Summary

This project aims to reduce health inequalities by empowering parents living in poverty as experts of their own experiences. Through community sessions, parents are encouraged to share their stories and insights, helping to reduce stigma, stress, and loneliness while fostering confidence and connection. Their perspectives are translated into artistic expressions that amplify their voices and share their lived expertise with researchers, healthcare professionals, and policymakers.

Inspired by Schiedam’s “Uit Armoede” program and the manifesto of the Raad van Veerkracht – “We are not failing, the system is”, the project is grounded in the belief that poverty is not an individual failure but a systemic one. The manifesto emphasizes that:

1. Poverty is not personal failure, but system failure.

2. We should not feel ashamed, this country and its systems should.

3. We are not case files or statistics, but people with experiential knowledge.

4. Dignity, respect, and tailored support are not privileges, but rights.

These principles form the foundation of the initiative and guide its contribution to structural change, aiming to reduce poverty-related health disparities from the preconception phase through the first 1,000 days of life.

Podcast Episode

“We are poverty-tired” – On the day of the Dutch parliamentary elections, no voting advice, but an episode about livelihood security. This topic dominated the 2023 election campaign, yet this year it seems to have faded into the background. Absurd and unjustified, as becomes clear when you listen to this interview.

We talk about poverty and resilience—specifically about the poverty system. Professionals working on this issue often seem to fundamentally miss the mark, sometimes even worsening the situation for people living in poverty rather than improving it. And we, as a research institute, are part of that system too.

Wouter interviews Annelli Janssen, DRIFT colleague and researcher, who often struggled in her work to truly connect with people experiencing poverty. We also speak with Vanessa Umboh, author of “Mother of 40,000 Children” and founder of the Stem zonder Gezicht Foundation, which fights poverty and resists the dehumanization of those affected.

Together, they founded the Council of Resilience – an advisory body of 30 women with lived experience, who turn their shame into systemic critique. They’ve launched a manifesto, can be hired for advice, but most importantly: the council is living proof that this systemic issue isn’t about files or statistics, but about people. And that these people—with their knowledge—must have a central place in policymaking and (research) practice.

Listen here to the full episode

For more information about the Council, visit:
https://www.stemzondergezicht.nl/raadvanveerkracht