‘The level of unemployment in the Halle-Vilvoorde district is fairly low compared with the rest of Flanders but there is a large group of people who find it impossible or very difficult to gain access to the regular labour market', says Jan Creten, from the Halle-Vilvoorde RESOC.

A number of cooperatives from the region have come under the spotlight in previous issues. An increasing number of people are keen to invest in cooperative entities, where the public good is the prime concern rather than profits.

Ring-TV was launched 20 years ago, an anniversary that is definitely worth celebrating, if only in a small way, because producing regional television programmes in our diverse region is no mean feat. Innovation is paramount: new programmes, sets, techniques and ways to keep the viewers tuning in.

Fewer staff, less investment, extra taxes. The municipal authorities in the Flemish Rand are having to take steps to keep their finances on an even keel. Under the so-called policy and management cycle, the municipalities are required to establish a multiannual planning perspective for the period up

She is a face familiar to many people owing to the newscast on the Eén television channel and the news report magazine Login on the Canvas channel: 24-year-old Danira Boukhriss Terkessidis from Vilvoorde is one of the youngest faces working for the Flemish radio and television broadcaster, the VRT.

When she came to Belgium with her husband three years ago the move signalled the start of an exciting story for Jutta Schubert. A story of learning to let go and accepting the new. Wezembeek-Oppem is a place where she and her husband have increasingly felt at home over the past few years.

Ecopower is the focus this month of our Strength of cooperatives series. This cooperative society is set to build four wind turbines in Asse this coming autumn, with the overall capacity to generate environmentally sound electricity to cater for the power requirements of 6.000 households.

Cooperative ventures employ over 100 million people, creating more jobs than all the multinationals together. Successful examples can found in this country's agricultural, energy, retail and insurance sectors but Barrez and Jacobs are keen to stress just how many opportunities are still available.

One option is to follow the one you love back to Belgium, where you can sit in your corner full of romantic feelings but wondering what on earth to do with yourself. Or you can take a cue from Verónica Demaría...

Nearly one in seven people living in the Halle-Vilvoorde district is living in poverty. The rate is higher than anywhere else in Flanders, where about 10% of the population is classed as poor.

A change to the status of the district has been called for by the Vilvoorde and Halle authorities in recent years. The Regional Development Pact prepared by the Halle-Vilvoorde Regional Social Consultation Committee (RESOC) stresses the need for the Flemish Rand.

A radio on the blink, a pair of ripped trousers or a lamp that refuses to work. These are the kinds of items we tend to throw away but could be repaired if only we had some help. From a Repair Café, for example.

Getting from one place to another is important for people who are old or ill. Staying mobile means socialising more and not becoming lonely. The Mobiliteitscentrale Aangepast Vervoer (an assisted transport helpline) has proved there is a genuine need to offer transport to the mobility-impaired.

Chris Ngonge from Cameroon arrived in Belgian as a political refugee all of 15 years ago but he is still amazed about the image Europeans have of Africa. ‘Africa is not only hunger and mud huts.’ He and a bunch of African friends enjoy organising Belgo-African evenings. A fun atmosphere guaranteed.

The patchwork-like landscape that came into being halfway through the 20th century in the Rand is now out of step with the times. Empty office buildings, an emerging housing crisis and mobility grinding to a halt.

A lighthouse dominates the land and sea, it has to be seen from a long way away and the light has to shine over a wide area. Lighthouses can be relevant in a terrestrial context, in the case of social and cultural matters in and outside Brussels, where perspectives are often too parochial...

A good many cities and municipalities have been sounding the alarm about their shaky financial status in recent times. They are faced with having less and less money to spend on more and more things.

Forty-three-year-old Tom Dehaene, the son of a former Belgian prime minister, is one of the two new faces in the recently formed executive council of the Flemish-Brabant province.

Arthur Gamble from the UK used to teach at the British School in Tervuren. He has long played an active role in local voluntary organisations. In October of last year he fought for the first time in the local elections in Tervuren.

The recycling shops (kringwinkels) are set to go retro on Saturday, 16 March. An outstanding opportunity for someone looking to pick up that unique piece from the days of yore. The Rand has seven such shops offering a wide range of all kinds of vintage objects

The arrival of the new provincial council last December coincided with the departure of a pair of old timers who enjoyed a huge success in the Flemish-Brabant province for many years. Jean-Pol Olbrechts and Vic Laureys effectively defended the province's activities and role.

Twelve years ago the run-up to the municipal elections in Overijse turned out to be an eventful time. The upshot was that the Christian Democrats lost 7 seats, while Dirk Brankaer's small Overijse 2002 list increased its number of seats from three to nine.

The fastest marathon runner in the country lives in Asse. A great place for running, according to Lander Van Droogenbroeck (29).

Farmers, market gardeners and people making traditional-style products in the Pajottenland have set up a co-operative to promote their wares and deliver them to customers in a more focused way.

‘I forgot to keep my eye on the time', is an excuse the Polish-born Andrzej Wachowicz from Zaventem cannot use when he is late for an appointment. Fifteen clocks, watches and timepieces can be seen lying, standing and hanging in his living room, office and kitchen.