Gaby van den Biggelaar from Eindhoven received a royal honoury award on Saturday evening. In 2010 – upon her retirement as a councillor of the Municipality of Eindhoven – she was already appointed member in this royal order.
She became Ridder in de Orde van Oranje-Nassau (Knight in the Order of Oranje-Nassau). Since 2012, Van den Biggelaar has been the director-manager of Leergeld Nederland* (tuition fee Netherlands). She played a major role in combating child poverty and a crucial role in ensuring equal opportunities in the areas of education, sports, culture and welfare for children from financially disadvantaged families.
‘Her efforts have contributed to breaking down barriers and creating opportunities for these children to participate, just like their peers. She has also significantly influenced national policy in the area of combating poverty with the insights she gained at Leergeld Nederland.
Lobby
Van den Biggelaar made a major contribution to the national lobby to put poverty on the map. She has dedicated her time and expertise for years, not only at Leergeld Nederland, but also as a member of various councils and boards, including Sam& voor alle kinderen (Together for all children) and political structures, such as the PvdA (labour party)’.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Bob
Ed.~ *Leergeld is a term that refers to money that must be paid for education. Paying tuition means going through an unpleasant experience and learning from it. The term refers specifically to the money that in earlier times parents paid to the master to whom their son was apprenticed to learn a craft.
