Planting Seeds: With Elina and Dominic
Eline and Dominic are Dutch educators who have spent twenty years proving that the world is the ultimate classroom. Their work has taken them from slum schools in Guatemala to a bakery in Malawi and a community school in the Netherlands. For this couple, education is not something confined to a building; it is a raw, direct engagement with the world. They have built a life around a simple, defiant philosophy: find a place, go deep, and do something useful. It is a journey of planting seeds in hard soil and staying long enough to see them grow.
Latin America: The Calling
The obsession began with a short trip to Turkey that shattered their domestic bubble. Guatemala followed, where Eline taught in slum schools under conditions that would break most people. Instead of turning away, she found her calling in the dust and the struggle. Meanwhile, Dominic’s internship in Suriname widened his understanding of development and the resilience of the human spirit. Latin America established the blueprint for their lives. It was never about being tourists; it was about the heavy, rewarding work of integration—learning how to drive progress where resources are scarce but hope is a necessity.
India: Organized Disorder in Mumbai
The couple lived in Mumbai for a year, helping found a school in the heart of the slums. They taught English, mathematics, and theatre to thirty children who had been discarded by the formal education system. Life in Mumbai was a beautiful, overwhelming chaos of tuk-tuks, heat, and constant noise. Amidst the organized disorder, they built a sanctuary. The Mumbai experience proved their model: if you build a learning environment around the actual souls in the room rather than a rigid curriculum, it can thrive anywhere.
Africa: The Little Bakery in Malawi
Malawi was a turning point born of frustration. Tired of aid models that created dependency, Eline and Dominic looked for a solution that offered dignity through work. They identified a local demand for bread, raised €100,000, and built “The Little Bakery”in Africa. Even returning home during a global financial crisis did not shake their resolve. The bakery provided more than just food; it provided jobs and a sense of ownership to the local community. It remains a testament to the fact that real change doesn’t need a massive bureaucracy—it just needs a specific problem and the heart to solve it.
Interview
Trailblazers of Change
Name: Eline & Dominic – Occupation: Educators – Location: Netherlands
The Netherlands: Building Slower and Better
When they returned to Holland, the couple co-directed a community school that grew from five children to thirty-five. In a world obsessed with speed and standardized testing, they built something deliberate and grounded. They realized that many families were starving for this kind of education—one that values the person over the score. The school runs on the same soul that guided them in Mumbai and Malawi: it is small, intimate, and built entirely around the community it serves.
The Current Journey: A Classroom Without Borders
The world has a way of teaching what a textbook never can. To put this belief to the ultimate test, Eline and Dominic were preparing to travel the globe with their three children for a minimum of eight months. Starting in Cambodia and winding through Vietnam, Africa, and India, they are trading the safety of the four walls for the lessons of the open road. They packed their lives into bags and went looking for the truths that can only be found by moving. It is the latest chapter in a two-decade story of craft, place, and the courage to live your values out loud.
