Belgian organization finds foster families for 121 underage refugees

A total of 121 unaccompanied minors, who are registered in Belgium as refugees, have found new homes in the country so far this year, a local organization said Monday.

According to Pleegzorg Vlaanderen, an organization dedicated to connecting vulnerable children and youth with foster families, some 70 refugees under the age of 18 are still waiting to be paired up with a family.

The organization, which coordinates over 4,000 foster families in Belgium, launched a campaign named "Give the world a home" in September 2015, with the goal of helping unaccompanied underage refugees find foster homes.

The selection process started in January this year, and it took several months before the first group of children was able to move in with their foster parents.

"For many people, the process was too long but for us it is important to find a good home for a child, and make a well-considered choice," said Niels Heselmans, spokesman for the organization.

Most of these underage refugees are teenage boys from Afghanistan, he added.

Figures from the European Commission show that 88,300 unaccompanied minors applied for asylum in the European Union in 2015, accounting for 23 percent of all asylum applicants under 18. Enditem