Our mission is, to support the most vulnerable youth and especially young women in all areas of life. Based on this mission, we are committed to Shakira’s project. A project in which she wants to give the youth, often raised without their parents, from the poorest neighborhoods of Kampala (Uganda) a dignified future.
Board – For more information about our board, click here.
2025
Policy plan & action plan – Download here our policy plan & action plan 2025.
2023
Annual Report – Download here our annual financial report 2023.
2022
Policy plan – Download here our policy plan & action plan 2022.
Annual Report – Download here our annual financial report 2022.
Shakira — or Shaki, as she’s better known — has been the manager at The Jab Uganda for several years. In this environment, which feels more like a community centre than a traditional training gym, more than 40 young women and men ages 7 and older train here — some as often as twice a day. As each boxer enters the gym, they greet Shaki respectfully as “Big Mama,” an affectionate nickname she wears with pride. Thanks to hard work and small-scale entrepreneurship skills, Shaki has been able to use her background in counselling and passion for boxing to help motivate local youths. She is a 1-star AIBA coach and has developed several internationally successful Ugandan boxers. She has an important purpose in life, give local youth a worthy future. Boxing gives structure, but not only boxing counts. To give them a worthy future, education, a safe shelter and a good community are just as important. That is why she first wants to build a good shelter where the children feel safe, can live, eat, learn and train. The current accommodation is outdated. So will you support her to built a new one, to make her dream come true?
Watch full video of Shakira's dreamTo make Shakira’s dream come true, she needs some basic things. Of course a building and the furnishings with a kitchen, tables, chairs, bunk beds, etc. For this she needs Euro 22,500. She needs Euro 11,500 for the construction of the gym with boxing ring and sports equipment. She needs Euro 15,000 for the covering of the box ring, the accommodation for the classrooms and the teaching materials. The total budget is Euro 49,000. Of course we start with the basics, building a good and safe shelter for Shakira and her youth.
Without volunteers, a foundation cannot function. Below, you will find an overview of our volunteers, each of whom selflessly dedicates their time to Stichting The Jab Uganda for their own reasons. They are 100% volunteers and do not receive any financial compensation for their efforts.”
Peter Couvee (adviser) is 56 years old and a trainer at The Jab. Working as a practitioner in mental health care. After a tropical education, he worked in Calcutta, India and Pakistan. Traveled through Africa with great love and worked in Somalia for various NGOs. Active with Anneriek for Shakira’s boxing school in Uganda. Beautiful project that offers young people opportunities with the inspiring strength and commitment of Shakira. Not only development in the field of sports, but also in education, practicing a profession, but also gaining life experience as a group that makes young people resilient and gives them self-confidence.
Sjoerd Dijkstra (secretary) is a marketing and sustainability strategist at Covestro. Sjoerd has a preference for Africa and has years of experience in setting up and coordinating projects in East Africa. Sjoerd has worked for the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition to tackle malnutrition and was the founder of the Winddrinker. He is also the founder and creator of The Ketchup Project, where we work with farmers in Kenya to combat food waste.
Marc Huijgen (treasurer) has been active as an entrepreneur in the field of international logistics issues for more than 20 years. Marc has two children and has been playing sports at The Jab for years. Peter’s enthusiasm for a Jab Foundation was contagious. The objective of laying the foundation for an improvement of their position, especially among young women, through boxing, education and social support, and thus contributing to a complete improvement of the situation in Uganda, immediately appealed to me.
Marja Hulsebos (board member) 57 years old and coordinator planner at the Municipality of Eindhoven for the sports department. I am married and have 2 sons aged 21 and 24. I have been boxing at Jab for over 6 years now and it always gives me a lot of energy. The Jab Foundation is an inspiring project with which we can achieve many social benefits. With this project we can help young people and women through… Offer better opportunities for sports and education. Making them more resilient and offering them a safe haven gives them more prospects for the future. I would like to commit myself to that.
Milly Claes (board member) has been a passionate entrepreneur for almost 20 years. With great passion and enthusiasm, I help plus-size women feel more beautiful through clothing. I love to inspire them, and it is my mission to empower these women. This connects to the wonderful project that Peter has spoken about with so much love for years, the Jab Uganda. I am eager to use my experience and skills to further develop this project together, with the aim of empowering young women and girls through education, resilience, and boosting self-confidence. This is where I gladly invest my time and energy.
Amber Steegh (board member), 23 years old and a Neuropsychology student at Maastricht University. With great enthusiasm, I head to the sports hall three times a week to play volleyball. In the summer of 2024, I visited Jab Uganda in Wakiso with my father and brother, where I discovered a passion for the project and its people. I taught lessons at nearby schools and answered numerous questions from girls and young women about adolescence and self-confidence. Having gained first-hand experience with the Jab Foundation, I hope to be a valuable addition to the board. I already miss the team and the girls in Uganda, so I am eager to contribute from the Netherlands!
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