Many beautiful people are fighting against polarisation, misunderstanding, discrimination, injustice and destruction of nature. They are committed to creating a better world and that touches my heart deeply. Therefore, each moving story is assigned a tree in the food forest. If you know of a moving story that would be a good fit, please let me know.
Story #1 Drinkable Rivers
In 2005 Li An Phoa canoed the full length of a river in Canada, the Rupert. All along the way, she could drink water straight from the river. Three years later, Li An came back and she could not drink from the Rupert anymore. The river was ...
Find out more about the meaningful actions taken by Li An to make the world a better place.Story #2 Connection instead of Polarisation
Whether one votes left or right, is LGBTI or not, native or immigrant, pro or anti-vaxxer, we simply live with different groups mixed together. Everyone feels entitled to their opinion, but when that opinion is accompanied by intolerance, it weakens society. Polarisation arises when there are conflicting views or interests. This leads to tension between certain groups. Shouting at each other or listening to each other? It is a choice we make ourselves. By communicating constructively with each other, you can find mutual understanding and acceptance. When you listen empathically, both parties put themselves in the mind of the other and set aside their judgements. This makes the other person feel truly heard and understood, which can lead to connection. A shining example ...
Story #3 Fighting hunger among school-age children
Johan Muurlink (57), the Rotterdam sandwich man. Every school day, he and 25 volunteers prepare 2,500 sandwiches for 800 children at various schools in the city. Children who would otherwise sit in class on an empty stomach.
He is a man with a rough past of crime. Once he had millions in the bank and nothing to live for. Now he has no money, but he does have a mission in life.
In 2017, he saw his son sharing his lunch with some classmates. He was proud of his son, but saddened by the children sitting in the classroom without food. He went straight home to prepare sandwiches for these hungry children.
Muurlink sees the effects of poverty on children every day. Children coming in without food, dozing off, unable to concentrate, resulting in poorer grades and fewer opportunities. ‘As a society, we are very badly failing these children.’ Rotterdam has tens of thousands of people who are barely making ends meet. One in five children goes to school hungry. He hopes that one day the government will offer free meals to all children at school. Until then, his foundation – https://ngelm.nl/ – will do what it can: feed children so that they can learn on a full stomach.
Story #4 Safe houses for men rebuilding their lives and shelter for women escaping trauma
No one should face homelessness or hunger alone, yet on the streets of the Costa Blanca, too many do. Some have lost everything to addiction. Some have been let down by a system that forgot them. Some never had a chance to begin with. But no matter how someone ends up on the margins, one thing remains true: they are still people. People who deserve dignity, connection, and a second chance. These are the people Project4All exists for.
Arne Soeten, a former addict and alcoholic with a criminal background is the founder of the project. He knows what it’s like to feel lost, to stand at the edge of rock bottom and wonder if there’s a way back. 13th July 2014 was his turning point. After years of addiction, he woke up, looked in the mirror, and didn’t recognise the person staring back. That moment led him to fight for his life—and win. But he knew he wasn’t the only one who needed a second chance. The Project is his way of giving back to society for his past wrong doings.
Project4all serves 40 hot meals daily to the people on the street. Not just to fill stomachs, but to open conversations. A chance to talk, to listen, to remind someone that they are still here, still human, still worthy. And when they’re ready, they offer more: from safe houses for men rebuilding their lives to a women’s shelter for those escaping trauma.