Watch the video about Bollebozen below.

We live in a world where fewer and fewer children are reading, causing reading skills to decline. Around one in three fifteen year olds in the Netherlands does not reach the reading level needed to fully participate in society. Reading is essential in almost every aspect of life. If you struggle with it, self confidence, personal development and future opportunities come under pressure. Especially children growing up in poverty have less access to inspiring reading experiences and digital tools, making it even harder for them to keep up.

Since its launch, Bollebozen has made strong progress. Always guided by the same principle: helping every child get a fair chance in society. Together, we make a difference for children and for the future.

Bollebozen in 2025
Looking back on 2025, we are proud of the 67 events organized by Bollebozen. Thanks to collaborations with various schools and partners, including the Jeugdeducatiefonds, De Voorleesexpress, VHTO, Cinekid and NL Cares, the commitment of 350 bol volunteers and a total of 1,100 volunteer hours, we reached no fewer than 853,734 children.

Unfortunately, not all children have easy access to inspiring books and rich texts. That is why we donate thousands of newly purchased books every year to children who would otherwise have little exposure to them. In 2025 alone, 364,344 books were donated to children in the Netherlands, Belgium and even Suriname. The selection is based on input from one hundred schools and partner organizations, including the Jeugdeducatiefonds and Stichting Jarige Job.

Bringing stories to life in the inflatable cinema
This year, the inflatable cinema of Bollebozen, Cinekid and Jeugdfilm toured the Netherlands and Flanders for the second time, visiting twenty primary schools where half of the pupils grow up below the poverty line. These children do not naturally come into contact with stories and culture. In the inflatable cinema, they experienced an educational program featuring the Cinekid film Kayak and an interactive Bollebozen Boekenbende episode of Anansi the Spider.

Children’s book author Iven Cudogham guided the young audience live through the adventures of Anansi, and every child took a copy of the book home. In this way, more than 2,300 pupils were introduced in a playful way to the magic of stories and film, with reading enjoyment at the heart of it all.

Reading joy for children who need it most
At the Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology in Utrecht, all children with cancer in the Netherlands receive treatment. Especially for them, we once again organized special reading and sing along moments this year with Juf Roos and Iven Cudogham. The goal was to offer children distraction and reading joy, and to brighten their day during treatment. During a mini show, children enjoyed stories and songs. Those who could not attend the performance received a personal visit in their hospital room.

Encouraging girls to explore technology with Girls in Tech
In both primary and secondary education, we work with VHTO to support guest lectures that introduce pupils to science, technology and ICT in a positive way. The aim is to break down stereotypes about women in these fields and inspire children through role models. In primary education, this is done through the Beeldenbrekers lessons, where children are introduced to role models and challenged to let go of fixed stereotypes. In secondary education, we connect with the Dit Doe Ik guest lessons, where pupils discover how broad and creative technology can be.

International impact
As mentioned earlier, Bollebozen also works beyond national borders to promote reading enjoyment and digital skills.

In Suriname, many bol customer experts are employed, and that is why we like to give something back to this beautiful country. Bollebozen visited the Teleperformance and Concentrix call centers as well as four schools. Together with Iven Cudogham, author of the Anansi the Spider books and long time ambassador of Bollebozen, there was reading, laughter and a lively storytelling session. As a surprise, both employees and children received their own Anansi the Spider book to take home. In total, we donated 4,000 books in Suriname this year.

On the other side of the world, starting in 2026, we will become active through the Girls in Tech program in India. Every six months, 100 underprivileged children aged fourteen to seventeen will have the opportunity to take part in a Digital Learning Lab in Mumbai Central. Just like in the Netherlands, they will build their digital skills here, including through the use of AI.

The Magical Gift Bus with gifts that truly matter
To celebrate the end of a year full of meaningful projects, we traveled with the Magical Gift Bus to forty schools in the Netherlands and Flanders. Half of the pupils at these schools grow up in families below the poverty line. A new gift or a book is not a given for them, while access to stories with rich texts is a key factor in creating equal opportunities. The Magical Gift Bus delivered a festive spectacle with music, lights and a showmaster. Through an interactive letter game, children could open a giant present filled with new books for every child and a game for the classroom. In this way, Bollebozen created a magical experience on the school playground that sparked reading enjoyment, with gifts that truly matter.

Watch in the video below how we travel with the Magical Gift Bus.

350 volunteers, one shared mission
An essential part of Bollebozen is our volunteer program. Every year, more than 350 bol colleagues commit themselves to over 1,100 hours of volunteer work. In collaboration with our partner NL Cares, Bollebozen volunteers take children on a journey of discovery through inspiring activities that broaden their world. From Young Entrepreneurs sessions where they practice entrepreneurial skills, to educational museum visits. We visit places such as NEMO and the Railway Museum, or build treehouses together in the forest. All activities where children learn and discover new things that expand their horizons.

Bollebozen in their own words
Bollebozen exists thanks in part to the dedication of hundreds of volunteers and the involvement of our partner organizations and schools. Here, bol colleagues, volunteers and partners share in their own words (quotes are in Dutch) what Bollebozen means to them.

In 2026, Bollebozen will continue with the same energy. We will keep donating books to children who need them most, organize the Anansi the Spider Festival in Suriname and roll out the Girls in Tech program in India. Closer to home, in the Netherlands and Belgium, we will continue to focus on activities that encourage children to read with pleasure and develop their digital skills. Because these are the foundations for self confidence and equal opportunities for the future.

Our partners are Jeugdeducatiefonds, De Voorleesexpress, VHTO, Stichting Jarige Job, NL Cares, Feestvarken, Kinderzwerfboeken, Cinekid and KOBA.