Our mission
“Raising Awareness through Remembrance” Freedom is a great asset that we must cherish and value. In the spirit of Hannie Schaft, we are all called to stand up to those who seek to undermine freedom and pursue exclusion.
The National Hannie Schaft Foundation aims to raise awareness among people—especially young people—of the consequences of extremism, fascism, racism, and discrimination, so they can make a difference when it matters most. We do this by annually commemorating the life, struggle, and death of Hannie Schaft and through publications, including this website. The foundation is politically neutral, independent, and collaborates with other initiatives sharing a similar mission.

What we do
- Commemoration – Every year on the last Sunday of November, the National Hannie Schaft Commemoration takes place, culminating in the Hannie Schaft lecture, given by a well-known speaker – free to attend for everyone, young and old.
- Motivating – In collaboration with De Vreedzame Scholen, we introduce primary school pupils to the documentary ‘How Hannie are you?’ commissioned by our foundation and the accompanying curriculum. In it, they are asked the question: ‘How do you respond to exclusion and discrimination?’
- Inspiring – Hannie Schaft’s ideas and courage inspire exhibitions, theatre makers and visual artists.
- Communicating – To raise awareness, we continue to inform the public about Hannie Schaft’s ideas and their importance in contemporary society via the website, social media and newsletters.
Board
- Hans Bakker, voorzitter
- Nynke Weinreich, secretaris
- Ivo Kuipers, penningmeester
- Ron Hogenboom, bestuurslid
- Charlotte Schot, communicatie & marketing
- Carla Voorendonk, fondsenverwerving
- Brigitte Odett, art director herdenking
- Anne Visschedijk, coördinator herdenking
- Anna Alliis, coördinator educatie
- Jolijn Amorisson, coördinator kunst & cultuur
- Eva van Leeuwen, historisch onderzoek
The board of the National Hannie Schaft Foundation does not receive any remuneration but can declare expenses incurred if desired.
During the 2023 National Hannie Schaft Commemoration, chairman Jeroen Pliester used a special incident involving Hannie Schaft and Truus and Freddie Oversteegen from 1945 as inspiration for today’s turbulent times. A speech about war, exclusion, the rules of freedom, and above all, the preservation of humanity. “Raising awareness through remembrance.”
In memoriam – Jeroen Pliester