Honouring KIYO members Jan De Paepe and Charlotte Vroemans

The Farewell of our beloved KIYO Board member & Chair Jan De Paepe and KIYO Financial Manager Charlotte Vroemans was celebrated on the 7th of June 2023 with a very special ritual.  

Jan has been engaged with KIYO for almost 12 years of his life and he will continue to support KIYO voluntarily in his new role as our new Legacy Advisor.

Charlotte joined KIYO in 2017 as our Financial Manager and she too will continue her journey as part of KIYO in a new form as Board member.

For this occasion, a heart-warming ritual was hosted by Corporate Rituals at the garden of KIYO’s shared office space building The Impact House in Brussels. The evening was devoted to honour Jan and Charlotte as well as all the people who are believing and investing in KIYO, to reconnect with our souls and with our KIYO mission; and to welcome Jan and Charlotte in the new roles that will be taking within KIYO.
 

There was live percussion music accompanying the different phases of the ritual, courtesy of BAM! percussions. As well as the live reading of a personal Kasàlà poem, recited to celebrate the lives of Jan, Charlotte and KIYO as a whole. A Kasàlà is a ritual oral practice from the heart of Africa. It was transmitted to the Corporate Rituals team by one of their Elders, Prof. Jean Kabuta, who made this special ritual accessible to the West. It is a form of poetry, recited to celebrate life in someone, in nature, an organisation..., and to express gratitude, admiration or wonder. It does its work when it is recited and shared in the presence of listeners.  

“Honour to you all Keepers of KIYO
You are, Keepers of Potential for Children and Youth,
From Belgium to Brazil to Burundi to Congo to the Philippines
You are, Keepers who Pave the Way for their Potential to Unfold
You are, Keepers of the Butterfly still in its Cocoon.

Honour to you all Volunteers of KIYO
You are, The-Stones-In-The-Water-That-Create-The-Circles
Circles of countries, peoples, languages and cultures
Circles of friends, colleagues, fellows, interested parties and partners, Circles of unfolding talent and human potential.”

Thank you Jan and Charlotte, for your dedication and positive energy that has helped bring KIYO to where we are today. We are looking forward to welcoming you in your new KIYO roles!