Annual report 2022

As a result of the war in Ukraine, there was a lot of demand from partner organizations for Ukrainian but also for Russian booklets. In total, several thousand booklets were delivered. Smaller quantities of booklets and also sets of storytelling plates were sent to contacts in Senegal, financed with the surplus from a previous donation campaign. More about projects where the ABC material is used can be read under the Projects tab. Throughout the year, booklets were also ordered via the website. A permanent volunteer handled the applications and took care of shipping.

The board met three times, to evaluate results of current projects and discuss opportunities for new projects to be started. The board was also looking for new board members, project leaders and other volunteers. Unfortunately, many people who seem suitable for this are reluctant as they are already very busy with other volunteer work. It was therefore very gratifying that René van Oosten was found willing to succeed Gerhard Zielhuis as chairman in 2023. For the new edition of the Bible booklets in modern Arabic, the Lebanese translator and Lebanese reviewer continued to work on translating the story texts. Two free-lance professionals who were previously involved in publications of Bible booklets by the Dutch Bible Society were hired for the design and production of the Arabic booklets.

At the start of 2022 there was a positive balance of € 35,422, and € 31,950 at the end of the year. Income (collections, donations, sale) amounted to € 4,607. In addition to the regular expenses (rental of storage space, administration, shipping) of € 2,131, there was a relatively large cost of € 5,948 for the development of the Arabic edition.  An extensive financial report with statement by the audit committee is available for viewing by interested parties via the treasurer.