On April 9, the Second Secretary of the Central Committee had the pleasure of attending and speaking at Sant’Egidio Belgium’s HUMCore result presentation day. The event took place at the beautiful Muntpunt library and it was well attended by participants from all over Belgium and Europe.

Central to the programme were presentations about the HUMCore project, which Sant’Egidio has been carrying out in Europe for the past three years. The research focused on comparing complementary pathways for refugees coming to Europe (such as Humanitarian Corridors), proposed policy changes and guidelines for best practices for sponsorship and integration.

Throughout the day, we heard from Sant’Egidio staff, university researchers, representatives from the EU and Belgian government, sponsors and beneficiaries. During the afternoon session, Rebecca shared about the Anglican Church in Belgium’s experience of receiving three families - one in Gent 2019 and two in Leuven in 2023.

Humanitarian Corridors aims to provide an answer to the many refugees who are fleeing situations of war and poverty in several countries. Since the HUMCore research project started, over 2000 people in vulnerable situations have been granted safe and legal passage to European countries, where each one of them was welcomed by a sponsoring community, who has helped them on the journey to integration in their new home. It has been an enriching experience for the volunteers from Anglican churches across Belgium to participate in this scheme, and the Central Committee looks forward to further cooperation with Sant’Egidio and Humanitarian Corridors.

Interested in finding out more? Dive into the world of Humanitarian Corridors through this enlightening video: