Sondela is owned and operated by its founder, Willem Vriend, but works in close cooperation with a team of specialists when designing and implementing its products and services.  We would like to introduce our team to you.

Willem Vriend

In 1996, after completing studies at the Academy for Physical Education in Amsterdam, Willem headed to South Africa. For four years, Willem worked for Sport Coaches Outreach or SCORE, a local NGO active in sport and sport-based development activities. Willem trained many local teachers, coaches, trainers and volunteers, eventually becoming the Director of Programs. For 3 years, Willem recruited and prepared European and African sport trainers for their work in sport projects. In 2003, Willem established Sondela as a consultancy through which to share his expertise. Willem designs a variety of training courses and workshops, although facilitating these courses on-site, in the field, in developing countries remains his passion.

He is also a lecturer at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam (higher professional education) in the Sport, Management & Business department.

Moniek Loeffen

After completing her studies at the Academy for Physical Education in Tilburg in 1996, Moniek also headed to South Africa to work for SCORE. In 1999 and 2000, she coordinated a sport program for 80,000 thousand refugees in Kenya on behalf of NOC*NSF (Netherlands Olympic Committee * Netherlands Sport Federation). For the past five years, Moniek has been working with the Foundation for African Sports Development or FASD, an NGO that supports various sport and sport-based projects in Africa. She conducts research and advises people and organizations around sport and development cooperation. Since 2005, Moniek has been coordinating various Sondela activities, including presentations about sport and development cooperation at sport institutes throughout The Netherlands.

Kenneth Neluvhalani

Kenneth has worked as a Lecturer in Sport at a teacher college in South Africa.  He has played an important role in the establishment of many local sport organisations in his region, Venda. For several years, he worked for Sport Coaches Outreach or SCORE coordinating teams of international and local volunteers in sport development activities. Nowadays, Kenneth works as Student Sport Coordinator at the University of Pretoria. He is also a Board Member of various national and local sport structures. Kenneth knows the local circumstances and challenges of developing sport in resource poor settings very well enabling him to bridge theory and practice and make it relevant. He assists Sondela in the design of training workshops and courses.

Anne Kuijs

Anne studied Physical Education and Adapted Physical Education. In 1998 she worked on behalf of NOC*NSF (Netherlands Olympic Committee*Netherlands Sport Federation) in a refugee camp in Kenya.  After that she worked for Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) and started a Physical Education department at a teachers college in Malawi. From 2002 till August 2006 Anne worked in Tanzania for Terre des Hommes. She coordinated the Nafasi sportproject for children with a handicap in schools. At the moment Anne is back in The Netherlands to study ergotherapie. After her studie she will go back to Tanzania to work again. Anne does various projects for Sondela.