First8 and Sander Veeneman 


Well-known Dutch photographer/director Sander Veeneman has a dream. His dream is to bring global poverty to the attention of business and world leaders in such a way that they can no longer remain oblivious to it. For this reason, Sander Veeneman set up First8 in 2004. First8 is a visual protest against hunger and poverty. First8’s campaigns are designed to create awareness of the unacceptable circumstances under which far too many of the world’s population have to live.

Its first campaign involved the international distribution of a confrontational photo album with text supplied by U2’s Bono. The “25,000 most influential people on earth” received this anonymous photo album on World Poverty Day 2004. Former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, was so impressed with the campaign that he personally invited First8 to a meeting at UN Headquarters in New York. In 2005 the First8 website received the prestigious Golden Epica award for best European website.

In 2005 First8 produced a probing video clip that was repeatedly broadcast on television and shown in cinemas. In 2007 the poignant TV documentary “That’s Life” recorded the international search for the children that Veeneman had photographed. The documentary was nominated in the category Best Debut Director at the Dutch Film Festival held in Utrecht in 2008. First8 also launched a major awareness campaign with full-page advertisements in national and weekly newspapers and magazines. This distinctive campaign was awarded the DagBladGoud for best daily newspaper advertisement of 2007.

Cooperation between KPMG Meijburg & Co and First8
First8 continues to look for new ways to motivate and mobilize people to do something about world poverty. KPMG Meijburg & Co supports this superb initiative for the simple reason that alleviating poverty and making education accessible go hand in hand. Meijburg has therefore decided to set aside part of the reception area of its offices to display the portraits from the anonymous photo album.