Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – ViTeS is collecting school bags until August 3, 2025, at Kringwinkel stores in Brussels and Flemish Brabant. 23.3% of Brussels children are poor. Viles says poverty affected school chances.
As VRT News reported, the new school year is coming soon. ViTeS is collecting school bags and backpacks again. ViTeS runs Kringwinkel thrift stores in Brussels and Flemish Brabant. They help children from families who do not have much money.
Every year, schools, social centers, and children’s homes ask for free school bags. But there are not enough bags. Many bags people donate are too old or broken. ViTeS is asking people to give good school bags or new ones. They want every child to start school with a good bag.
In Brussels, almost one in 4 children is poor. In Wallonia and Flanders, the numbers are lower but still high. ViTeS gives the bags to children for free. They clean them first. This helps children feel happy and ready for school.
“Poverty isn’t just a financial problem; it also impacts children’s health, educational opportunities, and future prospects. And these consequences hit the Kringwinkel hard at the start of the school year,”
says Viles.
What can help 23.3% of poor Brussels kids start school?
UNICEF says Belgium has one of the highest child poverty in Europe. In Brussels, 23.3% of children grow up poor or left out. In Wallonia, it is 16.2%, and in Flanders, it is 7.3%. ViTeS wants to help by giving free school bags to children who need them. They also want people to give away bags they do not use.
ViTeS is asking people to donate school bags for children who need them. They run Kringwinkel stores in Brussels and Flemish Brabant. They do not have enough bags for their shops and for poor children. Many schools and care groups ask for bags each year.
Anyone who wants to help can bring a school bag or backpack to a ViTeS thrift store. All ViTeS Kringwinkel stores in Brussels and Flemish Brabant are taking part. The collection goes on until August 312025. After the bags are collected, they will be sorted and cleaned.
According to officials, every year, many children in Belgium start the school year without the basic supplies they need, such as a proper school bag. Organisations like ViTeS, which runs Kringwinkel thrift stores, regularly receive requests from schools, social services, and shelters asking for school bags to help these children. ViTeS organises a yearly collection campaign to gather usable backpacks and give them for free to children from low-income families.
