Visiting children hear story of food drops over Holland

A reading at Embassy residence

OTTAWA – The residence of Dutch Ambassador Wim Geerts and his wife Thea was recently opened to a group of approximately 20 children, who were invited for a visit as part of the Readers for Leaders Program.

During the visit, the diplomatic spouse reads popular stories from their country to the children. Although reading is the main emphasis of this program, it is also an excellent opportunity for Canadian children to experience different cultures. Other cultural enrichment that the Embassies or High Commissions frequently include, are music, photos, food, national dress, and videos.

This program, which is organized by the parliamentary spousal committee, and involves bringing schoolchildren - usually a grade 4 class, aged 9-10 - to the Embassy or residence of a Diplomat or High Commissioner.

It actually proved to be a great event. The kids were perfectly behaved and showed a lot of interest in Thea's talk and the introductory DVD. She read from the book "A bad penny" about food drops over the Netherlands at the end of WW2, an unprecedented Allied effort to save Dutch civilians in the western part of the Netherlands from starvation.