Policy Plan 2026–2031

In the coming policy period, we will focus particularly on three new central themes:

1. Engaging grassroots voices

What challenges do coffee farmers in Uganda face? How is child exploitation organized in Nepal? What does climate change mean for students in Benin? Listening deeply to their voices matters. We also amplify their voices within their own societies and beyond, including in the Netherlands and Brussels. Likewise, we listen to our constituency in the Netherlands and make their voice heard on key issues in The Hague and Brussels.

2. Enabling dignified livelihoods

The goal of our work is that people can lead a dignified life: children in Colombia receiving quality education; elderly people in Ethiopia being able to provide for themselves; farmers in Burkina Faso cultivating their land productively. Increasingly, we see this under pressure due to climate change and forced migration. This calls for innovative efforts both in the Global South and in the Netherlands and Brussels.

3. Enhancing responsible digitalisation

Thanks to digitalisation, fishermen in Sri Lanka and farmers in Uganda gain access to vital information on market prices and weather forecasts; local governments in Ethiopia can better monitor water pump maintenance; students in Haiti can follow online education. Yet digitalisation can also have unwanted effects: widening gaps between people, privacy violations, and polarisation. Woord en Daad therefore seeks a deliberate path in the digital world.

Since its founding, Woord en Daad has focused on working with partners. In the coming years, we will take new steps toward greater equality in these partnerships. Together with our partners, we have defined four roles for Woord en Daad:

As connector: We stimulate and facilitate collaboration between our partners and businesses, institutions, civil society organisations, and governments committed to change. In the Netherlands, we unite people around a shared mission and connect their lives with those of people elsewhere. Our thrift shops are prime meeting places.

As catalyst: We support partners in developing new forms of cooperation, innovative programs, and additional funding sources. In the Netherlands, we motivate entrepreneurs to engage in socially responsible business, strengthen support for international cooperation, and advocate for coherent policy development.

As knowledge broker: We provide partners access to information sources that are otherwise hard to reach and encourage knowledge exchange among them. Sharing insights gained worldwide is also important for our constituency. We motivate Dutch entrepreneurs to share their expertise with (starting) entrepreneurs in the Global South.

As influencer: We help partners influence regional or national government policies, for example, measures to counter climate change. In the Netherlands and Brussels, we use our knowledge to influence government policy and encourage citizens and businesses to consume and produce more responsibly.

Woord en Daad works in 20 countries, grouped into five regions, with the Netherlands and Brussels explicitly considered as a region.

Every person matters because we are created in God’s image. The Bible shows God’s special concern for people in vulnerable circumstances. From this perspective, Woord en Daad focuses on those living in such conditions: children and youth, women, small-scale farmers, people with disabilities, marginalized households and groups.

Their challenges are often complex. That is why Woord en Daad has long worked with a systemic approach. We do not carry out isolated projects but look at the broader context in which problems occur, addressing interconnected causes. Other parties may also be involved, such as water boards, businesses, and governments. This is how we work toward sustainable change.

In the coming years, we will strengthen this approach by working from overarching regional strategies. Within regions, we will better align projects by combining them into thematic plans. All plans start with thorough research and deep listening.

Five Regions:

• Latin America: Colombia, Guatemala, Haiti
• West and Central Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mali, Sierra Leone, Togo, Chad
• East Africa: Ethiopia, Uganda
• Asia: Bangladesh, Philippines, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka
• Netherlands, Belgium (Brussels)

“Do even more to build support for international cooperation and policy influence!”

This was the call from our partners when they learned about budget cuts and declining public support for international cooperation in the Netherlands. In response, we will intensify our efforts along three tracks:

Policy influencing in The Hague and Brussels:

We amplify the voices of vulnerable groups in the countries where we work in the policy development process in the Netherlands and Europe. We aim not only to increase their influence but also to reduce negative policy impacts on these communities.

Sustainable production and consumption:

We seek greater collaboration with entrepreneurs and politicians. Businesses and politics are essential in making international value chains more sustainable, combating abuse such as poor working conditions, and improving incomes for farmers, entrepreneurs, and factory workers.

Global citizenship:

From the Christian principles of stewardship and care for creation, we motivate people to make lifestyle choices – within their means – that contribute to a fairer and more sustainable world.

Importance of thrift shops
In the Netherlands, the importance of our thrift shops cannot be overstated. They contribute to social cohesion – through volunteers and people with a distance to the labor market – and to a more sustainable world through reuse of goods.