Our history

Describing the history of how and why Dispurse came into being feels important, for us who work with it, for those who develop through the foundation's work and for you who follow and support our work. But not for the founder Gert Johansson. That's actually the case, he thinks the work should speak for itself and does not want to be in the spotlight for what he started

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When young, Gert received a scholarship which enabled him to obtain an education that few with his socioeconomic background were fortunate to receive. Later in his life he reflected upon the many opportunities that this education had given him and later also to his daughters, and he decided that he wanted to try and think of a way to give back.

These thoughts lead to Gert, together with his daughters Eva and Cecilia, founding Dispurse Foundation. His strong belief was that education is the key to ending poverty, therefore providing education to people less fortunate became the natural focus for the work of Dispurse Foundation.

The foundation came to work mainly in Latin America thanks to Gerd Dahlin-Öhberg, a Salvation Army soldier who has spent many years in Peru, Bolivia and Chile and who became a close friend to Gert and an important connection in the early work of the foundation. Speaking with Gerd about the high illiteracy rate amongst people with limited economic resources in these countries motivated Gert to take on the challenge, which resulted in the literacy project Dispurse Education.