Hilde Verboven is director at Saigo Star Forest. A warm school for special education in Mol, where Evi Sannen also works as a speech therapist and is responsible for the GOK policy (policy for equal educational opportunities). They both elaborate on the cooperation with OVWB and its importance for the children.

 

From soup distribution to warm, structural cooperation

Hilde: "We first came into contact with Entrepreneurs For a Warm Belgium in September 2023. We were already doing soup distribution at our school for a fee, but thanks to an initiative by OVWB we could offer this for free. In June 2024, they themselves contacted us again because they wanted structural cooperation. A very pleasant surprise!"

 

Evi: "We sat with them regularly to discuss how we could use their support on the 3 pillars of food, culture and ICT. And great initiatives have already come out of that. For instance, at school we give our children free soup, fruit and a snack at set times. We also already received laptops from OVWB that we distributed to the families most in need."

 

Hilde: "The pupils obviously appreciate this very much already, but what they like best are the trips we take thanks to the financial support. So we do bus trips, we go to a theatre performance and we already made a trip to the ice rink. Activities they would never do otherwise. Things that we take for granted - like a train ride or skating rink - are quite an experience for them."

 

Child well-being and feeling safe

Evi: "What we value highly is that children feel good at our school. Well-being is the most important thing there is. When they feel good, they can learn better and make strides in their development. We will soon monitor this even better with the app Appwel, which measures well-being."

 

Hilde: "Thanks to the initiatives, our students not only feel good at our school, but also safe. Sometimes children arrive in the morning who haven't eaten. Before, they wouldn't have said so, but now they do dare to say they are hungry. Then we find a solution. This gives them more peace and security. They know they can come here, that there is a place where we listen to them and help them."

 

Greater chance of development and integration into society

Evi: "The aim of our school is to get students ready to participate in our everyday society. To give them that independence. That is also why the support of OVWB is so important. You learn at school, but you learn so much more by going out, by not being hungry in class and by doing your homework on a laptop. This increases their chances of integrating into society."

 

Hilde: "The experiences pupils gain now, they carry with them throughout their lives. Their cultural backpack gets bigger and their chances of development are stronger because they can do all these things. We also notice that the need is increasing and the gap is widening. There is a real need for what we do at our school. And the gratitude of the children and parents is enormous."