WILLEMSTAD - The demand for school supplies has increased markedly due to poverty in Curaçao, according to the Sige Foundation. Many children cannot be helped. Due to the economic situation, many collection boxes have even returned empty.  

“We received a lot of phone calls that we couldn't handle yet,” says Eveline Bleden (Sige). She now often has to disappoint parents and children: the foundation simply cannot handle helping more than 625 young people.  

Economic crisis 

There was already a lot of poverty on Curaçao, but the aftermath of the corona pandemic is clearly noticeable in daily life, says Sige's supervisor. “You see that there is a lot of unemployment, a lot of poverty. You can see the social situation in the schools. We had the goal to help more schoolchildren or students, but that was not possible due to the economic crisis.”  

Foundation asks for donations, but gets empty boxes back 

The foundation has tried to hold a collection at various supermarkets. People could donate school supplies. “But that didn't go well. In previous years we received a number of boxes of material. This year we got a lot of empty boxes back.”  

There were also ten collection boxes at different locations. “But that didn't go as we expected. All happily added together, we had 182 guilders. Very bad!" 

The foundation provides a school bag, with a lunch box and drinking cup. Folders, pens and pencils. An eraser, a sharpener and a pair of scissors. Also notebooks and other school supplies. That's the basics; parents have to buy the school uniforms themselves, which cost a few hundred guilders.  

Mathematics, without a good calculator 

There are also more expensive items that schools require. For example, a graphing calculator for mathematics, with which you can make a graph. It costs around 250 guilders.  

“But we don't have the budget for that,” says Blijmen. It means that some young people cannot do homework or a test if they cannot borrow such a graphing calculator.  

What if the budget runs out? 

The budget for school supplies is running out. Then painful situations arise at the office of the foundation. “Recently there was a family of five children. We couldn't help two of them because we ran out of school bags. We don't have the money to buy more bags." 

The poverty situation of many islanders is also something that still bothers employees at home. “You want to help all the children and if it doesn't work out, you're still left with a bad feeling.”  

No school supplies, some children stay at home 

There are also children who don't go to school because they don't have school supplies, says Glad. “It really makes a difference to their motivation. If children do not have school supplies at the start of the new school year, they are not as motivated to go to school. When they have the new stuff, you see very happy faces.”  

“At the moment we only have a few loose items left such as pencil cases, pencils and pens. But we no longer have school bags.”  

All forms have been used 

Schools on Curaçao can refer about 15 students per year. All forms have been used. According to Blijden, the government also helps parents who are dependent on social assistance in other ways.  

However, it is noticeable that the demand for help is increasing. “We only make applications through the schools, but we also receive registrations through our helpdesk, our Facebook and website.”  

“This year at the beginning of the project we were really a bit sad because it was difficult with sponsors. We do not expect any more help for this project. But if it comes, we'll take it with both hands."  

Next year 

The expectation for next year? If it were up to the foundation, they would have far more than 600 school bags. But given the situation in Curaçao, they are reluctant to make plans for next year.  

“We are going to try to get school supplies through other ways. We hope that we will succeed in helping at least 700 students.” 

By Dulce Koopman