13 Facts About Sandra Roelofs

Sandra Roelofs met Mikheil Saakashvili in 1993 in Strasbourg and later that year moved to New York City where she worked at Columbia University and a Dutch law firm.

In 1996, the couple came to Georgia, where Roelofs worked for the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Consulate of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Tbilisi.

From 1999 to 2003, Sandra Roelofs was a visiting lecturer of French language at Tbilisi State University and was a radio correspondent for Dutch radio.

Beyond her native Dutch, Sandra Roelofs speaks French, English, German, Russian, and Georgian.

Sandra Roelofs acquired Georgian citizenship in January 2008 and is a dual Dutch-Georgian citizen.

Sandra Roelofs ran as a candidate for the United National Movement in the 2016 Georgian parliamentary election.

Sandra Roelofs ran in the Zugdidi district and was number two on the party list.

The initial Zugdidi district vote of 8 October 2016 was nullified in several polling stations and a repeat vote was held there on 22 October 2016 and again Sandra Roelofs placed second in the district.

Sandra Roelofs refused to participate in the Zugdidi district 30 October 2016 second round run-off election claiming the official results were falsified.

In 1998, Sandra Roelofs founded charity foundation SOCO which has the primary focus of implementing the programs funded by western European and Georgian companies and individuals and is aimed at supporting low income families.

In 2007, Sandra Roelofs founded Radio Muza, the first Georgian radio dedicated solely to classical music.

Sandra Roelofs was serving at the Board of the Global Fund fighting Aids, TB and Malaria from 2012 to 2015.

Sandra Roelofs set up breast and cervical cancer screening programs in Georgia, as well as prenatal screening and promoted palliative care and awareness about rare diseases, safety belts and healthy lifestyle.