PETER R. DE VRIES AMBASSADOR OF THE MEET KATE FOUNDATION

Since its establishment in 2007, the Meet Kate Foundation has managed to come a long way on its own resources. With an eye on the future, we have decided to ask Peter R. de Vries to support us in our goals. Peter is a well known crime reporter on Dutch television. For the past 15 years he has had his own show, which recently brought him international acknowledgment through his contribution to the Nathalee Holloway-case. His involvement in the case of this young girl who went missing on Aruba, was rewarded by an Emmy-award in 2008. Peter is known for his integrity and for the fact that he gives himself a 100% for causes he believes in. This is one of the reasons we have asked him to become an ambassador for Meet Kate. Beside that, Peter is also personally involved with the foundation. His daughter, Kelly, is one of the founders of the Meet Kate Foundation.

Peter and the Meet Kate Foundation
‘My wife and I took our children on a holiday to South-Africa a few years ago, when Kelly was 15 years. We deliberately showed them the townships and poverty of the country. This made a huge impression and made them realize that things can be different in human life, and we are very privileged to live in The Netherlands. From that moment on, my daughter Kelly was captured by the poverty and child suffering in Africa. Later on she went back quite a few times, with the intention to ‘make a difference’. It came as no surprise when she and Muriel Koch founded the Meet Kate Foundation, a few years later.'

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I honestly never expected her to build such a beautiful children’s home. She did it all on her own, raised funds by herself, gave information to schools, approached professionals, took on architects and construction workers.. and look what’s it all turned into! After two years I gladly became the ambassador to this foundation, a job I take seriously. There is a whole complex now, the futures of dozens of children depend on it and many locals have a job there. A lot of Ghanaian distributors make a living off of it. Exactly like developmental work is supposed to be. This should all be maintained. That is why I frequently fly out there and brainstorm with my daughter Kelly about the possibilities, chances, setbacks and goals of the foundation and I think along with major contracts.'

'Because of Kelly and what she has accomplished, I have been captured by the ambitions of the Meet Kate Foundation. There are people complaining about the youth of nowadays, but when I look at all this – literally built from scratch by young people – I’m filled with pride. Yes, they can…!'

'I try to convey this message to others and hope that together we can make these large ambitions – building an entire school plus playing field – of Meet Kate come true. Could you think of a better alibi to do something good?Come on, join in and support Meet Kate!'

Peter R. de Vries

Pictures and a movie of Peter R. de Vries’ visit to Meet Kate in Ghana