Lilia Frederika (Lieke) Brekelmans-Gronert (Padang Brarhang (Sumatra), April 6, 1929 - Driebergen, February 16, 2009) was a Dutch philanthropist and founding member of her named Liliane Fund. The purpose of the Liliane Fund is to provide direct, small-scale and personalized assistance to children and young people with disabilities in developing countries.
Liliane was born on the Indonesian island of Sumatra and returned shortly there in 1976, together with her husband Ignaas. She came to the idea of the Liliane Fund through a meeting with the disabled girl Agnes. That fund was founded by her in 1980. The girl walked hard with a stick due to the disease polio. Liliane was able to move to Agnes because she had been affected by polio from her first childhood, and was therefore advised on tools. After a conversation with Agnes she found out that the girl could not provide her living well. Her handicap made work impossible. Liliane came up with the idea of adjusting her work to her disability. She thought that Agnes would be very helpful with a staircraft machine. This enabled Agnes to make and repair clothes and make money.
Once back in the Netherlands, Liliane and her husband, Ignaas, joined different volunteer relief organizations, but did not listen. That's why she decided to raise money to pay for the stopping machine for Agnes. They did this from their home in Vlijmen, where the help was turned on by numerous family members, friends and acquaintances. With this, Agnes was able to help, but in the meantime, this success story brought more requests for assistance. Soon, the Liliane Fund became a fact and on 14 March 1980 it became an official foundation.
Over the years, the Liliane Fund has been able to provide a lot of assistance to disabled young people in developing countries. The fund also received various awards, including the Carnegie Wateler Peace Prize in 1999. This foundation raises prizes to individuals or institutions dedicated to world peace.
In recent years, Liliane has not performed public tasks anymore, but continued to follow the fund in the background. She died in Driebergen on February 16, 2009, where she had been nursed for several weeks. Liliane has become 79 years old.
On February 26, 2009, a tulip was named "Liliane Gronert" in Zwaagdijk.
In the meantime, the street name committee of the municipality of Heusden has decided that once a street name has been assigned to her old residential area, this will be named after Mrs Brekelmans. This is, among other things, initiated by the Association "Heemkundekring Onsenoort". The Liliane Brekelmansstraat is located in the Vlijmense district of Vliedberg and near its former residence. Beginning 2017, the first residents will settle there.
wiki
