Post-war lottery for numerous charities
Willemsen did his research at the Catholic Documentation Centre of Radboud University, where the archives of Kansfonds are kept. The fund's history begins with a man named Albert Bergers from Rotterdam. In May 1940 after the bombing of Rotterdam by Nazi Germany, he cared for the wounded and homeless. He continued providing aid during the reconstruction era of the 1940s-1950s. And with the help of KRO (the Dutch Catholic Radiostation), he expanded his private fundraising for the Catholic First Aid into an initiative that became one of the first Dutch national charity lotteries. Willemsen shows how a professional organisation, founded by Catholics, grew larger and wider. The ecclesial and social developments of reconstruction, renewal, secularisation and diversity constantly called for a (re)reflection on the Dutch Catholic identity.
Ending poverty and homelessness in the Netherlands
In an accompanying essay, theologian Erik Borgman highlights what role Catholic social philosophy has played in the way people think about charity, and more specifically how this led to the development of Kansfonds. Throughout the book, it is uncovered how Kansfonds managed to transform Catholic values, such as mercy and compassion, into general moral principals over the years. And even now, almost 70 years after its foundation, the fund still aids initiatives that provide help to people in vulnerable situations. By supporting socio-critical projects, the fund tries to find a way to end poverty and homelessness in the Netherlands altogether.
The book is now for sale. Learn more on the websites of Kansfonds and Walburg Pers.
About the authors:
- Cees Willemsen is a historian and author of a dozen books on social institutions. He received his PhD from Radboud University in 2022 on the history of SUN publishing.
- Erik Borgman is a lay Dominican and emeritus professor of theology at Tilburg University. He publishes mainly on the current meaning of faith, Christianity and church in our culture and for contemporary society.
