Two days after his mom gave birth to him, she was brought to hospital where she died a few hours later of an infection. His father was unknown. The nurses baptised the baby and gave him the name ‘Sibusiso’, a common name in Zululand, meaning ‘blessing’.

For years they worked together in war-torn areas and refugee camps. On a daily basis they were confronted with victims of violence and suppresion and cared for the most vulnerable groups of society: women, children, the elderly and the disabled. It was Henk and Atty’s dream to start a project for one of these groups. They chose Tanzania because of its political stability. Mentally disabled children were opted as the target group after in-depth research and interviews of key persons from various organisations.

Henk and Atty returned to the Netherlands after completing the needs assessment in Tanzania and the Sibusiso Foundation became a fact in May 2000. Their family shared their enthusiasm and made the project financially possible. In April 2001, the foundation was also registered in Tanzania as a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), with its own local board. Click here for an overview of the board members and contact details.
 

You will find an overview of the board members and contact information under Contact.

Arthur draws his inspiration from the Tanzanian flag. Yellow for the sun, black for the people and blue for the ocean and lakes. He added the color red signifying hope, growth and optimism. The stem symbolises the children's development in Sibusiso, the colour green standing for hope, growth and optimism. The four-leaved clover is made up of four hands: the upper two hands symbolising blessing, and the lower two symbolising welcoming.