Hailing from Mexico, Barbara Mora Valera was only four when she arrived in Belgium. Her father’s advice, keep on going, even when things get tough, had a formative influence on this Overijse resident’s life.

The closure of the Forges de Clabecq steel mill, over thirty years ago, has left an enduring legacy of hardship. A new project featuring sustainable economic activities, a shopping centre, and housing facilities is struggling to get off the ground. Ringing any bells? Think Broeklin in Machelen.

These words of wisdom are a reflection of the philosophy adopted by Khaled Mostafa. A way of thinking he employs not only as a chef to help enhance his recipes but also to progress through life one step at a time.

The open-ended environmental permit Flemish Environment Minister Zuhal Demir (N-VA) granted to Brussels Airport Company on March 29, driven by cost-cutting measures, has been greeted almost exclusively with critical to negative reactions.

The Molenbeek stream springs forth near the ponds of Sint-Genesius-Rode, at Sint-Annahoeve and Hof Te Lansrode, and flows from Sint-Genesius-Rode through Alsemberg, Dworp, and Huizingen to its mouth in the Zenne river in Lot.

‘The first time I witnessed the orange glow of dusk from my Brussels apartment, 20 years ago, I realised Belgium would forever be my home,’ says Jon Echanove from Tervuren.

Het is kanker. Wat nu? is the title of the book written by Tine Maenhout and Silvia Brouwers, as they intimately shared in this experience, offering mutual support along the way. And they wrote the book that they wished they had read when they were in the midst of their periods of illness.

‘Belgium has every reason to be proud of its record on this score, as it is the only country in the world where patient rights, palliative care, and euthanasia are enshrined in law,’ says professor Wim Distelmans.

A full-fledged park manager in Groot-Bijgaarden is on a mission to connect businesses in the area. The business and industrial areas of Groot-Bijgaarden can be divided into three zones: Gosset, Maalbeek, and Industrialaan.

At the age of 12, Aneta Jakoniuk from Mollem arrived in Brussels with her newly divorced mother, and despite the initial solitude, she is now enjoying life to the full, some 20 years later.

Paying attention is tantamount to an act of love, a sentiment strongly shared by journalist Pascal Verbeken and philosopher Emiliano Acosta. In fact, life offers us the gift of wisdom.

Historian and political thinker Anton Jäger.

Careful use of space, core consolidation and space for nature and water: these are the guiding principles of the Spatial Policy Plan for Vlaams-Brabant. Rubber-stamped by the Provincial Council in October, after 10 years of preparation, the plan is designed to tackle the many challenges the province will be facing over the next few decades.

Ana Monteiro embraces the spirit of Brazilian optimism in her life. Her positive outlook inspired her to learn Dutch six years ago so now she can greet visitors to Tervuren library with a warm smile and speak to them in Dutch.

A world apart from the capital of Belgium, Petit-Bruxelles is a cluster of farms along a street that bears the name of the hamlet.

The N6 road runs from Brussels through Halle and Mons all the way to Paris, with over 7 km of this route situated in the Vlaamse Rand.

Brigitte Raskin’s insights into the world around her inspire a fierce commitment to making it a better place.

You have the freedom to express your thoughts and emotions openly. Frank Focketyn and Jaouad Allloul demonstrate how this form of communication allows people to truly connect with each other.

The N2 runs through the most densely populated part of the Flemish Rand, from Brussels to Leuven, Diest and Hasselt and reaches the Dutch border near Maastricht. The roughly 101-kilometre-long road includes a 6.7-kilometre stretch in the Flemish Rand, all of which lies in Zaventem.

A quick quiz. What do you know about Jos Donvil? He is the CEO of bpost, a former CEO of the football club RSC Anderlecht, the chairman of the Royal Football Club Wambeek-Ternat, studied economics at KULeuven, and is a highly motivated volunteer. Well, not bad at all.

Jolie Odia Manzanza arrived in Ruisbroek about 10 years ago. ‘Leaving Congo was not initially part of my plan. I led a fascinating life over there, thanks to my work as an organiser of cultural events. However, I decided to move to Belgium so that I could live with my husband.’

Ten ‘N roads’ lead to Brussels and cross the Vlaamse Rand. The route we’re taking this time goes along the N3, which runs from Brussels and passes through Leuven, Tienen, Sint-Truiden, and Liège before reaching Germany.

The need to promote good coexistence is one of the greatest challenges, as municipalities have been increasingly emphasising in recent years.

Nadja Van Sever has been teaching at Tervuren municipal primary school for more than 30 years now. She is one of those teachers whose pupils will remember years later how well she could tell stories.

It has now been three years since Maria and Oleg Bujac decided to start a new life in Belgium. ‘We fell in love with this country during one autumn holiday.’

The past few years have been quite hard-going for top doctor Elisabeth De Waele. The impact of Covid was really devastating and as an emergency doctor in intensive care at Brussels University Hospital, she was right there on the front line.

Vilvoorde is one of the pioneers of street art in Flanders, boasting over 50 different works by local, national and international artists. They help to add colour to bare, grey areas, while brightening up the streets and squares.

Four out of five 18 to 30-year-old residents from Grimbergen, Kampenhout, Steenokkerzeel and Zemst say they want to continue living in their municipality, according to a survey carried out by the local authorities in question and Woonwinkel Noord 3Wplus housing consultants.

She did not hesitate for a second when the head of a primary school in Asse asked Mariia Toma if she would be willing to help provide assistance to the young Ukrainian refugees.

We have been scouring the region for the past few months in search of signs of our industrial heritage. Often a reflection of past glories, these remnants of the past are becoming harder and harder to find, and fading in people’s memories.

She may no longer live in the Rand but that is where it all started for the leading Belgian violinist Jolente De Maeyer (38).

The Rand is populated by a whole host of unusual businesses, including some quite well-known undertakings and others that are less familiar.

Anja Pohler works as a German teacher at the Goethe Institute in Brussels. Languages have always been her passion. Mastering Dutch as quickly as possible was the obvious thing for her to do.

How does a priest become a brewer?

The decision for the Scheppers wool mill to be set up in Lot sounded the death knell for the farming village’s rural atmosphere.

Meriama Boukhriss from Vilvoorde leads a busy life throughout the year, working full time, and being the mother of a son (6) and daughter (5).

The area is jam-packed with stories. Not only stories of yesteryear, but also stories from the present day. The region is constantly changing and evolving and always struggling to find itself. We are seeking to discover what being the Rand actually means.

Apart from a plentiful supply of labour and access to a nearby market, the success of the Industrial Revolution also depended on having an adequate level of infrastructure for bringing in and out raw materials and products.

Wouter Dehairs from Hoeilaart won the Knack magazine’s Hercule Poirot prize last year for the best thriller with Nachtstad, a detective story set in Brussels and the Rand.

Like most municipalities in the region, Zaventem used to be a mainly agricultural community but over time the municipality changed from a farming village into an industrialised area. The large farmsteads disappeared from the streetscape to be replaced by workshops and workers’ housing.

Turning tears into pearls is what Guido Belcanto and Naima Joris manage to achieve with their soulful vocal styles. They offer us comfort and a taste of what the art of living is all about.

Nearly one in four pre-primary school children attending school in the Flemish Rand do not know enough Dutch to be able to start their first year of compulsory education.

The VRT journalist Stefaan Meerbergen grew up in Kraainem but has been living in Brussels for many years now.

Larisa Uzum from Zellik was born and raised in Moldova. One thing she misses about her homeland is the exuberantly lavish wedding parties. But that loss does not outweigh all the benefits Belgium has to offer in exchange.

Die Wälder und Parks in de Rand helfen uns, zu entspannen und einen Ausgleich zu unserem hektischen Leben zu finden. Aber das war nicht immer so.

An extensive network of bicycling highways is gradually taking shape. The four main routes in our region are: the F3 from Leuven, the F20 via Halle, the F209 from Denderleeuw via Opwijk and the F1 connecting Antwerp to Brussels via Mechelen.

When he was a young boy, Bernard Bosch (58) used to dream about making radio broadcasts. Later on he became involved in Flemish cultural activities in Brussels and the Rand. All of these interests combined led to the creation of Radio Rand, ‘the sound of the Pajottenland’.

Any time a crisis erupts, Ine Van Wymersch and Alain Remue are on hand to help out. No, they are not made out of steel, they are only flesh and blood, experiencing the same feelings of determination and plagued by the same kinds of doubts as you and me.

Herman Teirlinck House is set to open its doors again on 13 November. Now that the renovation work is completed, the venue is on track to becoming a new cultural focal point.

In the final part of our series on the Ring Road, we are travelling from Ophain to Argenteuil, at the border between the Walloon and Flemish regions. This section may be 12 km long but the road at this point covers just two municipalities: Braine-l’Alleud and Waterloo.

She was 22 when she first got to know Brussels.

We see two young girls standing and watching as the thick plume of smoke rises and the wheels slowly start to move. The train gradually leaves the platform, puffing heavily.

If 247 people were to die in a plane crash, it would be breaking news for days on end. Last year, 247 people died and 22.341 were injured in road traffic accidents in Flanders. So many dead and injured seem to be acceptable as an inevitable side-effect of human mobility.

The demand for healthy meat is growing by leaps and bounds, with more and more consumers anxious to confirm the origin of the meat and ensure animals are treated well.

An absolutely breath-taking list of pop stars have been captured by Filip Wouters’ camera! And yet he might just as well have become a philosopher. How did a boy from Dworp end up becoming a celebrity photographer?

Pia Sjogren arrived in Belgium 25 years ago. She returns to Sweden about four times a year. Then she is able to experience the intense pleasure of being by the sea, which is never far away, and the friendly chats in her mother tongue.

Ten percent of Belgians have no Internet connection at home, a figure rising to 29% for low-income earners.

The coronavirus pandemic still has us in its grip. Marc Noppen, CEO of Brussels University Hospital and a regular guest on De Afspraak (current affairs TV programme), is not someone to mince his words.

The growing interest in authentic speciality beers is a boon for the Lambiek Fabriek in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, and their range of Lambic products. These are mainly distributed via beer suppliers, but also through the hotel and catering industry.

Haren and Diegem-Lo, two villages that defy any logic of urban expansion. Despite the pressure of the constantly growing city, they have managed to resist the passage of time.

Willem Bongers-Dek, head of deBuren, the Flemish-Dutch culture and debate centre: ‘We took the opportunity of the closure decision to reinvent ourselves. We clearly announced an end to the physical…

That is what Rocio Macal and Alexander Lopez must have thought when they decided to leave El Salvador six years ago.

Ecological and packaging­free shopping is perfectly feasible. Launched two and a half years ago, Fanny Mele’s low­waste shop sells mainly packaging­free organic products from local and Belgian producers. 'I buy…

Are Flemish and French-speaking Belgians so very different from each other? ‘Not really. It is the people of Brussels who really stand out.’

Alarming is the word observers are using to describe social inequalities in the Flemish Rand’s educational system.

The Flemish Rand abounds in small municipalities, including those with language facilities. These entities are struggling to keep operating efficiently owing to the growing number of tasks they have to contend with.

‘My roots are not in the ground but in the air.’ You can tell straight off that Irene Wolf is not pining to return to Austria.

Wim Distelmans. Josse De Pauw. The pair of them from the same year. They both followed their own paths. And look where they ended up. Far from the beaten paths. Closer to their true selves.

I can’t come to terms with the idea that all the things you’ve built up in your head during a whole lifetime just disappear when you die. I am really amazed by the thought that human beings are awash with a whole ocean of images, feelings and memories.

In fair weather or foul, Carlos de Sousa Vivas slips on his hiking boots to walk from his hometown Zaventem in the direction of Nossegem or Sterrebeek.

The secondary school place shortage is set to be no less than 8.000 by 2024-2025 in the greater Flemish Rand area, according to the Capacity Data Monitor's 2018 report on the educational situation in the region.

It was 20 years ago that Thomas Valkeniers took over the Pajota real estate agency in Dilbeek and he now runs four offices. He has seen quite a lot of changes in his line of business and market trends over the years.

The rapidly growing interest in assisted living facilities is a positive development for both generations, according to Karine Devillers, who is currently converting her home in Zellik into such a home, in full compliance with urban standards.

Larger rivers are set to reach or exceed the critical water level one-third more often by 2100 and smaller ones twice as often, with the percentage of buildings that can be flooded rising from 25% to 41%.

Now that Jan Hautekiet and Peter Vandermeersch have both reached a turning point in their lives, this is an ideal opportunity to talk to them about what letting go and getting older does to a person.

After giving the matter much thought, the Machelenbased Athlon Car Lease company opted in 2013 for a complete eco-friendly site design rather than a smallscale green refurbishment. This made the company one of the pioneers in the cause of creating more greenery around company buildings.

‘Flemish people are rightly proud of their identity, their history and their language. But maybe it is time to show some flexibility in certain situations? Especially when it comes to helping people who really do need assistance.’ That is Maria Urbina’s vision of how she would like things to be.

Various municipal authorities in the Rand and Pajottenland are looking for new ways of using large empty farms. Particularly in view of the high demand for multi-family dwellings and co-housing.

‘The Bouwmeester Scan is designed to help municipalities with their spatial planning for people and nature in a liveable environment, says the Flemish Chief Architect Leo Van Broeck.

It is in all the newspapers: Klara (Flemish classical radio station) presenter Heidi Lenaerts (43) is moving to Ostend in July, after spending 10 years in the Flemish Rand.

The FamousGrey advertising agency swapped the urban environment of the capital city with its typical cafés and restaurants for an inspiring green setting.

A bronze medal at the Athletics World Championship in October and a gold medal in February at the European Indoor Championship: the achievements of the Belgian Tornados, the 4x400 relay team, which includes Kevin, Jonathan and Dylan Borlée, three members of one family, are downright impressive.

‘Rather than just telling your own story, it’s just as important to look at other people’s backgrounds so as to be able to gain another perspective. People need to be…

One huge field of maize occupied a plot of land in Huttestraat, Pepingen, before the arrival of the two pioneering spirits, Tijs Boelens and Sander Van Haver, with the organic market gardening company de Groentelaar.

A growing number of non-Dutch-speaking inhabitants in the Flemish Rand are eager to join local sports clubs. ‘de Rand’s’ Boest! campaign is designed to help clubs cope with the increasingly multilingual environment they are faced with.

Home to Beverley Johnson is anywhere where she feels attuned to the power of nature. Beverley is from the United Kingdom but has been living in Tervuren for over 21…

Classes where everyone in all their diversity can be themselves. Where teachers have the right teaching skills to turn this diversity into an asset.

‘It all started with running errands from time to time. And then I ended up doing voluntary work on a regular basis.’

Back to June 2016, when the United Kingdom was holding a referendum on whether or not to stay in the European Union. The leavers won by securing 51.9% of the votes. It was a non-binding referendum but the British government was committed to respecting the outcome.

More and more companies and organisations are beginning to see diversity as an asset because ‘By attracting people from different backgrounds (gender, culture, age, religion,...), you can acquire a wealth…

The quality of the air in the streets of the Vlaamse Rand is question on a lot of people’s minds.

Braeckman: ‘We come from very different worlds and yet we share the same fascination for the brain and people. I am particularly interested in the question of why individuals, despite…

'Belgium is our home.' Sonia Plecita and her family are in no doubt about this. And she is just as certain about the bond she still has with her homeland Slovakia.

A one-of-a-kind exhibition on the theme of suffering, dying and resurrection is being held in Rossem Parish Church (Meise) at the end of March 2020.

Gwyneth Igoe works during the day as a teacher in an international school in Tervuren, while her evening activities include singing in The Parent’s Choir in Wezembeek-Oppem and taking Dutch lessons in Kraainem.

In Nieuwenhove (East Flanders) an asphalt road runs through the territory, as an easy connection between two streets with fields on either side. An ideal road for walkers or cyclists…

La Placette in Wezembeek-Oppem is the oldest cohousing project in the Rand.

Up to 200,000 vehicles a day travel on the Ring around Brussels. Many of the places the route runs through were mainly fields before it was completed, back in 1978.

‘My determination and the power of curiosity are what brought me to Europe. Or as an Egyptian expression so aptly describes it: I wanted to see the other side of the sea.’ Nabil Hasaballa was 19 when he made up his mind to leave Egypt.

Under the NMBS’s new transport plan, the Rand will be provided with additional trains on the S-net, starting from 10 December.

Mobility and living together are the key challenges facing the Flemish Rand. There is no real sense of a Rand identity, although there is some cohesion in sub-regional areas such as the Druivenstreek (Grape-growing region).

Beukelaers does not know the meaning of a leisurely retirement. He is 80 years old but seems to be bowling through life like someone in their early thirties. Last week London, tomorrow Paris but he managed to squeeze this interview in between the two visits.

Sunday afternoon. That means tens of thousands of children and young people up and down the country are enjoying the fun and games on offer in youth clubs. Over in Sint-Brixius-Rode (Meise) 10 or so scout leaders are on hand every week to help about 130 boys and girls have a great time.

Commentators Walter Zinzen and Rik Van Cauwelaert are known for presenting political views in an entertaining way but do they view life from the same clear-sighted perspective?

Andrej Babenko was 14 when he decided to leave his homeland, Ukraine.

After 20 years in the media and nine in the world of publishing, Koen Clement was appointed Director-General of the biennial cultural festival Europalia. The one focused on Indonesia is pretty much over.

Whatever the outcome of the October municipal elections, no less than three mayors will be disappearing from the Flemish Rand’s political scene in 2019: Dirk Brankaer from Overijse, Eddie De Block from Merchtem and Marleen Mertens from Grimbergen.

Patricia Morales from Argentina lives in Hoeilaart together with her 10-year-old dog. As well as the leafy region around Brussels, she also adores Brussels, the capital of Europe.

The St. Peter’s Church’s redevelopment programme in Galmaarden is picking up steam.

Aletha Wallace was 15 years old when she fled the civil war in Liberia.

‘The Sint-Pieter-in-Banden Church in Oudenaken is due to be assigned a new purpose, according to the policy adopted for the seven churches in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw.

Empty pews, a shortage of priests and the declining number of services are a major source of concern for local authorities. The cost of maintaining and renovating these buildings requires a high level of investment.

As this is the first time they meet each other, Christine Mussche and Guillaume Van der Stighelen are able to speak without any embarrassment. About life’s satisfactions and disappointments. And their ways of dealing with these phenomena.

The time-honoured shopping street is undergoing noticeable changes and, against the background of the corona crisis, various new trends in shopping behaviour are now really taking off.

We remember our loved ones with deep respect: pictures on a cupboard, in stories, sometimes even with an urn in our homes. But it is still so very hard to come to terms with death.

Socially vulnerable families will soon be able to count on the support of a student ‘buddy’ thanks to the Buddy aan de wieg project to be launched in December by the Huis van het Kind in Asse and the Erasmus School of Higher Education in Brussels.

‘The question is how can we ensure as many people as possible are able to enjoy smooth, safe motoring, while curbing (environmental) damage? If people have to use their cars…

A ‘smart city’ is what the future has in store for us. But what does that mean exactly? And why should a city have to be ‘smart’ anyway? Is this new technology an improvement or will it just be something to cater for the whims of technology freaks?

Music was my first love. And it will be my last. These words more or less sum up our conversation with Eddy Frans and Jef Neve. Two men with completely different backgrounds but with the same fierce passion for music and life.

‘Meditation is less complicated than you might think. You don’t have to be an expert, take expensive courses or sit on a mat for hours in a lotus position. Meditation…

‘I can’t imagine staying on the sidelines during this coronavirus crisis’, says Anouk Van Leynseele, head of paediatrics at the Jan Portaels general hospital, in Vilvoorde.

Relations seem to be changing for the better in some municipalities with language facili-ties, thanks to the arrival of a younger generation of French-speaking politicians. However, appearances are often deceptive.

Of Russian descent, Tatiana Potapova has spent eight of her 20 years living in Belgium in Tervuren. Her recent career change decision meant adopting a new lifestyle focused on her love for the arts.

What does fate have in store for the Rand? What sort of region do we want? As part of the Visionary series of articles, RandKrant will be talking to a number of people over the next few months to find out their ideas about the future of the Rand.

In Drogenbos nearly twice as many people die of heart and vascular diseases as in Kraainem. Where you live in the Rand and your position in the social and economic pecking order have a huge impact on your health.

It was 12 months ago that Indre Mackeviciute moved to Kraainem with her husband and four daughters. She feels completely at home here, in spite of missing the snow and cold winters in Lithuania.

Eddy De Valck is a trailblazer in forensic dentistry in our part of the world. Identifying severely disfigured, unrecognisable victims of disasters from their teeth.

All 39 children attending the Tinkelbel crèche in Sint- Genesius-Rode can count on having a kiss and a hug, a greeting and a chat/babble every morning. However, the job has not got any easier over the years.

Based in Asse, Sandra Van Goethem and Amy Maertens are running a wholesale business supplying hairdressing products, beauty products and nail care supplies.

Dancer, filmmaker, writer, humanist and, first and foremost, an expert in the art of living. Lydia Chagoll is a wise person who has a common theme running through her life: opposing injustice.

‘Take an aerial photo of my desk so you can see what I am working on, laughs Jan De Gols, swinging his arm around the room. Every square inch of office or desk space is covered with folders, files, cardboard boxes and documents. De Gols is the sustainability officer for Meise municipal authority.

In the coming months we will be giving people who live in Rand the opportunity to ex-press their opinions. People from different backgrounds, in the hope of being able to present a broad and varied picture of how the region will be within 10 years.

Traffic flows within 19 Flemish Rand municipalities are being assessed in the light of information gleaned from in-car GPS systems or smartphones, with a view to identifying and preventing overflow traffic.