About us

More than a quarter of a million children and young people in the Netherlands suffer from a chronic illness or disability and grow up with problems. The Foundation Doctors for Children aims to improve the quality of life for these children, by means of practical, innovative projects geared to the wishes and needs of the children and based on scientific research. Examples include Fitkids, a special fitness and exercise programme, or Cyberpoli, an online platform where young people can find information, meet each other and ask questions (anonymously) to a panel of medical practitioners and experiential experts. The Geld&ik project was set up for children living in poverty in the Netherlands or in low-income families.
AvK kwaliteit van leven

 Doctors for Children aims to improve the lives of children and young people living with a chronic illness or disability.

At Doctors for Children, the children often have an important say themselves. We listen to them and involve them in the implementation of our projects. By doing so, we aim to increase participation of children in healthcare. In addition, we also closely work together with the parents, patients' associations, doctors and other care providers. The organisation has a small team of staff and does not receive any subsidy or financial support from the government. We aim to keep our overheads as low as possible. Our projects are financed by means of sponsors and private contributions.

The Foundation Doctors for Children is registered with the Dutch tax authorities as a PBO (Public Benefit Organisation).
 

ICT

Doctors for Children is progressive in ICT with medical information and assistance.

Profile

Doctors for Children helps to form the perception and image of children suffering from a disorder.

Independence

Doctors for Children helps children to be independent again.

The umbrella for Doctors for Children

The Foundation Doctors for Children [Stichting Artsen voor Kinderen] aims to improve the lives of children living with a chronic illness or disability. We organise and implement practical and innovative projects aimed at the wishes and needs of the children. In our work, we apply the so-called umbrella approach, a series of consecutive actions:

  1. We develop ideas and work them out into a concept.
  2. Once the concept has been developed, we convert it into a project.
  3. The project is implemented under our own management.
  4. Alternatively, we transfer the project or the developed concept to a third party.

Own management

Examples of projects under our own management are Fitkids, a special fitness and exercise programme for children and young people living with an disability and Cyberpoli, an online platform where young people can find information, meet each other and ask questions (anonymously) to a panel of medical practitioners and experiential experts. For organisational reasons, Fitkids has been transferred to a separate foundation, but it does form part of Doctors for Children. Another example of a project implemented under our own management is Geld&ik, a project for children living in poverty in the Netherlands or in low-income families.

In addition, we run an extensive web shop with information material sourced by ourselves (books, CD ROMs and films) about the most common chronic illnesses and diseases.

Transferred projects

Examples of projects that have been transferred include the Mate4You project, a mentor project for children and young people with diabetes and Klik, a web-based method to map out how children (and/or their parents) who are or who have been receiving medical treatment in a hospital are doing.

 

Cyberpoli

Twenty-five chronic illnesses and disorders online

More than 100,000 visitors per month

A panel of 156 medical practitioners and experiential experts

Cyberpoli complements care

Fitkids

More than 170 locations in the Netherlands

More than 5,000 children and young people with a chronic illness or disability who participate in the exercise programmes

Research shows that both the physical and mental condition of these children improves

Practical treadmill test developed in-house

Medewerkers

Lex Winkler
physician and director

Hester Noll
Manager of Fitkids

Marloes Vegelin
paediatrician, research and scientific support

Roesja van Doorn
remedial educationalist, dietician and Cyberpoli web master

Elles Kotte
human movements scientist, staff member of Fitkids

Comité van aanbeveling

  • Willem van Duin, voorzitter Raad van Bestuur Achmea
  • Roelf Rogaar
  • Cisca Fentener van Vlissingen
  • Monique Heijn
  • Monique Maarsen, Algemeen Directeur Maarsen Groep

Raad van Advies (buiten de organisatie)

  • Prof. Dr. P.J.J. Sauer - Beatrix Kinderkliniek, Groningen.
  • Prof. Dr. H.S.A. Heijmans - Emma Kinderziekenhuis AMC, Amsterdam.
  • Prof. Dr. J.J. Roord - Academisch Ziekenhuis Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
  • Prof. Dr. R.de Groot - UMC St. Radboud, Nijmegen.
  • Prof. Dr. C.E .Blanco - Academisch Ziekenhuis Maastricht.
  • Prof. Dr.A.J. van der Heyden - Erasmus MC – Sophia Kinderziekenhuis.
  • Prof. Dr. J.L.L. Kimpen - Wilhelmina Kinderziekenhuis Utrecht.

Bestuur

  • Professor Dr. J. van Woensel (voorzitter) kinderarts en intensivist, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam
  • Drs. K.H. Gerritsen (penningmeester en secretaris) - Zelfstandig adviseur
  • Drs. C.A.M. Antens RC, eigenaar Maes Coaching (Interim CFO en Business coaching)
  • Drs. R.F.A. Houben, consultant & founder healtH2Media
  • Jikke Wigmans, Private financial advisor

Partners & sponsoren

The Foundation Doctors for Children does not receive any government subsidy and is fully reliant on donations and sponsors. We aim to partner up with companies or organisations, which wish to provide us with structural support, either as a sponsor through a project subsidy or as a partner in a project.

Current sponsors

  • Sirtema stichting: contribution towards the development of Cyberpoli

EA random selection from the sponsors who made contributions in the past

  • Rabobank Foundation: contribution towards the maintenance and management of Cyberpoli and Fitkids Upgrade
  • VSB-fonds: contribution towards the development of Cyberpoli
  • Bank of America Merrill Lynch: contribution towards information material for the Sickle-cell disease project;
  • Kinderfonds van Dusseldorp: contribution towards information material for the Sickle-cell disease project;
  • K.F. Heinfonds: contribution towards the Cyberpoli app;
  • Stichting Elise Mathilde Fonds: contribution towards the Cyberpoli app;
  • Innovatiefonds Zorgverzekeraars: contribution towards the Cyberpoli app;
  • NSGK: contribution towards the reprint of the book on Down syndrome, an overview of the medical issues.

Partners

The Cruijff Foundation is our partner in the Fitkids project

NSGK is our partner in the Fitkids in the Family project