The number of requests for help for children growing up in poverty has increased exponentially over the past year, according to a survey conducted by the Volkskrant.

In Amersfoort, for instance, there were 870 requests last year compared with 399 in 2012. Other local councils also reported a doubling in the number of requests.

The survey was carried out by the youth sports and culture fund Stichting Leergeld which provides money for needy children for sports club membership, school trips, a computer or a bicycle.

New poor

The requests for money came mainly from the ‘new poor’ such as freelance workers and people who have lost their job, the Volkskrant says.

Currently, there are 384,000 children living in families on less than the minimum wage, around 100,000 more than five years ago. One-third of them cannot afford to join in with activities at or outside school, says the paper.

‘On average, there are two children in every school class from families who live under the minimum wage,’ Stichting Leergeld director Gaby van den Biggelaar told the paper. ‘They want to join in and are embarrassed when they cannot do so and become socially isolated.’

There are so many requests for help that some local organisations cannot cope with the demand. Last year, Rotterdam and Amersfoort stopped payments because the budget had been spent.

However, the local organisations are now receiving some extra money from the extra €20m made available by junior social affairs minister Jetta Klijnsma for fighting poverty.