Joris Foundation is named after Joris van de Graaf. What started as an initiative among family and friends has now grown into a registered Foundation with the goal of creating a better future for the children of Lintha Myanmar.
After obtaining his high school diploma, Joris taught for some time at a school in the small fishing village of Lintha in Myanmar. This was during a time when the country's borders were still closed, and Aung San Suu Kyi was still fiercely fighting. Despite the difficult political situation, Joris discovered the beauty of this country, as well as the poverty of its people. He witnessed the suffering under the junta regime and the powerlessness of the population. Upon returning to the Netherlands, Joris studied Economics in Amsterdam with the intention of returning to Myanmar with his knowledge. Sadly, Joris fell ill and passed away in 2015.
To fulfill his dream, the Joris Foundation was launched on his birthday, October 5th 2015, the day he would have become 30 years old. What started as an initiative among family and friends has now grown into a registered Foundation with the goal of creating a better future for the children of Lintha Myanmar.
- E.E. Cummings
