The Open Eyes Foundation

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Nederland
Rotterdam
The Open Eyes Foundation

We aim at an inclusive society with the same rights for everyone. Let's end discrimination! Be kind.

Xueli Abbing, Founder and chairperson of the The Open Eyes Foundation, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for the Fight against Racism and Discrimination (2022- 2024)

Xueli is an International model and has modeled for several brands and campaigns including Adidas, Etnia Barcelona, Kurt Geiger, Instagram, Icebreaker, Vogue. Through her modeling work she raises awareness for the situation of persons with albinism in many countries.

01/06/2026

🗣️ We are currently looking to speak with young people with physical disabilities who would be open to sharing their experiences in a short conversation.

This is part of a research project focused on understanding how everyday barriers may affect mental health. The insights gathered will contribute to a research report, which will help us better understand these experiences and inform how they can be addressed more effectively.

You can share as much or as little as you feel comfortable with and you’re free to skip any questions.

All responses will be confidential and can be shared anonymously, unless participants prefer otherwise.

At Open Eyes Foundation, we work on inclusion and disability advocacy, with a focus on better understanding everyday challenges and gaps in inclusion.

If you or someone in your network might be interested in taking part, feel free to reach out or share this post.

📩 [email protected]
🌐 https://openeyesfoundation.nl

11/05/2026

At the UNESCO press conference in Paris, the 5th Global Forum against Racism and Discrimination was officially announced. The next edition will take place in The Hague, the Netherlands, on 29-30 October 2026.

Our chairperson and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, Xueli Abbing, was invited to speak alongside other Dutch representatives. She indicated that racism and discrimination have changed form rather than decreased in recent years, and that everyday situations where discrimination happens are often overlooked.

A key message of the event will be addressing the need to bridge the gap between policy and everyday reality and to ensure the commitments lead to real change.

21/03/2026

This day was established after the Sharpeville massacre in 1960, to remember those who lost their lives protesting racial injustice in South Africa.

Although the forms of discrimination may have changed, its impact remains.

Change depends on what we choose to do, in how we speak, act and respond in everyday situations.

19/03/2026

Discrimination is built into systems and everyday practices that shape access, opportunity and how we see ourselves.

Recognising this is a necessary step toward change.

17/03/2026

Some discrimination is visible. Some is hidden.

This post is part of a short series leading up to 21 March - the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Over the days, we will look at how discrimination appears today and what it takes to address it.

# InternationalDayfortheEliminationofRacialDiscrimination

24/02/2026

Last year, we contributed to the public consultation for the EU Anti-Racism Strategy 2026-2030.

As an organisation working with young people and lived experiences, we focused on something we see repeatedly in our work: racism is not only interpersonal but it is structural and it intersects with other forms of discrimination.

We believe youth participation, education, institutional accountability and sustained support for civil society are necessary foundations for building more inclusive societies.

We look forward to how these commitments evolve in the next phase of the EU policy.

15/02/2026

GD&TĐ - Van universiteit tot middelbare school: inclusief onderwijs wordt in Japan steeds vaker toegepast.

15/02/2026

AAN condemns the brutal killing of a child with albinism in Mampikony, Madagascar.

No child should be attacked or killed because of a genetic condition.

We call on the Government of Madagascar to ensure a swift, impartial, and transparent investigation; prosecute all perpetrators and accomplices; provide protection and psychosocial support to the family; and strengthen preventive and protective measures for persons with albinism.

We also urge the urgent development and adoption of a National Action Plan in line with the African Union Plan of Action on Albinism (2021–2031).

Impunity fuels continued violence.
Justice must be served.

Read the full statement: https://ow.ly/1JXe50YfG1y

18/12/2025

💙 As the KIJK! ONS exhibition and Living Library event come to a close, we would like to express our thanks to Diana, Erica, Fatih and Layla, the four volunteers from the programme of the , for their contribution to the project.

In their roles as project assistants and creative makers, they supported various practical and creative aspects of KIJK! ONS, including event preparations, coordination with stakeholders, visual design and documenting events through photography.

We appreciate their participation and the time they dedicated to supporting this project, which aimed to create space for young people to share their stories and experiences, and to challenge stereotypes around disability.

16/12/2025

✨Today marks the final day of the KIJK! ONS exhibition and the closing of this series✨

To close this chapter, we return to one of our models and the chairperson of Open Eyes Foundation, Xueli. Her portraits carry the red thread that has connected all nine stories in this exhibition. Across every image and story, one message came back again and again: disability may be visible or hidden, but it never defines the whole person.

The red thread, sometimes visible and sometimes more subtle, woven through the portraits symbolises shared experiences: strength in the everyday, celebrating achievements, frustration with inaccessible systems, and the determination to keep living, expressing and dreaming.

It challenges all of us to pay attention to what still needs to change and to take responsibility for making that change happen.

As the exhibition comes to a close, we ask:
What would be different if we started by seeing possibilities instead of limitation?

A special thank-you to photographer Kyra ten Brink () for capturing these final portraits, and to everyone who visited, shared, listened and reflected.
The exhibition ends today, but its red thread continues.

We also sincerely thank every model who shared their story and every photographer who captured these beautiful portraits.

Adres

Rotterdam

Website

http://www.openeyesfoundation.nl/

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