The Kennedy Stichting is facing serious financial problems because the government subsidy for 2026 has still not been paid out. Staff stopped work on Monday, October 6, because salaries have not yet been received. As a result, the shelter and care of 24 deaf and hard-of-hearing children at the boarding facility are also at risk.
According to management, the foundation submitted its application for the annual subsidy as early as the beginning of February. Although, according to the foundation, the documents have since been approved and several administrative steps have been completed, the money is still not in the account eight months later.
“Today is October 6 and the staff have still not received their salaries. People are entitled to their salaries. It is terrible,” foundation director Lea Welzijn told Key News.
Salaries paid from rent and donations
The Kennedy Stichting is largely dependent on government support. Because the subsidy for 2026 has not been forthcoming, the organisation has in recent months paid salaries and other costs as much as possible from rental income and donations.
The foundation rents out several vacant buildings, but according to management, this income is nowhere near sufficient to keep the entire organisation running.
The daily care of the 24 children staying at the boarding facility is also currently largely financed from rental income and donations. This includes children from several districts and the interior.
The financial hardship has now become so severe that the board decided on Friday to give employees who still reported to work SRD 1,000 as temporary assistance.
“We gave them one thousand SRD so that they could put food on the table for their children over the weekend. But we cannot keep doing that. We do not have the financial resources for it,” the director said.
Staff stop work
Staff indicated on Monday that they would stop work from 10:00 a.m. until there is clarity about the salaries.
According to management, there is understanding for this. “The staff rightly say: director, as of today we are stopping. We are closing everything and going home. The staff are on strike to ensure that the salary is received.”
The strike has direct consequences for the children at the boarding facility. According to management, the head of the boarding facility has indicated that they cannot carry the care for all children alone. “We do not know what to do. The care is at risk,” Welzijn warns.
Subsidy application under review since February
The foundation says it submitted the subsidy application as early as the beginning of February and was among the first social institutions to have its documents in order for 2026.
According to management, the relevant department of the ministry does communicate about the various steps in the process. The documents would have to be sent, among other things, through the directorate and minister, ultimately to the Ministry of Finance.
However, according to the foundation, it is unclear why the funds have still not been paid out despite the early submission. “If you submitted in February and we are now in October, then this cannot be normal. Someone needs to look into this. This process must change,” the director states.
According to her, contacts with the leadership of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Public Housing and efforts by the board have so far also not led to payment.
‘Care for children is at risk of being discontinued’
According to management, the consequences will be significant if no solution is found in the very short term. The foundation cares for children with hearing impairments and faces specific and often high care costs, including hearing aids and batteries.
The director believes that the government should make greater use of experts with experience in the day-to-day practice of care when developing policy for social institutions.
“Every institution has different problems and different costs. At the Kennedy Stichting, for example, you are talking about batteries for hearing aids and about hearing aids themselves. That care is extremely expensive.”
According to the foundation, if the subsidy is not paid out quickly and staff cannot resume work, the boarding facility will ultimately face closure.
“If the money does not come, the organisation will close, with very serious consequences. It concerns children from, among other places, the interior, Saramacca and Brokopondo. The care is in serious danger. But if the staff cannot continue, you ultimately have no other choice.”
The foundation hopes that the government will still proceed with payment quickly, so that overdue salaries can be paid and care for the children can continue.
