas Woudstra, only around 300 people apply per year, while there is room for 1000.
“The reason for the problems must be a so-called 'life event': divorce, unemployment, illness or whatever. Everyone with a debt has experienced something in life. But we're not judging, we want to help.” According to Woudstra, more attention to the foundation would help reach more people.
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