Sandrine Ulenberg’s Legacy
Sandrine Ulenberg works as a biologist for the Zoological Museum of the University of Amsterdam. She has supported Mama Cash with a monthly donation since the early days.
‘I have always been an enthusiastic supporter of Mama Cash. I got to know Mama Cash in the eighties during the heady days of second wave feminism in the Netherlands. I felt very much part of that movement. I went to the women’s cafés and discussed and debated issues of women’s rights for hours. I was struck by Mama Cash’s professional and businesslike vision on women’s rights.
Mama Cash said: “Look if we really want to achieve equality and progress for women, we need money.” And that is so true. I like the way Mama Cash combines a practical approach with progressive ideals, by supporting women, including lesbians, trans people and sex workers wherever they face discrimination. And she looks for the same spirit of independence and ambition from her grantees. Mama Cash is not a charitable organisation, she supports movements for change.
That’s why I decided to make Mama Cash the beneficiary of my will. In other words, when I die, this women’s fund will inherit my money and assets. It seems a natural choice to extend my commitment to Mama Cash and women’s rights this way.
Even though I myself never had children, I think it’s incredibly important to support women and girls, because they face injustice and discrimination. My father, a generous and open-minded man, travelled a lot for his work and when he came back he talked to his children about the unfair situation facing women and girls in many countries he visited. As a family, we believed strongly in issues like social justice and equality for women. Concern for ‘the other’ was a dinner table topic when I was growing up.
By leaving my inheritance to Mama Cash, I feel like I am sustaining our family heritage, not through offspring, but by contributing to a better world for women and girls. I have no doubt that my inheritance will contribute to change for women and girls. I trust Mama Cash completely, she puts her money where her mouth is’.
