I am very fortunate that, from my childhood onwards, I have always had all the opportunities to develop myself, to let my talents flourish. Despite the fact that the family in which I was born, was far from rich. The family income was low and everyone had to work hard to stay above the poverty line. My mother, however, was very eager to let her children use their talents to the maximum possible, and she always gave 110% to achieve this for her children. In addition, I was born and raised in the Netherlands, where the government make education available for the underprivileged population. This combination gave me all the space and opportunities to develop myself into who I am today.

Out of gratitude and respect for my mother (she passed away in March 2013 at the age of 87), and in memory of her, I established the Foundation StandUp4Talent.

My mother was born before the war (in 1925) and raised in Surabaya, Indonesia. Because of her mother passing away at a very young age, and later her father, because of the war and the struggle for independence in Indonesia, the fleeing to the Netherlands in the beginning of the 50’s (where my parents arrived poor and needy), she did not get enough possibilities to go to school, start any study, develop herself. It is precisely this lack of opportunity for herself that has always stimulated her to let the talents of her 4 children thrive to the maximum possible.

Foundation StandUp4Talent keeps her drive, her commitment and her tenacity going.

Stefan Schuwer

Founder Foundation StandUp4Talent