Theirworld gives award to inspirational People’s Postcode Lottery chief Annemiek Hoogenboom

When she went with Theirworld to Lebanon to see the plight of Syrian children, Annemiek Hoogenboom was struck by the fact that many of them were too hungry to learn.

She spotted an opportunity to test a schools snacks programme that would examine the effect on attendance and academic achievement.

That was typical of Annemiek, who is Country Director Great Britain of the People’s Postcode Lottery. To recognise her outstanding work with the charity and as a social entrepreneur, she received the Theirworld Inspiration Award 2018 at an event in New York during United Nations General Assembly week.

Theirworld President Sarah Brown said: “We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Annemiek for the passion and creativity she brings to all of our projects.”

A former lecturer at the University of Amsterdam, Annemiek moved to Sudan to set up a communications faculty at Ahfad University in Omdurman.

Her experiences in Sudan shaped her passion for education, which in turn helped to shape the work of the People’s Postcode Lottery – one of the largest donors in the world to solutions for the global education crisis.

It was that drive and determination that led her to Lebanon with Theirworld. Out of that trip came the three-year pilot project – supported by players of the UK People’s Postcode Lottery – which has impacted more than 4000 Syrian refugee and local Lebanese children in the Bekaa Valley and Mount Lebanon areas since it began in 2016. 

Theirworld published a report yesterday about the pilot – the only humanitarian feeding programme in Lebanon to produce statistical data.

It revealed that the introduction of healthy school meals saw attendance rise by 7% and led to a significant improvement in diet diversity.

A special episode of the Better Angels podcast features Annemiek talking to former British ambassador and education campaigner Tom Fletcher.

She said: “I got obsessed with education during my time in Sudan over 30 years ago. I was amazed by the eagerness of all the girls to learn.”

Listen to the rest of her fascinating interview here.

None of Theirworld’s work in Lebanon would be possible without the players of the People’s Postcode Lottery, who are helping ensure that every child has the opportunity to learn and achieve their potential.