Netherlands Team
Our Team
The people that make up True Grasses have the shared vision, to see lives and communities holistically transformed by empowering deprived, excluded and vulnerable people become economically sustainable through education.
Trustee board
Our Netherlands board of trustees is comprised of exceptional individuals, whose governance keeps our charity growing and making the best impact we can. They have a wide experience in charity (stichting) work. We are always on the look out to add new talent to our board so if you are interested please get in touch.
Egbert and Evie Hoekstra
Chairman and board advisor, Volunteers
Mr. Egbert Hoekstra and his wife Evie spent 10 years in Tanzania working with Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) as a missionary pilot flying in East and Central Africa. After retiring from being full time missionaries, they began to focus on equipping Masai evangelist leaders to reach out to their fellow Masai people with gospel and helped start a local organisation in Tanzania called (UTI-Upendo Tumain na Imani) that still runs today focusing on the evangelising prisoners and the unreached through Jesus Film and vocational training. They have now completely handed over the organisation to Tanzanian local leadership. Egbert and Evie Hoekstra now serve as advisors and promoters of True Grasses work in Netherlands and sometimes travel to Tanzania visiting the True Grasse school project.
Janske & Harry Messchendorp
Secretary General, Volunteers
Janske serves on the Board of Directors of True Grasses as Secretary General and handles all organisational correspondences. She is a social worker by profession. Her husband Harry serves as TG online market logistics person. They are great advocates and promoters of True Grasses work of girl child education.
Lucas Schipper
Treasurer, Volunteer
On 1 January 2018 Lucas became the treasurer of the foundation. In his daily life he is a financial employee, specialized in European Grants administrations. As a volunteer he is treasurer of his church, the EGA in Assen, and has done volunteer work at the Foundation Femina. He has decided to take part as a volunteer at True Grasses because the organization works appeals to him. The people there get the means to have something to be able to build up so that they become self-sufficient individuals.
Janita van der Vinne
Public Relations, Volunteer
My name is Janita van der Vinne. I live in Assen and work at an agricultural IT company. I met Anna Ruth at the school of our children and that is how I got involved in the True Grasses foundation. I am married to Arjan and we are blessed with three children. They ‘naturally’ have the opportunity to join quality education and to develop themselves in a country full of opportunities. This is why I am motivated to spend my time and offer my creativity to the growth of education in Tanzania. I will mainly focus on the PR: flyers, movies, lay-out of newsletters etc. Furthermore I will join and support the board and organize fundraising actions.
Staff Team
Anna Ruth Hoekstra
Co-founder, Volunteer
Anna Ruth is one of the co-founders of True Grasses trust in Tanzania and Netherlands. She grew up in Tanzania on the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro and was raised as a Missionary Kid. Tanzania was her physical home for more than a decade, but the country has never left her heart. Throughout her life East Africa has played a vital role to who she is.
Besides location, she has always had it in her heart to help others, specially teenagers. Together with many others, she is excited to work with True Grasses on this project of building a school for girls in which they are not only provided with education, but also with a hope and chance to change their lives onto a new course. Where not the only option is being a teenage mum with no hope or a young girl stuck into a marriage with an old man, but instead the option of getting an education and a chance in life!
I believe in working with others where we each bring in separate skills and knowledge; It is the ‘working together’ that makes things work better and efficient. People often focus on what they can’t, I believe in looking at what one can!
Christian Scherer
IT & Website Coordinator, Volunteer
Christian joined the staff of True Grasses after working with Operation Mobilisation's Ships Ministry. Having spent several months in East Africa, he has seen the need and greatly supports the cause of True Grasses. Currently he helps with the online content, website design and quality control. He is an environmental engineer and lives and works in Vienna, Austria.
