A few more weeks of vacation and then back with the youth camp. The 27-year-old Manon from Eck en Wiel was really looking forward to that. The hard truth, however, is that Manon will never come along again, as head leader of Summer Camp A.
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She died in Colombia on Thursday from ‘a stray bullet’. “She was alive, sparkling. Her life has come to an end so abruptly, dramatically,” says Mechelien Woldringh, chairman of the Betuwse Youth Camps foundation.
The foundation has learned “with sadness” of her death, says Woldringh. Van de Zande died in a shooting at a restaurant in Leticia, in southern Colombia. “According to the authorities, she was the victim of a stray bullet during a firefight. It is a tragic death,” said a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Tourist
According to the ministry, De Eck and Wielse were in the country as a tourist. She was sitting at a table in a restaurant when two men entered and opened fire. The woman was hit by a stray bullet and was taken to hospital with serious injuries. There she died of her injuries. A Brazilian woman also did not survive the shots, the director of the hospital tells local media. Two others were seriously injured in the shooting. They are still in mortal danger.
“It’s horrible,” Woldringh says. “She was in the wrong place at the wrong time, probably. So full of energy to go on vacation, we all witnessed how excited she was.” According to Woldringh, Van de Zande would be away for five weeks.
“On vacation and afterwards with our Betuws youth camp, which she always enjoyed leading for many years. We have made such beautiful memories together.”
Summer camp
Summer Camp A is a boys’ camp for boys from 9 to thirteen years old. Just like the many times before, Manon van de Zande would go along again this time, says foundation chairman Woldringh. “Certainly for many young people who have had her as a leader, she is of course a household name and this message will be terrible.” How many young people have been on the road under her inspiring leadership? “You can easily get to four hundred,” she estimates.
Week later at camp
Woldringh knows that Van de Zande would return from South America on 5 July: about a week later, the group of young people would go to camp. “Everything was already in preparation,” says the foundation chairman. According to her, the head leader already had the necessary things in the attic to take with him, which match the theme that is given to a camp. “Yesterday we still had app contact in our group,” says Woldringh. “And then this.”
You see a message on Instagram and think ‘it won’t be,'” she continues. At first it seemed that way. “There was a different age, but it was adjusted later. And then you say ‘it’s our Manon’. Everyone is defeated.”
‘Good to meet’
Van de Zande – according to her LinkedIn profile she was an account manager – liked to travel, says Woldringh. “That was not possible in corona time, but before that she also went backpacking for a month or two. We all thought that was so brave. She liked seeing things in nature.”
The leadership group meets on Friday evening. “Then the message may have already landed a bit, it might be good to meet each other. It’s nice if you can share thoughts with each other.” And the camp? “We will first see how her group is doing tomorrow and look further into the main line next week. I can’t say anything about it yet, actually.”