Earthquake in Morocco: how can you help?
We would like to express our sympathy and support to all our colleagues and students with family and friends in Morocco, and to our partners there following the devastating earthquake. Our thoughts go out to all, and we hope that the much-needed help will reach all those now in need of shelter, medical care, and support. All help is welcome. There is especially a need for financial support. You can make donations
- Through Red Cross Belgium, via their website (link in Dutch), or the general Red Cross Belgium site in English. You can make donations via their bank account nr BE53 0000 0000 5353 with the reference ‘earthquake’.
- The organisation SOS Kinderdorpen has also set up a website where you can make donations (in Dutch), or via their GoFundMe-page of SOS Kinderdorpen Morocco.
- If you prefer to support local initiatives in Morocco, you can e.g., donate to the Morocco Foodbank. They not only collect and donate food, but also beds and blankets.
- You can also donate via local initiatives in Belgium, such as the Karama Solidarity site (in Dutch), which also provides support locally, or the website of the charity Human Smile (in French).
photo christianpackenius via pixabay
Libya flooding
We would like to express our sympathy and support to the people of Libya, after the devasting flood due to storm Daniel on 10 September. Our thoughts go out to all, and we hope that the much-needed help will reach all those now in need of shelter, medical care, and support. All help is welcome. There is especially a need for financial support. You can make donations
- Through Red Cross Belgium, via their website (link in Dutch), or the general Red Cross Belgium site in English. You can make donations via their bank account nr BE93 0000 0065 6667 with the reference ‘flooding Libya’.
- Any additional support can be given via the official channels, or via the International Rescue Committee's website.
Public Affairs & Strategic International Partnerships
Our International Relations colleagues are closely involved in diplomacy activities with the Belgian and Flemish governments, foreign embassies located here, Belgian embassies across the world, and, last but not least, our international alumni. Our activities include meetings with foreign embassies in Belgium and their representatives, be it for joint projects, working with their students at our university, or participating in cultural activities organised on campus (e.g. thematic days) or in partnership with VUB.
Strategic International Partnerships (SIPs)
VUB has two Strategic International Partnerships (SIPs) in place. One is with the University of Western Cape in South Africa, and the other with the Universidad Central ‘Marta Abreu’ de Las Villas (UCLV), based in Santa Clara, Cuba. The main criteria for a SIP is interdisciplinarity, where three disciplines (minimum) are needed as part of a larger cooperation with universities (including research, education and mobility). The idea behind a SIP is to broad the cooperation adcross the universities even more, and to get more VUB colleagues from across various disciplines involved, leading to more interdisciplinarity, by matching science to the real world, to industry, to society.
- More on the UCLV SIP in this article
- More on the two SIPs in this news item
Rankings
VUB is among the top 17% of universities worldwide. According to the 2021 QS World University Rankings, VUB scores particularly well in both qualitative teaching and international attractiveness for teaching staff. As a result, the VUB is considered one of Europe's most innovative universities, appearing in 59th position in Reuters' ranking
We are also an urban engaged university. Discover more on what that means.
