Help Maastricht residents living in poverty!

It may come as a surprise, but there are few places in the Netherlands where so many people live in poverty as in Maastricht. Thousands of residents are barely able to make ends meet. Students, too, are increasingly strapped for cash: one in three students nationwide reports having money worries.

Maastricht University student Kim Thieme has first-hand experience. She was raised in a disadvantaged neighbourhood in Maastricht and, as a young mother, has dealt with debt, depression and social isolation. Through sheer force of will, things are looking up for her. Kim is the first in her family to study at university. Now she is determined to help those families around her in dire financial straits.

Kim has launched the student initiative SLIM, an accessible contact point for people living in poverty in Maastricht. In the near future, her objective is to open a physical office in the Pottenberg and Mariaberg districts staffed with volunteers. Here people will be able to find a listening ear, guidance and social activities to help them get their lives back on track.

With the corona crisis only widening the gap between rich and poor, Kim would like to open the office as soon as possible. As yet, she does not have the funds to cover the costs of the rent, overheads, activities and so on. Will you help her?

Support this important project, support Maastricht residents who have fallen on hard times!

“Let's break the taboo around poverty and look after one another. Together we can give people hope again!” —Kim Thieme, student at the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences