About Us

“Education is neither Eastern nor Western, it is human.” – Malala Yousafzai

Education is the key to sustainable success of future generations. Volunteer Programs Forever supports this important concept in developing countries, where people often have fewer opportunities than in our privileged Western society.

Volunteer Programs Forever is a private foundation with international projects and is founded by Kimberley Vanderheyden. Coming from a business and travel background, she decided to change her way of life and to give back to people who need it the most. She is a passionate advocate on the powerful effects of giving to others and the positive outcomes on both the individual and their community as a whole. It is her mission to create educational opportunities for local communities and to enable them to develop powerful future generations. The foundation does this with full respect and understanding for local cultural heritage and traditions. The foundation has developed programs that contribute to sustainable and long-term results.

For VP Forever, to first learn about the ins and outs of a community is of the highest importance as they need to be the driving force of their own success. The focus is on the whole picture, on all connected parties within a community. In this process VP Forever dives into the local culture, religion, social system, educational system, politics and so on.

By creating awareness of the condition of a community, VP Forever can empower people through sustainability within the comfort of their own surroundings and beliefs. VP Forever strives for an organic transformation which can operate successfully and independently into the future. By encouraging methods of education and providing opportunities that blend with and respect established tradition, we believe that empowering community youth, their families and their businesses, creates a domino effect that will extend our mission to future generations.

The ultimate goal of VP Forever is to support and empower communities, in developing countries, to reach their fullest potential. Whenever a community feels there is more to grow or develop in a certain area, but is not able to do so due to lack of finances, knowledge, recourses or manpower, VP Forever steps in. The goal is to always support in a sustainable way, to hand out tools through different channels to eventually create future opportunities for the community and its members.

The goal of VP Forever is to create programs that empower all parties involved, not just those being directly assisted. It is important that all who contribute to our mission grow together, including local staff, interns and business partners. It is our hope that local businesses we partner with to fulfil program needs will be improved and self-sufficient for further growth.

VP Forever works from the ground up, together with the community and its members and builds relationships to ensure sustainability on a long term.

Vision and Mission

At Volunteer Programs Forever, we believe that education need not be linear. Rather than one-size fits all, we understand that each culture must take their own distinct steps towards success, in line with the local traditions and way of life that make communities uniquely their own. We believe that education does not always have to take place in a classroom, as learning trades, problem solving skills and developing personal passions all contribute to the overall wealth and wellbeing of communities. Education in all forms, we believe is the greatest form of empowerment and opportunity.

Before introducing any new methods of education to a community – its strengths, areas of improvement, and especially the heart of the people themselves must first be understood. What are the core values that hold the community together? What holds community members and their businesses back from reaching their fullest potential? Most importantly, what will be the driving force for local youth to become future change makers? Without this initial understanding, any introduction of western education or opportunities will make only a short-term impact.

The vision of VP Forever looks far past short-term results. As education is a continuous cycle, there are no ultimate “ins or outs” with our programs. Our mission is anything but temporary, as we strive to use educational opportunities to empower local communities for generations to come. We believe in the importance of personal connection, to discover how each individual can reach their fullest potential through different and even unconventional methods of learning. We do not force progress, but instead adapt to environments in an effort to preserve the aspects of cultural heritage and heart that make communities beautiful. Through creating full-circle communities of learning, it is our hope that the local people, especially youth, who benefit from our programs will continue to facilitate change and inspire others long after working with us.

VP Forever creates programs that empower all parties involved, not just those being directly assisted. It is important that all who contribute to our mission grow together, including local staff, interns and business partners. It is our hope that local businesses we partner with to fulfill program needs will be improved and self-sufficient for further growth. By encouraging methods of education and providing opportunities that blend with and respect established tradition, we believe that empowering community youth, their families and their businesses, creates a domino effect that will extend our mission to future generations.

The mission is not to introduce a completely foreign education, in whatever field it may be, but is to integrate sustainable ideas that will improve the quality of life of all involved. Communities from any developing country that need support in their development to reach their fullest potential can be supported by VP Forever in forms of financial support, educational support, organizational support and material support.

Pilot Project

Volunteer Programs Forever is supporting its pilot project located in Bali, Indonesia. As being it the pilot project, this project has been fully operated by the founder of VP Forever itself, Kimberley Vanderheyden.

In January 2013 the first project of VP Forever started on Bali, Indonesia. Volunteer Programs Bali offers free English classes for Balinese children from 6 to 18 years old. The English classes are given as an after-school activity and as an addition to the Indonesian school and is not compulsory for the children. Currently, an average of 500 children per week are following the English classes of VP Bali. The classes are taught according to an international ESL curriculum, with the implementation of creative subjects such as art, culture but also a lot of sport and play. The motto of VP Bali is ‘creative learning’ in which the children learn English through play, role play, conversation, music and the like. In addition to the English classes, VP Bali provides a scholarship program for students to be able to follow higher education. There are also monthly events and workshops with different themes of nutrition, health, nature and waste management. VP Bali also has a cultural program where students can learn Balinese dance to expand their skills and to preserve the Balinese culture. VP Bali is very active in the community. By attending various Balinese activities and ceremonies and giving donations, VP Bali has a large share in the local community and is highly respected. In addition, VP Bali creates a lot of employment for the community. They do this by hiring and training local staff, creating jobs for drivers in order to provide free transportation for the children to come to the school, supporting local families offering accommodation for volunteers and creating jobs within the community for other projects and workshops.

VP Bali was set up as a pilot project by the founder of VP Forever; Kimberley Vanderheyden. Because VP Forever believes that programs must be tailor-made and in line with local cultural heritage and traditions, Kimberley has put all her time and energy into the pilot project. What are the core values ​​that keep the community together? What keeps members of the community and their companies from using their full potential? Kimberley has gathered the answers to these questions and many other questions and implemented them in the project. In this way she has been able to ensure that this project can be an example for future projects of VP Forever. After almost 7 years of VP Bali, VP Forever can proudly say that it has achieved several goals. Developing sustainable methods of education through English classes, creating job guarantees for local staff and working together with local partners and communities is high on VP Forever’s agenda.

The organization is always growing and expanding to different areas in Bali, and the number of local partners and communities is growing monthly.
All staff members of VP Bali are trained in house and are given opportunities to grow in their professional and personal life.

Support

In order to grow, to develop and to sustain we need your help!

The goal of Volunteer Programs Forever and its priority is to sustain the pilot project; Volunteer Programs Bali. In order to expand, grow and develop this project further, more sustainable funds are needed to secure local jobs, program activities and community support.

Besides that, VP Forever is looking to expand to other locations with new projects. By implementing the same methods of working and gaining information from local recourses we will be able to support more communities to reach their fullest potential.

If you are interested in being a part of this mission and support VP Forever so it can achieve these goals, please contact us below.

Volunteer Programs Forever is a recognized private foundation and donations being eligible for tax refund.