Who are we?

Our team

 

  • Director

    I've had the privilege of being the Director of Oasis Belgium since December 2020! I started as an Oasis trainee in 2013, so it's been a while!

    I'm passionate about social work and the long-term relationship aspect of it. I feel enormously privileged every time someone is brave enough to tell me part of their story. I am honoured and feel privileged to walk alongside women and their families during some of their most difficult times.

    I hope that everyone who knocks on the door of Oasis for support knows that they are welcome, valued and heard.

    Outside of work, I enjoy running, cycling and spending time with my family and friends.

  • Founder and Executive Director

    I'm married to Rachel and we have four children who are growing up quite quickly. I'm a keen musician, I like to play music with different instruments but particularly with a mandolin. I'm a sports fan and a keen supporter of English Premier League football club Aston Villa.

    I'm the Executive Director of Oasis Belgium and I spend most of my time researching and applying for funding. I also create documents and various resources to help people get involved in our organisation and our vision, which may seem complicated but is ultimately about working together to be kinder and more optimistic. All while creating communities that welcome everyone!

  • Project Worker - OASIS WELKOM PROJECT

    I'm a project manager at Oasis Belgium. I am passionate about working in a dynamic environment and enjoy working with Oasis to help vulnerable migrant people escape situations of domestic violence, abuse and other forms of organised crime. With Oasis, I play an important role in coordinating several individual cases of migrant women and children who are involved in serious problems. This prompted me to follow a career path aimed at empowering and engaging migrant women in Brussels through the Welcome project.

    As part of this project, I had the incredible opportunity to work exclusively with women from all over the world, mainly Asian women who were victims of sexual exploitation in Belgium. This work has encouraged me to understand the rights of human dignity and given me the crucial opportunity to empower women by supporting them through legal advice, counselling, social services, emotional and physical support, and economic advice. In addition, Oasis encourages vulnerable victims who suffer domestic violence to break free from the cycle of abuse to which they are subjected by their partners. I was an intern at Oasis in 2018, when I completed the MA in International Migration at the University of Kent in Brussels.

  • Project Coordinator - BUURTBAR & DIGIPUNTEN BERINGEN

    After a year spent exploring Brazil with AFS in 2000, I became even more fascinated by the diversity of our societies and studied sociology, cultural anthropology and development studies (CADES) at the KULeuven.

    After a number of different jobs, I joined Oasis in 2008. Right from the start, I had the opportunity to work on various projects: lobbying the European Parliament on the issue of human exploitation/trafficking, setting up awareness-raising campaigns in schools, supporting migrant women facing these issues, etc. In 2013, I had the opportunity to support a team of volunteers to open the KoffieKlap social café in Antwerp.

    Inspired by the social café and with the intention of being able to make a difference to people in vulnerable situations in my own environment, I launched the BuurtBar project in Beringen in 2015 with the aim of strengthening the relationships of neighbourhood neighbours with a focus on single vulnerable older people. To achieve this, a great team of volunteers was put together, each contributing their talents to stimulating encounters and connections between people and with partners/service providers in their neighbourhood. Since 2018, we have also responded to the digital needs we have identified among the over-55s and through digipoints, expanded our target group to also reach people in precarious situations.

    Many meetings, conversations and life stories later, that's still where my passion lies: bringing out the best in people and offering opportunities to people who are excluded from our society in whatever way. My motivation is the belief that we are here on earth to enrich and inspire each other to become the best version of ourselves, as our heavenly creator intended. Relaxation and pleasure are best found in the mountains, in a forest or in the conviviality of a good cappuccino or a dark Belgian beer!

  • Digicoach - DIGIPUNTEN BERINGEN

    During my job search in 2022, I started at Oasis as a volunteer at the digipoint Beringen. As a digihelper, I was able to offer digital help to people in Beringen who had little or no experience with their smartphone, laptop and the internet.

    Shortly afterwards, I had the opportunity to apply to Oasis to join the team as a digicoach.

    My main task as a digicoach in the Digibank Beringen project is to help vulnerable residents borrow a laptop and research options for affordable internet access.

    I'm also involved in developing tailor-made training courses and referring interested people to further training courses. I also work actively in the various digipoints.

    My greatest motivation is that I'm learning every day and I like to share the knowledge I gain with visitors to Digibank Beringen.

    In the past, I set up a service voucher agency. My aim was to help vulnerable women in their job search. A few years later, as our family grew, the combination of a full-time job became more difficult, after which I again chose to look after my children.

    I'm also a volunteer at Centrum ZitStil, which aims to support young people with ADHD/ADD, help them get ahead and increase their participation in society.

    In my spare time, I enjoy going out with my family, we love walking around the city and indulging in all sorts of local delicacies.

    Family and friends are also an important part of my life. We often get together to eat, drink Turkish tea and catch up with each other.

  • Project Coordinator - THE WELKOM PROJECT

    Chucheep Chimsunchart (known to all as "Teak") has been a member of the Welkom project staff for six years. She runs the project and coordinates the team that helps women who are victims of gender-based violence. Teak is a dedicated and qualified social worker with many years' experience of helping and supporting women in meetings with social, legal and medical services. In addition, she understands the importance of emotional support so that women can find the strength to regain freedom, safety and stability when leaving an abusive relationship. She is also used to helping women with what can often be a long and difficult custody battle.

    In her spare time, Teak is a skilled and enthusiastic cook, specialising in Thai cuisine. This makes her family and the team very happy!

  • Administrative Assistant

    I started my journey with Oasis in 2020, first as an intern and then as a volunteer. Today, as an administrative assistant, I maintain the fluidity of our operations while actively supporting projects for women and children. My bilingual expertise in administration and accounting, acquired at Interface 3 in Brussels, strengthens my role within the team. Multilingual and a mother of three, Oasis is for me a commitment to a better world.

  • Social work and project development

    When I started volunteering for Oasis, I became passionate about the support this organization offers to women. Right from the start, I knew I wanted to be part of the team for the years to come.

    Now as an official team member, I'm currently working in the Welkom project, which supports migrant women who are victims of gender-based violence. I also run the Trans women project, which supports transgender women from Latin America who are victims of violence, exploitation and human trafficking.

    In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my son, walking in nature, meditating and reading.