Capital: Brussels
Area: 30,540 km²
Population: 10.1 million (December 2000 est.)
Ethnic groups: Belgians, minorities from Italy, Morocco, Turkey, Spain, Algeria, Portugal, Zaire
Official language(s): French and Flemish
Religion(s): Roman Catholic 81%, Sunni Muslims 1.1%
Currency: 1 euro = 100 cents
SOS Children's Villages' activities in the country
On 17 January 1963, the association "SOS Villages d'Enfants Belgique" was established on the initiative of Abbé Froidure, who during a stay in Austria had met Hermann Gmeiner and had become thrilled by the SOS Children's Village idea. Subsequently an SOS Children's Village was constructed in Bande, a small town in the South of Belgium.
Since 1963 the SOS Children's Village Association has been continuously developing its activities in Belgium, lateron started to support also SOS Children's Villages projects in developing countries. In 1996, with the support of the Nassogne community, an SOS Day Care Centre was established in the SOS Children's Village in Bande.
In the year 2000, due to the changed legal situation in Belgium it became necessary to restructure the association. This resulted in the founding of the association "SOS Villages d’Enfants Belgique aide le monde", which since then has taken over the support for SOS Children's Village projects in developing countries. At present this association is supporting the development of an SOS Training Centre in Kigali, Rwanda, and an SOS Children's Village at Hyderabad in India. The already existing association "SOS Villages d’Enfants Belgique", on the other hand, is in charge of further developing the activities of SOS Children's Villages within Belgium.
At the moment there is one SOS Children's Village, one youth facility and one SOS Social Centre in Belgium.
Website of SOS Children's Villages Belgium
(available in French, Dutch and English)