Aneka: "From House to Home"
Aneka means grace, power and resilience in Old Greek and Sanskrit. It is also part of the names of the founders, An and Cathy. Our logo depicts two people forming a house, which symbolizes our vision of creating a warm and welcoming environment for our residents. Our slogan “from house to home” expresses our mission of creating a safe haven for homeless women and their children from where we actively assist them on their journey towards a new start in a new home.
Our story
How it all began.
vzw Aneka is a non-profit organization which provides temporary housing and support for homeless women and single mothers in Belgium.
Our story began in 2022, when An met a Ukrainian woman and her little son who were fleeing the war in their country. They had no place to stay and were facing many difficulties in finding a safe and affordable accommodation. An offered them a temporary shelter at her house.
After a few weeks, the woman and her son moved to a house with another refugee family, which unfortunately, soon turned out to be unsuitable. She had to find another place in a short period of time. This was very stressful and challenging, especially for a non-Belgian resident with a low budget. After a lot of effort and perseverance, the mother and child, with the help of Cathy and An, finally managed to find suitable housing in Vilvoorde.
An and Cathy realized that there were many other women and single mothers who were facing similar problems of homelessness and vulnerability. They decided to create Aneka vzw, a non-profit organization that aims to provide temporary housing and support for homeless women and their children.
The organization started by turning a previous kindergarten into living units and refurbished them to make them comfortable and cozy. There are 6 living units accommodating 10 beds.
During their stay at Aneka , the women and their children receive not only a roof, but also active assistance to find a permanent residence, a key step for a new start.
