We Help Build Schools & Better Facilities Together With Thomas Bouwprojecten Foundation
Horrex is a donor to the Thomas Bouwprojecten Foundation. The foundation supports disadvantaged children in South India, with particular attention to girls who face additional barriers to education and opportunity.
By building and expanding schools and improving essential facilities, the foundation helps create the conditions children need to attend school and receive a good education.
Safe, well-maintained facilities are an important part of a child’s school environment. Alongside classrooms and school buildings, the foundation places particular emphasis on adequate sanitation and hygiene.
Its projects range from boreholes and toilet facilities to schools and boarding facilities. The foundation works with the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph (FSJ) in Chennai, whose sisters manage the schools and help identify where improvements are most needed.
The Foundation's Work In Numbers
More than €4.8 million invested in construction projects in South India.
More than 190 projects realised, including schools, sanitation facilities and accommodation.
More than 95% of donations spent in India.
The foundation works entirely with unpaid volunteers, combining the expertise of Dutch construction engineers with the work of local contractors.
Tom (Thomas) Gennissen is one of the construction engineers who volunteers as a project manager for the foundation. During his visits to India, he has seen how improved school facilities can affect children’s daily lives. In particular, the improvements in hygiene achieved through new and renovated sanitation facilities motivate his continued involvement.
During annual visits, the project manager meets with the sisters to agree which projects should take priority. Buildings and construction sites are surveyed where necessary, and initial sketches are prepared on location. These plans are then developed further in India and the Netherlands.
Sister Prudentia oversaw the projects until the age of 85 before handing this responsibility over to Sister Arul Mary. Construction work is supervised locally by two sisters who have received construction training.
Throughout each project, the sisters and the project manager in the Netherlands coordinate weekly through reports, photographs and video calls. During visits to India, the project manager also inspects the completed work in person.
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