SHOWERPOWER FOUNDATION CEASED OPERATIONS
Final curtain falls for Dutch NGO
June 2026
Thank you, dear reader, for visiting the website of what has been the Dutch NGO ShowerPower Foundation.
With this message, we inform you about some critical decisions that the board of ShowerPower has made. These decisions were not taken lightly; they resulted from carefully considering the current situation.
As you may know, we have previously decided to close the ShowerPower House. Until the beginning of 2020, more than 25,000 women and children have enjoyed a warm welcome, having a hot shower in a safe and welcoming environment. It was a valuable period in which, together with you, we could do a lot for the vulnerable in our society.
Because ShowerPower has no longer actively collected funds and the coffers are starting to run empty after four years, we must now also stop the monthly contributions to small Greek organizations that help people fleeing on Lesbos and in Athens. ShowerPower has been able to support the following NGOs, among others:
Attika Human Support, Ariadne AMKE, RAD Music, Sporos Regeneration Institute, Wadi eV., White Helmets of Moria, Yoga and Sport with Refugees, Synyparxis, Lesvos Solidarity and Asterias-Starfish.
The reasons for our decisions are diverse and complex.
Nationalistic actions against aid workers and people on the run and the outbreak of COVID-19 prompted the closure of the ShowerPower house. Covid was a significant concern for us: we wanted to prevent volunteers from bringing the virus to the island, which was free of infection at the time, at all costs. The latest decision to stop monthly contributions has the aforementioned financial cause and is partly due to the current situation in the closed reception centres of the EU in Greece - it has become virtually impossible to improve the living conditions for refugees.
All this also means that ShowerPower has lost its official status and is liquidated following Dutch law.
In 2025 ShowerPower payed the beneficiaries three more monthly instalments, after which the remaining amount was transferred to BOAT REFUGEE FOUNDATION. www.bootvluchteling.nl BRF is a Dutch NGO that specialises in medical and psychosocial emergency aid - from person to person. “We are there where systems become inhumane and compassion is lost.humanitarian (emergency) aid.” The medical team provides primary and emergency health services to the people living in the camp on Lesvos. With their work inside the Mavrovouni camp, BRF contributes to improved access to healthcare and the quality and continuity of care by referring other types of (specialised) care to other actors.
Concerns have been raised about the Greek justice system, specifically that legal measures and policies hamper the provision of assistance to migrants. This can include prosecuting aid workers for supporting needy people, leading to a climate of fear and reluctance to provide necessary aid. To put it diplomatically, the situation is complex, and there are many different perspectives on the role of the Greek authorities and the international community in dealing with this humanitarian crisis.
With the sad passing of our treasurer and co-founder Pieter Wittenberg on March 13, 2026, the curtain has finally and definitely fallen for ShowerPower. Foundation The bank accounts have been closed, and ShowerPower has been deregistered from the Chamber of Commerce. This does not mean we are relieved of our moral and humanitarian duties. Individually, we will strive for peace and safety for people fleeing, each in our way. Pieter Wittenberg will forever be a great inspirator for us and for many others.
We would like to thank each one of our donors, volunteers and supporters for their unconditional support and commitment to ShowerPower. We achieved a lot together and are grateful for everything we did for the people who needed help.
Kind regards,
The ShowerPower team 💙