It is not often we bring news from the West Flemish village of Lendelede but today we learned the touching story of the visit of a British women the granddaughter of a woman who was named after the village For it was here that during the Great War her great-grandfather John Woodhall was wounded and was cared for by the nuns of Lendelede he later named his daughter after the place where his life was saved thought the story was so special that she travelled from the UK especially to discover what today is once again a sleepy West Flemish village Like so many of his generation the young Briton John Woodhall came to Belgium as a member of the Royal Artillery Medical Corps (RAMC) where he too was injured and taken in by the Sisters of the Convent of St Vincent's,’ his great-granddaughter Helen recounts The nuns devotion and care made such a deep impression that John Woodhall made a special promise: his next daughter would be named after the village where his life had been saved joining his two elder children Norman and Marie in the family ‘The connection with the Belgian village remained as John sent a copy of her birth certificate to the nuns They reacted to the news about their ‘jolly and funny Johnny’ with great joy’ Helen told Charlotte Cattebeke of VRT Radio 2 West Flanders more than a century after John Woodhall's promise his great-granddaughter walked the streets of Lendelede Helen visited the area during a week's holiday in France aldermen and 2 nuns welcomed her with coffee and cake at municipal hall but she also visited the convent where her great-grandfather received such good West Flemish care Global Sisters Report a project of National Catholic Reporter Sign up now Vincent de Paul of Lendelede with children at the St Vincent de Paul Children Rehabilitation Center for daily care The center treats children with mental illness and physical disabilities but sisters say they lack the proper resources to care for the number of children in need This photo has been edited to protect the children's identities View Author Profile Murenzi was 12 years old and weighed only 52 pounds (24 kilograms) when he was brought from a remote rural village to a local hospital in Northern Rwanda specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders Abandoned by his mother, he received initial treatment at the hospital, which then sent him to a nearby rehabilitation center run by the Sisters of St. Vincent de Paul of Lendelede Living without any hope before his stay with the sisters is slowly recovering from mental illness after an intensive treatment plan psychotherapy and social support provided by the St Vincent de Paul Children Rehabilitation Center Murenzi is seen with a slight smile on his face An occasional unhappy grimace crosses his face "In the very beginning when I was transferred to [the] center I used to hear voices and sounds that are not real and I have been struggling to manage these feelings," he said After receiving psychological talk therapies and antipsychotic medications Murenzi says that his journey to recovery has not been a straightforward road Like other patients admitted to the center Murenzi is extending his stay pending his full recovery by undergoing further psychological examinations and therapies Treatment of psychiatric illness for some patients sometimes takes a considerable length of time Special rules govern the admission of mentally ill children in this center in Musanze a district about 59 miles (95 kilometers) north of Rwanda's capital and largest city of Kigali One of the criteria is that there must be a reasonable likelihood that inpatient care will result in substantial benefit to the patient who needs specialized psychiatric treatment at St Some others with physical disabilities are also served Vincent de Paul Children Rehabilitation Center in Musanze district About 25 children are admitted to the center for emergency treatment the length of which depends on how each patient shows signs of improvement some patients can stay longer in a residential program like Murenzi who spent almost two years there before recently beginning an outpatient treatment which includes a combination of psychotherapy and medication The center provides mental and physical health and medical services The facility lacks the resources and equipment required to accommodate the growing number children in need of such care The center resumed its activities in Rwanda in 2011 after the Sisters of St. Vincent De Paul of Lendelede left the country in 1994 during the genocide (The sisters had run a similar ministry at the center.) The congregation was officially established in Rwanda in 1956 from its origins in Belgium in 1833 The congregation has currently 92 members in Rwanda across four main dioceses Apart from providing care for mentally ill and disabled children the sisters' community in Musanze also runs a school complex with currently 454 students in primary and secondary levels St. Vincent De Paul is described as their spiritual leader and these sisters follow Vincentian spirituality Members of the congregation meet both the physical and spiritual needs of the poor community especially by providing care to mentally or physically disabled children most of the children at the center have been abandoned by their parents because they were viewed as useless in their family and communities "This is a bad mentality; it is the reason we decided to bring [the children] here to rehabilitate them," said Nyiramugisha While undergoing outpatient care after emergency treatment the children rejected by their biological family get adoptive parents to whom all rights and responsibilities to care for the children are transferred by competent authorities Rwandan children with physical disabilities or psychological conditions are being abandoned daily. Research by Rwanda Aid a local nongovernmental organization advocating for vulnerable children show that children with disabilities typically face discrimination and are excluded from school and the community Very poor families sometimes discover that they are unable to cope with the disability and children can be neglected or even abandoned In many remote rural regions across Rwanda families with many children or young mothers are most likely to abandon their children with disabilities supporting students' mental health in schools matters which is run and managed by the same community of Sisters of St the biggest common denominator for these children [at the center] tends to be family rejection but if they don't get appropriate treatment they will become an enormous cost and burden to society," she said Children represent almost 43% of Rwanda's total population, currently estimated at about 12.3 million. The latest official figures available from the Fourth Population and Housing Census conducted in 2012 indicate that nearly 400,000 children are abandoned and do not live with either of their biological parents in the same household The initiative by the sisters' congregation is part of a community-based rehabilitation program that is being supported by a number of different partners, such as National Union of Disability Organizations of Rwanda and the government's National Council of Persons with Disabilities In a bid to address the growing phenomenon of abandoned children with disabilities while promoting their inclusive education, One UN Rwanda has been supporting grassroots empowerment of this social category One UN Rwanda focuses on supporting development and humanitarian activities to help achieve the national development agenda under a framework known as the second United Nations Development Assistance Plan for Rwanda (UNDAPII) has spent about $475 million in humanitarian activities in Rwanda Vincent de Paul of Lendelede also provide assistance to children with physical disabilities and help them to be reintegrated into their communities a delegation of sisters visits a family in Musanze six civil society organizations were supported by One UN Rwanda in various areas including the right to education for children with disabilities and improving living conditions for deaf and blind people the National Council of Persons with Disabilities has also been advocating for the issues affecting this social category and has pledged solutions over time as the country's financial means become available all 30 districts across Rwanda are moving toward implementing both child mental and physical care on their own — including the established center managed by the Sisters of St The center has comprehensive care and treatment for children with mental and emotional issues with specific counseling and psychological services Most of the counseling services provided focus on adjustment to living with a disability and preventing and addressing social isolation Vincent de Paul of Lendelede oversees a group of children in daily care at the St Vincent de Paul Children Rehabilitation Center in Musanze While there is a waiting list for a few days to enter the residential program within the center for inpatient care trained as specialists in mental health care work together with a team of other hired professionals to provide psychological counseling and services Other support to the center — such as mattresses and some food — is provided by the local and national government departments and local and international nongovernmental organizations they are not yet enough as some disabled children at the center still lack treatment and assistance for devices such as wheelchairs The resources are not enough to care for those already at the center who sometimes arrive at random times for emergency treatment "These children with physical impairments are being left behind due to inadequate resources," Nyiramugisha said One of the key factors preventing the inclusion of disabled children in society is the ongoing discrimination against them by their families and segregation into special schools Vincent de Paul of Lendelede gives instruction to children at the St The sisters' congregation is now seeking more support from the central government and local administrative entities for funding and equipment such as wheelchairs and other devices "The provision of more mobility devices adapted to the needs of children with disabilities who are accommodated in the center is another important step in making sure this social category is supported," Nyiramugisha said local administrative officials in Musanze districts have donated three Friesian dairy cows to improve the nutrition for children with disabilities who are admitted to the center Vincent de Paul of Lendelede congregation is making a difference in Rwanda in the management of poor mental and physical health for children who were living without any hope before they entered the center "We are catching up with a lot of unmet demand." [Aimable Twahirwa is an award-winning journalist and editor based in Kigali then enter your email address and click "subscribe" Global Sisters Report Noël Dejonckheere, who was both a pro cyclist and a pro cycling team staff member, has died at 67 Belgium would win the world championships in the amateur points race The majority of his wins came from his powerful sprint including six victories at the Vuelta and two at Paris-Nice After retiring from a pro he worked at 7-Eleven/Motorola and BMC Fraser posted about Dejonckheere on Facebook on Thursday.”My favourite memory of Noël was finishing Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne in 1995 totally hypothermic conditions and upon learning I didn’t have a bathtub at my apartment whisked me away to his house where a hot tub awaited me and pushed me into the warm water He loved the challenge of finding me super cheap flights from Tucson to Brussels and return Get the digital edition of Canadian Cycling Magazine Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); you could say that Belgian turkey farmer Michiel Vanoverberghe (25) benefits from Europe’s best Belgian regulations apply and their feed comes from the Netherlands At only 6 kilometres from the French border lies the second location of the Vanoverberghe family’s turkey farm the young Belgian turkey farmer has been part of a so-called agricultural corporation This second locaGet full access to all stories on Poultry WorldThis Premium article is exclusively available for subscribers Obtain insights from exclusive interviews Dive into articles covering trending industry topics Get a glimpse into poultry farms worldwide Already subscribed? Click here to login The Belgium-born performer passed away on December 10 following complications after surgery born Martijn William Zimri Teerlinck in Lendelede passed away on December 10 following complications after surgery The Child Of Lov worked with Damon Albarn and Doom on his self-titled debut album which was released in June 2013 via Domino Records sister label Double Six He was the recipient of NME’s Philip Hall Radar Award at the 2013 NME Awards Obituary: The Child Of Lov 1987 – 2013 From The NME Archive: Interview With The Child Of Lov A statement from The Child Of Lov’s manager reads: “On behalf of the family and as his manager I must announce that Martijn Teerlinck He lived a life of struggle and can now rest peacefully In his own words: ‘When I was younger And what a wonderful thing life is and how grateful we should be.'” In May, all of The Child Of Lov’s scheduled live dates were cancelled was scheduled to perform at festivals including Benicassim and Bestival Speaking to NME at the time about the reasons behind his decision he said: “Even though I do feel pressure to do a tour that involves some great festivals lately I’ve come to realise that playing gigs cannot occupy a rewarding role if it is not exactly as I envisioned it and exactly the way I know the audience deserves it.” He was due to perform at State-X in The Hague this weekend (December 14) Scroll down to watch The Child Of Lov accept his Philip Hall Radar Award at the 2013 NME Awards in February The world’s defining voice in music and pop culture: breaking what’s new and what’s next since 1952.