A person is not a label. A person is a story.
Sometimes impact arises from an unexpected moment. One evening. One insight. One lingering scent.
For Asha Lachman, it was Christmas Eve. She decided to help her children prepare a dinner for homeless people in a Rotterdam hotel. What started as a kind gesture changed her view of the world.
“I saw people who were hungry. Who were putting food in their pockets. Who hadn’t had a shower or clean clothes for weeks. But I also saw that these weren’t ‘other people’. These were people like you and me. Parents, entrepreneurs, students. Someone who once had a home, a plan, a future. And that touched me.”
After that evening, Asha knew: I want to do something. Not just once. But structurally. Humanely. Based on equality. And so, in 2018, the Everyday People Foundation was born.
Equality is not a luxury. It is a necessity.
Since then, Asha, together with a permanent team and a group of ambassadors, has been helping people who are rarely seen, but who are definitely there.
Lonely elderly people. Children from vulnerable families. Homeless people. People for whom attention, a listening ear, or a trip to a soccer game is not a given.
“What do we do? It’s very simple: we see people. We hear them. And we create moments when they feel human, when they feel important. When they can laugh. And when they are not the exception, but just someone you sit down with at the table.”
Everything is done on a voluntary basis. Dozens of projects every year. From lunch breaks and beauty treatments to filling shopping carts or organizing a dinner at Sparta for a hundred homeless people and having meals provided by the Royal Family’s caterer.
The common thread? Respect. Sincerity. Humanity.
How SUPERP helps and why
At SUPERP, we believe that people like Asha make a difference. Not only within organizations, but also outside them. That is why we set up the iamSUPERP program: a fund and initiative that supports people who want to do good using their talent, drive, and dedication. Asha is a wonderful example of this.
Through our collaboration, including during the annual Apple Festival, we help the Everyday People Foundation with financial contributions that go directly to projects such as:
- Shopping carts for the elderly
- A dinner for the homeless at Sparta
- A vacation for a family that had never experienced that before
“What I appreciate about SUPERP is that you always contribute ideas. And that you make visible what we do. Thanks to you, I was able to distribute groceries and pamper people. And give a family everything they needed for a while. That is worth its weight in gold.”
“I believe in the power of just doing it.”
Asha is often compared to Wonder Woman. Not only because she seems to work magic on a shoestring budget and quickly connects with people, but because she always keeps going. And makes an impact.
“I don’t know exactly how I do it. But I do it. Always together with my team. We don’t give up. Because I know what it means to people.”
Sometimes the difference is as big as saving someone’s life. “A man once said: if you hadn’t admitted me that night, I would have jumped off a building. Then you know: what we do matters.”
A dream bigger than herself
Asha’s greatest wish is clear and powerful: No one should have to sleep on the streets. No one should feel alone.
No excuses. No labels. No exceptions. “As a society, we can do this. As a government, as businesses, as people. We have empty buildings. We have resources. What we need is action. Not words, but deeds.”
Would you like to help? Just do it.
Asha’s advice to anyone who wants to contribute is as Rotterdam as it is effective: “Don’t talk, just do it. Don’t say you’re moved, just do something. Big or small, it doesn’t matter. But do something.”
Would you like to support the Everyday People Foundation?
Visit https://everydaypeople.nl and see what you can do to help.
Want to know more about iamSUPERP?
Read more about how SUPERP makes an impact outside the walls of organizations on our website.
