Activity Report 2010 - Sovereign Military Order of Malta in the United ...

Belgium
Project La Fontaine shelters
the homeless
Care for homeless people
is a growing problem,
even in Europe.
The Order has a special
tradition of helping the most
marginalised in society.
“E
Grand Master in conversation with a La Fontaine guest
veryone who comes to
La Fontaine has lived a
drama,” Martine Jonet,
Hospitaller of the Belgian
Association summarises
what she has found in 13
years running this organisation of the
Order in Brussels. “People of every
nationality, race or age, united by the
common tragedy of being forced to live
on the streets.”
La Fontaine offers the homeless the
possibility of a shower, a haircut,
a medical check if needed, use of the
washing machines, or new clothes when
necessary. But above all, they seek the
comfort of the ‘Babelkot’ – the room
where they can go to have some soup
or a cup of coffee and exchange a few
words with other like souls, or with the
Order’s volunteer staffers. “In the
babble of languages we try to listen to
everyone, seeking to give help or advice
for the most simple or the most
complex problems,” continues the
Hospitaller. One of the greatest
problems for homeless people is
isolation, which can be utterly
destroying.
And in the Babelkot on a rainy February
day, the Grand Master of the Order,
Fra’ Matthew Festing, comes to see the
centre’s activities for himself. On an
official visit to Brussels, where he met
with leaders of the European Union and
the European Parliament, he did not
want to miss the opportunity of this
important visit to La Fontaine. Having
toured the centre, he stops to speak
with guests and volunteers alike.
To the latter, the Grand Master has a
special message: “To help the most
needy, the most marginalised in society
is part of the Order’s mission. To help
these people find again their selfesteem,
to try to give them hope in the
future, contribute to their returning to
the social fabric, as you are doing – this
is truly a valuable work.”
The President of the Belgian
Association, Baudoin de Merode,
together with Martine Jonet and Antoine
d’Hoop, Director of the Centre, reveal
the statistics: an average of 47 guests
per day, for a total of 18,000 presences
annually. The homeless are cared for by
two employees and over 60 volunteers
who work in daily groups of 10. “Some
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SOVEREIGN MILITARY HOSPITALLER ORDER OF ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM OF RHODES AND OF MALTA