Queen Paola paid a special visit to the Art and History Museum in Brussels with a group of young people, completing a treasure hunt.
The Queen was joined by Dutch- and French-speaking Belgian children, as well as unaccompanied minors from conflict zones, to take part in the Tintin in Belgium project hosted by Habbekrats, an organisation with the mission to “give vulnerable children and youngsters whose living conditions are characterised by structural poverty of opportunity or deprivation more individually, group and structural support and offer opportunities to participate in society, increase their resilience and combat or eradicate mechanisms of deprivation,” according to its website.
The Tintin in Belgium project partners up Belgian children with children from conflict zones for a week at spring break and takes them on a tour of Brussels using Tintin, the beloved Belgian cartoon character, as a guide.
“We bring the young people who would otherwise not come together here in good and beautiful circumstances,” Dries Boeye, a spokesperson for Habbekrats, told Belgian media.
“You see that the young people embrace one another very quickly and start taking care of each other.”
On Wednesday, Queen Paola accompanied the group for a treasure hunt and tour of the Art and History Museum, and even enjoyed cake at a small party. Her foundation, the Queen Paola Foundation, also supported the event and is a proud supporter of Habbekrats.
The group spoke about their past experiences and met with museum operators and curators before touring the facilities to view works that inspired Tintin creator Hergé, all of which were located in the South America room.
“We are the largest museum in the country, but we are not very well known,” said Bart Schouppe, the Museum’s communications officer, to BX1.
“It is, therefore, interesting for us that the Royal Family pays us attention. Our museum can also play an important role in the education of young people, who can discover culture and history through our collections.”
Queen Paola’s foundation, founded in 1992, supports social projects that help vulnerable young people find their way in society. The Queen has supported over 970 projects in that time.
