Supported projects

WARSAW / AMSTERDAM / ANTWERP - Europe’s growing labour shortages in sectors like agriculture, logistics, transport, and hospitality are increasingly being filled by a new and highly vulnerable group – migrant workers from Central Asia. Many travel via Poland and end up, through opaque and exploitative channels, in vulnerable situations in the Netherlands and Belgium. 

MATAM - As a nine-year-old girl born with exceptional flexibility, Fanta took her first steps in the Amoukanama circus group, which consisted of boys. Even then, Fanta dreamed of a professional career as an acrobat. However, her family did not approve. Five years later, Fanta still cherishes the same dream and faces the same practical family objections.

AMSTERDAM / BRUSSELS - The dietary supplement market is growing explosively, but transparency about the production process and actual accessibility for new entrepreneurs is often lacking. This study provides insight into the reality behind the promises.

AMSTERDAM - On the eve of the annual World Antibiotic Awareness Week, De sluipende pandemie (The Sneaking Pandemic) was published on November 12, 2025. This new book by Rinke van den Brink explores the rise of antibiotic resistance, the failures of healthcare systems, and the urgent need for global cooperation. The Sneaking Pandemic is the follow-up to Het einde van de antibiotica. Hoe bacteriën winnen van een wondermiddel (The End of Antibiotics: How Bacteria Are Beating a Miracle Drug), published in 2013, and describes what has happened in this field since then.

BRUSSELS - Spring and mineral waters from the Ardennes, the High Fens and East Flanders contain traces of ultra short PFAS. Analyses ordered by Apache show that TFA has seeped deep into the natural water veins.

BELGRADE - Yugoslavia began as a dream. A noble ideal to unite the Slavic peoples of the south. What followed was a tortuous history: from kingdom to socialist republic, from tourist paradise to war zone.

KIEV / GOMA / TIGRAY - Sexual violence is unfortunately common in conflicts and wars. It is a serious violation of humanitarian law of war that is rarely punished. For victims, the consequences are profound - physically, mentally and socially.

AMSTERDAM / BRUSSEL / STOCKHOLM - The European approach to legislation on sex work is a complex patchwork of contrasting policies, each of which claims to prioritise the welfare of workers, but often falls short in practice.

LAGOS – For years, the city has suffered severe air pollution caused by high sulphur levels in imported diesel and gasoline. This piece of graphic journalism traces the data trail of the oil from West Africa to European port terminals.

AFRICA - New generations always dream big. Daaf Borren travelled through some 16 countries in Africa, fascinated by their stories. From Mali and Congo to Ethiopia and Mauritania: this is an atypical travel book, in which you not only cover many kilometres, but also travel along to the future.

VIENNA - The fact that Vienna was named the most liveable city in the world in 2024 for the third year in a row by The Economist is largely due to its generous social housing policy. The central question in this dossier is “what can Flanders learn from Vienna in terms of social, affordable housing”?

MINDAT - The protests are continuing and the army is firing with a vengeance. Especially in the far corners of the country, where ethnic groups have been resisting the army for years, a veritable guerrilla movement is appearing. But where does the resistance stand now? And how do young people view the past years of unrelenting struggle.

NAYPYIDAW - From exile, Myanmar filmmakers continue their armed resistance against the military regime. Many have joined rebel groups, seamlessly switching between camera and gun whilst using film proceeds to fund the insurgency.

ANTWERP – In Lillo, Antwerp, chemical giant Ineos is working hard on its new ethane cracker. Project One. From US shale fields to plastic waste in European incinerators, the plant will emit ten times more CO₂ than Ineos's own projected emissions for the cracker.

SREBRENICA – The women of Srebrenica have spent 30 years searching through mass graves, holding fragments of bone up to the light, hoping to recognise the remains of sons, husbands and fathers who never came home.

AMSTERDAM - What images are associated with fertility, masculinity and fatherhood in society? In 'Mannen die zwijgen' (Men Who Remain Silent), Tomas Vanheste explores the stigma attached to male fertility issues, examining possible causes and treatments.

WASHINGTON D.C. - A chronicle of fascinating encounters with ordinary Americans combined with an in-depth analysis of the rise and growth of the far right and how the working class turned away from the Democratic Party en masse.

KINSHASA - Following on from the first part of the dossier on why and how Congo's forests became the world's first lung, John Vandaele explores whether the country can effectively be the 'solution country' it claims to want to be.

ANKARA / BATMAN - The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has announced its dissolution. But will this also bring an end to the controversial practice of replacing elected mayors with government-appointed officials in Kurdish-majority cities?

MANILA - After corona, the problem of online sexual abuse and exploitation has only intensified. At any time of the day, 750 000 people worldwide are searching for images of child abuse. As many as 1 in 5 children in the Philippines face it. Yet international interest in the problem is declining.

BISHKEK - Kyrgyzstan is a country where Russian influence is still very strong. While other global players such as Europe and the West are increasingly vying for influence in the region, conflicting interests can be observed.

SVALBARD - 'De laatste wildernis' (The Last Wilderness) takes you to two of the most extreme and inaccessible places on Earth: the North and South Poles, and the depths of the ocean.

BRUSSELS - This book features donor families of today. What is their story? How did they choose a donor? With what words do they talk about this at the kitchen table? And what reactions do they get from those around them? Children also have their say in this book. What are their needs, questions or wishes regarding their genesis?

IJMUIDEN - After pulse fishing was banned by the European Parliament in 2018, many Dutch fishermen switched to flyshooting. However, flyshoot fishing mainly targets species for which there is too little data to manage stocks properly. These are not subject to quotas and fishermen can take them out of the sea without limit. And that is a recipe for overfishing.

ANTWERP - Between Kapelstraat, the railway tracks and two strips of industrial activity lies a neighbourhood that has been home to peace, conviviality and neighbourly friendship for over a hundred years. In the background, smoke curls from Umicore.

BOSASO - After almost a decade of silence on Somalia's northern coast, piracy seems to be making a comeback. Driven by hunger and desperation, old smuggling routes are being reopened and strategic ports are being targeted. 'The sea beckons as never before.'The comeback of Somali pirates

GHENT - Poverty is not just a matter of not having enough money. Poverty affects every aspect of your life. By highlighting people's problems from different points of view, Michelle Ginée in Poor in Rich Flanders goes in search of answers.

AMSTERDAM / BRUSSELS - Gay & Grey is a documentary series by director Julia M. Free in a co-production with VRT Canvas and DeMensen. The series follows the daily lives of senior lesbian couples, aged 70 and above, whose relationships have stood the test of time.

BELGIUM - Some 60 years ago, the language border in Belgium was established by law. Although this border has crossed our territories for centuries, it became the object of conflict especially in the 20th century.

GHENT - In 2024, COPS, the elite team of police zone Ghent, was deployed several times against non-violent activists. Experts are concerned as the unit is increasingly being used for interventions against activists. As a result, the line between counterterrorism and interventions against activists sometimes becomes very thin and the proportionality and subsidiarity principles of the police are compromised.