{"id":3201,"date":"2025-11-24T13:33:50","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T13:33:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dara-europe.wezzle.dev\/about-us\/"},"modified":"2026-07-14T15:40:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T15:40:37","slug":"about-us","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dara-europe.nl\/en\/about-us\/","title":{"rendered":"About us"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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About us<\/span><\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Since 2012, we have been working towards a better future for children and families in Andong, Cambodia. We help break the cycle of poverty through education, care and community development. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Our story<\/span><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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DARA Europe was founded in 2012 to create lasting change for children in Andong. Our work builds on initiatives launched in 2009 to support vulnerable children. <\/p>

Tirza Voss visited Cambodia as a volunteer in 2009 and was deeply moved by the conditions in Andong. Back in the Netherlands, she shared her story, which inspired Ruud Bakker to start a fundraising campaign. <\/span><\/p>

Tirza also founded Stellar Child Care Organization (Stellar), the local NGO that provides education, family support and economic opportunities for Andong’s most vulnerable groups. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Our mission<\/span><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Together with Stellar, we provide education, health care and family support to create a safe and stimulating environment. Our goal is to help children grow into resilient, independent adults with real opportunities for a better future.<\/p>\n

The name of DARA Europe is derived from the Cambodian word for “star”: dara. DARA Europe believes that the children in Andong deserve the chance to grow themselves into true stars. We want to break the cycle of poverty in Andong and give the children a sparkling growth into adulthood. We are committed to enabling children to shine – and thereby also contribute to a positive future for Cambodia. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Our team<\/span><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDARA Europe is run by a team of committed professionals and volunteers: \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Founder<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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President<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Vice President<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Secretary<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFred van Laarhoven<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Treasurer<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Volunteers & contributors<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBehind every project is a team of dedicated volunteers and partners. Their knowledge and creativity make our work possible. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Our local partner - Stellar<\/span><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In Andong, DARA Europe works with the local organization Stellar Child Care Organization (Stellar) to provide sustainable support to families.
Stellar provides education, family support and economic opportunities, giving vulnerable families the chance to rebuild their future. Together with the community, we build resilience, create opportunities, and strengthen a future that grows from within. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Become part<\/span> of the change<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Your contribution helps children in Andong build a brighter future. Support education, family well-being, and economic opportunities. Together, we can break the cycle of poverty. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDonate now<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGet involved<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

About us Since 2012, we have been working towards a better future for children and families in Andong, Cambodia. We help break the cycle of poverty through education, care and community development. Our story DARA Europe was founded in 2012 to create lasting change for children in Andong. Our work builds on initiatives launched in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3201","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"campaignId":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dara-europe.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3201","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dara-europe.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dara-europe.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dara-europe.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dara-europe.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3201"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/dara-europe.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3201\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4495,"href":"https:\/\/dara-europe.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3201\/revisions\/4495"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dara-europe.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}