Max Foundation 15 years

Max Foundation was founded in 2005 by Steven and Joke Le Poole following the death of their eight-month-old son Max. They were able to turn their grief into something positive: a foundation that fights child mortality. Every day, nearly 16.000 children under five years old still die unnecessarily from infectious diseases like diarrhea, malaria and pneumonia. Unnecessarily? Yes. Since these diseases can be easily prevented by access to safe water, adequate sanitation facilities and better hygiene conditions for mother and child.Max Foundation wants to prevent child mortality in the most effective and sustainable way and we believe that charity profits from a business driven approach. Or: S.M.A.R.T (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time bound) charity. At Max Foundation we work with our heart and our head in order to maximize our impact: saving as many children's lives as possible.Safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) are essential elements of our approach to fight child mortality. To create the biggest impact, we developed our own MAX-WASH approach over the years: an integrated approach of WASH and HEALTH components, like safe motherhood and nutrition.Max Foundation believes that still too many children die from easily preventable diseases. That has to change. The lives of all children are valuable.We envision a world in which easily preventable diseases, such as certain infections, are no longer a cause for child mortality amongst children under the age of five.