Testimonial
Continuation Gijsbert Oomen Fund
Eight years ago, married couple Pieter Oomen and Françoise Oomen-Kalsbeek established the Gijsbert Oomen Fund. This named fund within University Fund Wageningen offers students from Indonesia the opportunity to study at Wageningen University & Research. The founders named the fund after their son Gijsbert, who died unexpectedly of cardiac arrest in 2000 at the age of 23. ‘We decided to set up a fund in his name to commemorate him. We wanted to dedicate this to Indonesian students because he was born when we lived in Indonesia and worked at a tea testing station.’ After completing his HBO education, Gijsbert had just started at Tilburg University; he was never able to complete the studies. Through the named fund, other students can get a good education on his behalf.
Being able to experience the impact of your gift while alive is special.
Until the end
Anno 2024, Françoise is once again at the table with the university fund. This time accompanied by her two daughters Agnes and Clasien. She has come to perpetuate her commitment to the Gijsbert Oomen Fund. Her husband Pieter recently passed away, and since the donation agreement was in his name, a new agreement has to be drawn up. This is an administrative formality, which one would rather not have in a period of loss processing, but Françoise did not hesitate to arrange it now. ‘Basically, I want to keep doing this until my end,’ she said. Thanks to the support of the Gijsbert Oomen Fund, students from Indonesia without sufficient financial resources, can still pursue a master's degree in Wageningen. The knowledge they gain at the best agricultural university in the world, they then take back to their home country to make a difference.
Involvement
At the time, Françoise and Pieter consciously involved their daughters in the decision to start their own Named Fund. Françoise: ‘It was very important for us to have their support.’ Today too, Agnes and Clasien went to great lengths to be at this moment. Clasien: ‘We are very happy that our father Pieter was able to witness it over the past eight years and see what the fund means to students. It is special to be able to witness the impact of your gift while you are alive. That it is not only when you are no longer there.’
Visible impact
And that impact is definitely there. The first student they supported in 2016 recently came to visit, Françoise says. He now coordinates agricultural projects from various aid organisations across Indonesia to promote local food production. His studies in Wageningen certainly contributed to this important position. With him and other students supported by the Gijsbert Oomen Fund, the couple built up a special bond in recent years: they came for dinner and sometimes brought friends along, or came to have a good cry when they were going through a difficult period. Other students had less need for this. ‘I always leave it up to the student whether they feel the need for contact,’ Françoise said.
Student selection
Françoise makes the final choice for the student who receives the annual award herself from an anonymous pre-selection: the university first selects, together with the Anne van den Ban Fund (the thematic fund for scholarships for students from low-wage countries within the University Fund), a number of students who could potentially benefit from the financial contribution from the Gijsbert Oomen Fund. From these candidates, Françoise chooses a scholarship recipient based on their anonymous CVs and cover letters. ‘What I think is important is that someone could very clearly not study without extra support, or that someone could actually get a very good salary right away with the kind of study they are going to do.’ It is also important that the student wants to help their home country move forward. ‘I am always looking for students who want to do something for Indonesian society with the knowledge they can gain in Wageningen.’ Françoise, Agnes and Clasien all three agree: this is how Gijsbert lives on.
Interview Pieter and Françoise
Pieter and Françoise were interviewed in 2017 about their named fund by Wageningen World. Read this detailed interview here (p.44).