Founder and CEO Monique Wijngaarde – Bekema was born and raised in a colorful family with grandparents who represented all so-called four colors of the world: Black, White, Native and Asian. Through marriages of relatives also surrounded by many religions, a family with also a great Love and Compassion for Nature and Humanity.

Her stay in the Surinamese Rainforest, a part of the Amazon and among the Indigenous people of Suriname, are one of the most beautiful experiences and periods of her life. It showed her that we as Humans are not separate from Nature, but are a part of it and what are the true basic principles of life.

Her previous projects in the slums of Brazil also taught her that Self-reliance can change the lives of people in a huge positive way. It was in January 2017 that through a friend she met James Simeo, a Tanzanian Wildlife tour guide, and because of his enthusiasm after hearing her stories that she derived her Love for Nature, for Humanity, her “Promise to her late-indigenous Grandmother”, and her own life experiences and was ignited to start Stichting GSWF.

With more encouragement from her family, friends, James and Mike Gesa Munabi, the Founder and President of Students for Global Democracy Uganda, she decided to make the initiative Global, starting with branches in Tanzania and Uganda respectively.

Stichting GSWF uses the connection between Humanity and Nature to promote Unity and Respect all for Love and Peace..