Valérie Van Belle (MC/CM) is the new Chair of Be-cause health.

On April 28, 2026, the Be-cause health members elected a new Chair of the Steering Committee. Valérie Van Belle from the National Alliance of Christian Mutual Societies succeeds Stef Van Bastelaere, who served as Chair for four years.

We express our sincere thanks to Stef for his commitment and leadership during this time. He brought new dynamism and a strong spirit of renewal to the network. We are confident that Valérie will build on this work while bringing her own ideas, energy and perspective to the role. During the GA Valérie introduced herself and her plans for the network shortly.

I have been working for more than twenty years in the International Cooperation Department of the National Alliance of Christian Mutualities, with a particular focus over the past five years on our partnerships with West Africa.

My engagement within Be-cause health also goes back many years. For several years, I coordinated the Social Protection in Health working group, and I am also involved in the working group on global health determinants. Since last year, I have been a member of both the Steering Committee and the Ethical Committee.

Thanks to my background and experience in global health and within the mutualist movement, I feel ready to contribute meaningfully to the work and at the helm of the Steering Committee.

Throughout my career, I have specialized in areas such as social protection in health, health in all policies, social economy, and the role of social movements. Most often, the focus is placed on improving healthcare services, which is of course essential, but less attention is paid to organizing demand and building a social movement. Such a movement, rooted in communities, advocates for investment in the social, commercial, and political determinants of health—such as healthy food, water, decent housing, and means of livelihood (particularly decent work)—without any discrimination. Access to healthcare complements these prerequisites, which enable people to remain healthy.

The National Alliance of Christian Mutualities is member of the Masmut platform, which supports mutualist movements at the international level, and we are active members of AIM, the International Association of Mutualities.

My involvement in the network, particularly over the past year as a member of the Steering Committee, has allowed me to further appreciate the richness and full potential of Be-cause health.

Building on the remarkable work already carried out by the small coordination team (Magalie, supported by Nathalie), the President Stefaan, and the voluntary engagement of dozens of colleagues from institutions, academia, NGOs, and non-profit private organizations, we can continue to move forward together.

Our platform continues to grow, and there are certainly several areas where we can still make improvements: