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Why exactly does CUNINA operate in Haiti, Brazil, Nepal, the Philippines and South-Africa?
In 1989, Sophie Vangeel traveled to Haiti to support a medical project. There she was for the first time confronted with the enormous misery and poverty. She met Father Scheutist Jan Hoet and together they agreed to start a foster care list.
Through Jan's contact persons and the Sisters of the Jacht, Sophie ended up in the Philippines. Bayombong was the first place she visited and here too she started a foster care list, in dialogue with the former Dean of St Mary's University. Through the local network, the activity was expanded to Baguio, Cebu and Manila. Later again, Diadi was included.
Again thanks to her many contact persons, Sophie ended up with Antonio Dewulf, an emigrated Belgian who was working in Brazil for the organisation Caritas. Meanwhile, CUNINA had build a reputation and more and more calls for help arrived. For example, the former CUNINA employee in Sao Paulo originally contacted CUNINA to start a foster care list there.
Through a doctor from Nieuwerkerkerken, Dr. Louis Germeys (†), CUNINA ended up in Nepal. Louis Germeys was already active in Nepal and he was familiar with the local problems. He proposed Sophie to tackle together the greatest needs in the area where he already provided support. In 2007, Nepal is the CUNINA partner country with the most extensive foster care list.
Two Belgian world travelers who met Sophie in Brazil and got familiar with the activities of CUNINA, traveled through Eshowe, KwaZulu, South Africa on their next travel. They witnessed with their own eyes the urgent need for help and... contacted CUNINA in Belgium.
So the choice of partner countries and areas where CUNINA is active, evolved gradually from own contact persons and the network that was created by it. A number of criteria such as the economic situation and the political stability in the partner country, the possibilities of communication etc. also contributed. CUNINA works together with local employees in all the partner countries, and all the projects that are started are meant to become self-supportive.
