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BOOST The World | Teaching the Young to Become Leaders

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ABOUT US

WHO WE ARE

WHO WE ARE?​

“Everyone deserves a life full of possibilities. At BOOST The World, we empower children and young people to grow into resilient leaders who shape a sustainable world.
We believe in education, connection, and action. Because real change starts with people who dare to make a difference.”

The organization operates on the principle that education should be driven by real needs and the vision of a sustainable future. It encourages students to actively participate in their communities, fostering positive change and contributing to a more beautiful world. Through collaboration with various partners, including corporate donors, BOOST The World is committed to ensuring a brighter future for all involved: children, parents, caregivers, teachers, volunteers, and specialists.

We believe education works best when it’s practical: skills young people can actually use, not just knowledge to memorize.

Current education often measures success by grades and performance alone. We believe it should also build the confidence to lead, take initiative, and carry real responsibility, in your own family and your own community.

Way 1

We build education around practical skills: the confidence to lead, the ability to work with others, and the tools to build something that lasts. Our teachers work with understanding and trust.

 

Way 2

Through our education programs, we help young people take on real responsibility in their own community, starting with the students and Young Leaders we work with directly.

Way 3

We facilitate the growth and development of learning communities around the world, beginning with our pioneering work in South Africa.

We believe education can change lives when it’s practical and rooted in the community it serves. We teach, mentor and support, building learning communities together with the people who live there.

  1. We focus on long-term impact. Our programs are built around practical education, health and self-reliance, not short-term relief.
  2. We help communities build learning spaces that can stand on their own, so they don’t depend on ongoing fundraising to keep running.

Our Young Leaders, facilitators, volunteers and community leaders work to grow, both for themselves and for the community around them. We stay connected through our own community app.

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How we work in practice

We teach practical skills, not just facts: reading, growing food, building things, understanding how the world works.

Clean water, healthy food and access to basic care come first, because nothing else works without them.

We build structures that communities can run themselves, so the work keeps standing long after we’ve stepped back.

our projects

OUR IDEAL WORLD

“It takes a village to raise a child.”
This is a quote that originates from ancient African tribes. The idea behind this is that if you want to let a child grow up entirely from its own talent, you have to do this with the entire community. We are more than just a shelter or school, we are a learning environment for children, parents, educators and teachers. A world in which we can learn together is the ideal world for us.

IN 2018 WE LAUNCHED BOOST THE WORLD​

BOOST The World was founded in 2018, with a simple starting point: children learn best when their basic needs are already met.

Thanks to our donors and sponsors, we purchased land in Hoedspruit, near Acornhoek, and started building. What began as a small crèche, with a playground, eco-toilets and a vegetable garden, has grown into a learning community with classrooms and aftercare education, with a water system next on the list.

We started small, on purpose. Every step since 2018 has been about building something that lasts, not something that looks big on paper.

2018

BOOST The World was founded in 2018. 


First Young Leaders expedition to South Africa: Kyara (18) and Sem (12) were the first young leaders to travel and help build the first BOOST learning space for children in the area.

The Young Leaders Board was started, with Sem and Declan as its first members.

The first ecological daycare for children in South Africa opened.

We started giving workshops at schools in the Netherlands, introducing (future) Young Leaders to sustainability and to what life looks like for the children in South Africa, and what they could do to help.

The first group of young people, aged 10 to 30, travelled to South Africa on an expedition to help the local community.

The foundation grew its local operations: Barrie van den Berg joined as director to run the projects in South Africa. Lora Zayn joined as marketing coordinator, mentoring students to build confidence and take on responsibility from a young age.

In October, we started a group of 10 students working together on how to grow the project further.

Covid-19 affected the foundation and its projects. For a year, we focused on connecting with other NGOs and investors while many volunteers had to step back to take care of their own families.

Barrie and Rosanne kept working on the long-term plan for the project.

We developed a new, more sustainable model for the learning community going forward.

Our second expedition, with 20 people, was successful.

We bought two hectares of land in South Africa to build our first learning community.

Declan interned in South Africa and assisted a new group of students on a nine-week expedition with the South Africa team.

We rebranded the website and the foundation.

  • Built a creche in South Africa for children aged 1 to 5.
  • Coached and supported 40+ Young Leaders in the Netherlands.
  • Organized volunteer expeditions to South Africa.
  • Bought two hectares of land in South Africa.
  • Partnered with Dutch high schools to run and support internships.
  • Planted fruit trees for local communities.
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SUSTAINABLE LEARNING COMMUNITIES

United Nation Sustainable Development Goals

Our goal is to align BOOST The World projects in with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and establish learning communities where we integrate collaborative projects into sustainable local economies.

The project objectives are based on the needs of the identified community needs and aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainability means environmental, economic and social wellbeing working together, not one at the expense of the others. That’s the standard we hold our own projects to.

The Problem
Projects relying solely on funding and grants often prove unsustainable, falling short of expectations within 5 or 10 years.

We aim for long-term impact by focusing on practical education and supporting local communities to build learning environments that can sustain themselves. That means projects that don’t depend on a constant stream of new funding to keep running.

EDUCATION

At BOOST The World, we believe education should build practical skills, not just knowledge. In a world that’s changing fast, young people need learning that gives them real ownership over their future: the confidence to lead, and the skills to build something that lasts.

We work in phases:
  • Learning life & learning through play
  • Social emotional well-being
  • Practical leadership skills
  • Entrepreneurial learning
  • Life skills
  • Financial literacy
  • Building blocks: life anchors and space
  • From local to global citizen
  • Our learning model
At BOOST Education, we believe that learning should be fun and reflective of the world we live in. Our learning program is designed by education experts with just that in mind. We design innovative learning experiences where these frameworks are central to our curriculum design model as a way to teach knowledge, life skills and values.

Meet our team, partners & corporate donors

The community was created from our shared vision to make the world of a new generation a bit more beautiful. We all believe that education and education based on a holistic approach is the key to a fertile future for people, animals and the planet. In collaboration with our partners we ensure a bright future for all communities. Together with all children, parents, caregivers, teachers, volunteers and specialists
Meet the team

Frequently asked questions

How did BOOST The World get started?

BOOST The World was founded in 2018. It started with a simple idea: children learn best when their basic needs, like clean water, healthy food and a safe place to learn, are already met. Since then, we’ve built a learning community in Hoedspruit, South Africa, focused on practical education, health and self-reliance.

Over 90% of your donation directly supports our mission to help children in South Africa through food programs, access to clean water, and education. In doing so, we empower them to become the leaders of tomorrow. We also provide education to their communities. Only a small portion of donations is used to maintain our website. Transparency and impact are our top priorities. Feel free to ask us about it.
Absolutely and we’d love that! We regularly organize both work visits and private trips for you, your family, colleagues, or business partners. During your visit, you’ll have the chance to contribute hands-on and experience the direct impact of our projects. Your trip supports the foundation and contributes to real change. We also offer opportunities to volunteer for longer periods on-site. Certain conditions and costs apply. Contact us for more information.

Right now, we’re focused entirely on South Africa. We’d rather build one strong foundation well than spread ourselves across many places at once.

  1. Make a donation

    Via our donation page, you can contribute easily. Choose from:

  • A one-time donation

  • Secure payment options like iDEAL or credit card

  1. Become an ambassador

    Help spread our mission by:

  • Sharing our story on social media

  • Starting your own fundraiser or campaign

  1. Collaborate with us

    If you represent a company, school, or organization, you can contact us for:

  • Educational collaborations

  • Project sponsorship

  • Co-creating awareness campaigns

  1. Volunteer or visit a project

    Interested in volunteering or visiting one of our project sites? Reach out to us for information about:

  • Volunteer opportunities

  • Project visits in South Africa

Absolutely. The easiest way is through your own banking app. That way, you stay in control. Simply set up a recurring transfer to: IBAN NL58 INGB 0009 5142 88 Account name: BOOST The World Foundation Every contribution helps us provide food, water, and education to children in underserved areas. Thank you!
Yes! We keep all our donors and volunteers informed through our monthly newsletter. Make sure to sign up, and feel free to contact us at any time.
Yes! We regularly invite volunteers to help with fundraising, creating rich content for our website and social media, organizing events, and even supporting our on-site work in South Africa. Contact us to learn more about the current opportunities.
Yes! We regularly seek volunteers for fundraising, content creation for our website and social media, event organization, and hands-on work at our project sites in South Africa. Get in touch with us to learn more.
We love working with companies! We collaborate with Dutch and South African businesses and social organizations to raise awareness and funds for our projects in South Africa. For example, Dutch companies assist in project development, and through gyms, we organize sport challenges and events—like sponsored runs and running clubs—to raise significant amounts.

Our direct project work is currently focused on South Africa. If that changes, we’ll share it here, but for now, that’s where all our energy and resources go.

Yes, your donation is tax-deductable, because our foundation BOOST The World is registered as an ANBI (Public Benefit Organisation).