oUR Team

Gabriëlle de Graaf

 

Founder

Boardmember

 

gabrielle@insidethesame.com

LinkedIn

"I am the proud mother of four children; Lyssa, Geordy and twins Yinthe and Yoëll. Geordy and Yoëll both have albinism.

If you are born here in the Netherlands with albinism you can lead a "normal" life. You are accepted here as you are. Adjustments are made where necessary and you get help from the state. I realize how lucky we are to live here and here in a western country to have brought these children into the world. But unfortunately not everyone is so lucky....

I can't imagine what it's like when your child is hunted down and threatened because they have albinism. Unfortunately, this happens often in East Africa. I decided that as a mother of two children with this gene defect called albinism, I needed to take action."

Désirée schoonen

 

Programm Manager

Boardmember

 

desiree@insidethesame.com

LinkedIn

"I got in touch with Inside The Same because I was able to make connections between different cosmetics brands that provide us with sunscreens and the foundation. Because of this I also went, initially as a volunteer, to Tanzania in 2015 and have been very closely involved ever since. Becoming a board member was therefore a logical step for me.

Highlight: Because we had enough donations we were able to transfer Faustine and Joyce from the distressed camp Buhangija to The Salvation Army   in March 2016 where they now have a beautiful life with good education. All the more special when you know that Faustine was the reason Gabrielle started the foundation after she saw him at an RTL news item."

 

jonathan nkwabi

 

Coördinator Tanzania

Advocacy & Campaigner

 

jonathan@insidethesame.com

LinkedIn

"I am a campaigner for inclusion of people with albinism and a strong believer for equality. I grew up as a Tanzanian youth from Bariadi, a small town in the 'Lake district' and I have witnessed the stigma against people with albinism. 

I have always wanted to be a seed of change in the perception towards albinism. In 2012, I became president of the student's organisation in college and I pointed Martha, a fellow student with albinism, to be the prime minister and she was a top leader! I was stunned.

Ever since, I have dedicated my life to advocating for the mainstreaming and social inclusion of people with albinism. Despite our differences, we are INSIDE THE SAME!"

 


saskia appeldoorn

 

Boardmember

 

LinkedIn

 

"I got to know Gabrielle when she was pregnant with Geordy.

It was only after the information evening held on how family and friends had to deal with Geordy and what albinism meant that I knew what the limitations and dangers were for children with albinism. 

A real eye-opener was the documentary Gabrielle showed me about albinism in Africa.

Bizarre how superstition is so perpetuated and the government does little to combat it. Heartbreaking to think of parents having to leave their child in a camp because they see no other way out to protect their child."

 

 

Mireille meijers

 

Pilot

Board of Advisory

Project coördinator Wings Of Support

 

sander ligthart

 

Director & Scenarist

Board of Advisory

LinkedIn

 

"As a scriptwriter and director of films, I like to give people a stage: a voice so they can be heard. From being heard comes understanding and from there connection. This often means a lot to people who do not feel fully part of society: homosexuals, victims of sexual violence, people involved in domestic violence. This is especially true for people whose appearance alone places them far outside the group. They cannot hide the fact from anyone that they belong to a specific group. That makes them vulnerable. With a lot of love I want to tell the story of special individuals: people who are so much more than 'that one label'.  There is only one of each person and we must be careful of that."