€5 / month
Supporter
The starting point. Enough, when many join in, to keep a family from a crisis.
- Full membership rights
- May apply for support
- Your own contribution statement
Utrecht, the Netherlands
Small monthly commitments. Real help when life can’t wait.
YFSS is a solidarity fund built by Yemenis who made the Netherlands their home. Members commit to as little as €5 a month. When a member faces an urgent need, the fund lends what it can — with no interest, ever.
A loan, not a hand-out Repaid, then lent again Handled in confidence
What a member’s loan looks like
Agreed case by case; these terms apply to every loan.
- Interest
- 0%
- Fees or charges
- None
- Grace period before the first instalment
- 2 months
- Repaid in full within
- 12 months
- Open to
- Members
Month 1–2: breathing spaceMonth 3–12: instalments
The amount is agreed with the board, within what the fund can safely lend at that moment.
€5
Minimum monthly commitment0%
Interest on every loan2
Months before the first instalment12
Months to repay in full
How it works
Many small commitments, one fund that keeps giving
Every euro that comes back into the fund is lent again to the next member who needs it. Nothing is spent twice, and nothing sits idle.
Join as a member
Commit to a monthly contribution — anything from €5. You choose the amount that fits your life.
Contribute every month
Set up a standing order to the fund. Your contributions are recorded and you can see your own statement at any time.
Ask when you need help
A member facing an urgent need applies in confidence. The board reviews the request and agrees an amount.
Repay within the year
Two months of breathing space, then equal instalments until the loan is settled — ready for the next member.
Who we are
Founded by Yemenis, for one another
YFSS was started by a group of Yemeni professionals who left Yemen and built new lives in the Netherlands. They had all seen the same thing happen: a family hit by a sudden bill — a medical emergency, a funeral, a rent gap, a relative in trouble back home — and no dignified place to turn.
Banks are slow and often closed to people who need modest amounts quickly. Borrowing from friends can strain a friendship. Charity, however kind, is not what most people want. So they built the alternative: a fund the community owns, where help arrives as a loan between equals and is paid back so the next person can be helped too.
An initiative, not an institution. YFSS is not a registered company, foundation or charity, and it is not supervised by any authority. It is a private initiative by a group of Yemeni professionals who decided to organise the help they were already giving one another. There are no offices and no salaries — the money is the members’ own, administered by volunteers among them under rules the members agreed together. If the group ever registers formally, members will hear it first.
الصندوق اليمني للتكافل الاجتماعي
Dignity first
You are borrowing from your own community, not asking for charity. No one is made to explain themselves twice.
Interest is never charged
You repay exactly what you received. Not a cent more — no interest, no administration fee.
Confidential by default
Requests are handled by the board alone. Names are never shared with the membership.
Built to last
Repayments keep the fund alive, so support in five years’ time does not depend on new money alone.
Membership
Choose what you can give every month
There is no membership fee — only your monthly contribution. Change it or pause it whenever your circumstances change.
€15 / month
Contributor
Roughly a takeaway meal a month, and the backbone of what the fund can lend.
- Everything in Supporter
- Invitation to the members’ meeting
- Annual report of the fund
€30+ / month
Sustainer
For those able to give more, so the fund can say yes to larger and faster requests.
- Everything in Contributor
- Helps the fund keep a reserve
- Set any amount you wish
Every member has the same right to apply for support, whatever they contribute. The amount you give is between you and the fund.
Support for members
An interest-free loan, on terms that give you room to breathe
This is not a grant and it is not charity. It is a loan from a fund you help build, and repaying it is how you make room for the next member.
No interest, no fees
You repay exactly the sum you received.
Two-month grace period
Nothing to pay in the first two months after you receive the money.
Settled within twelve months
Equal monthly instalments, agreed in writing before the money is transferred.
Members only
Support goes to committed members whose contributions are up to date.
For urgent needs of life
Medical costs, a funeral, an emergency trip, rent, essential family support.
Treated in confidence
Only the board sees your request. Your situation is never discussed with other members.
Illustration only — not an offer
What repayment can look like
A member receives €1,000 in March. Nothing is due in April or May. From June, ten instalments of €100 settle the loan by the following March.
- Loan received
- €1,000
- Grace period
- 2 months
- Instalments
- 10 × €100
- Total repaid
- €1,000
Already a member and facing an urgent need?
Tell the board what you need and by when. Only the board sees your request, and we come back to you as soon as we can.
Members only
Ask the board for support
Fill this in and the board has everything it needs to decide. Nothing here is shared with the membership.
- Seen only by the board, never by other members.
- Interest-free, with two months before the first instalment.
- If it is truly urgent, say so in the date field — we will move faster.
Not a member yet? Join the fund first — support is for members whose contributions are up to date.
Questions
What members ask us most
Is this charity or a loan?
A loan. The money you receive is expected back, in full, within a year. That is what allows the fund to help the next member, and the one after that. It is also why receiving support carries no shame — you are borrowing from a fund you help build.
Is there really no interest?
None. No interest, no administration fee, no charge of any kind. You repay exactly the amount you received.
How much can I borrow?
There is no fixed figure. The board agrees an amount with you, based on what you need and what the fund can safely lend at that moment while remaining able to help others.
Can I apply as soon as I join?
Support is meant for committed members, so the fund asks for a period of steady contributions before a first request. Get in touch and we will tell you exactly where you stand.
What if I cannot pay an instalment one month?
Tell us before the instalment is due. The fund exists precisely because life is unpredictable; a repayment plan can be rearranged. What we ask is that you talk to us rather than go quiet.
Can I change or stop my monthly contribution?
Yes, at any time and without explanation. Send us a message and we will update your membership. If you have an outstanding loan, the repayment agreement continues as agreed.
Who decides on a request?
The board of the fund, following the rules the members have agreed. Requests are assessed on urgency and on what the fund can afford — not on who you know.
Will other members know I asked for help?
No. Requests are seen only by the board. Reports shared with members show totals, never names.
Is the fund a registered charity or company?
No, and we would rather say so plainly than let anyone assume otherwise. YFSS is an informal initiative among a group of Yemeni professionals in the Netherlands: no registration, no legal personality, no regulator standing behind it, and contributions are not tax-deductible donations. What there is instead is a group of people who know one another, rules they agreed together, and accounts any member can ask to see. Joining is an act of trust in that group — which is why we keep the books open.
Do I have to be Yemeni to join?
The fund grew out of the Yemeni community in the Netherlands, and that is who it mainly serves — but anyone who shares the idea and commits to contributing is welcome to write to us.
Become a member
Start with €5 a month
Fill in the form and we will send you the bank details and a short membership confirmation. There is nothing to pay today.
- No membership fee — only your monthly contribution.
- Change or stop your contribution whenever you need to.
- Your details stay with the fund and are never shared.