Villa Rozerood: Belgium’s Unique Holiday Haven for Seriously Ill Children

In the coastal town of De Panne, West Flanders, a former convent has been transformed into something extraordinary: Belgium’s first and only respite home where seriously ill or disabled children can enjoy a holiday together with their entire family. Villa Rozerood offers a safe, adapted environment where children with complex medical needs can experience the simple joy of a seaside vacation, supported by round-the-clock pediatric care.

According to RTBF, the facility welcomes up to seven families at a time during summer holidays for one-week stays. Children and young people from 0 to 21 years old with conditions ranging from cancer and metabolic diseases to severe epilepsy and neurological disorders are accommodated, with care provided by pediatric nurses day and night alongside a psychologist.

A Place Where Smiles Outweigh Sorrow

For Dona Gris, whose son Eliyh has brainstem cancer and is in the final phase of his illness, the Villa has become a sanctuary. “It will certainly be his last birthday,” she told RTBF, speaking of her son’s upcoming birthday. “So we celebrate his birthday every day, so that if something happens, he’ll have that memory.” The family has found comfort in the Villa’s adapted facilities, including a medical bed placed in the veranda where Eliyh can watch other children play outside. “It’s truly magnificent to have this,” she said. “It’s truly our little paradise.”

Psychologist Danielle Huse, who has worked at the Villa for years, challenges the assumption that such a place must be sad. “One always thinks it must be a rather sad house because you’re surrounded by ill or disabled children,” she said. “But I think there’s no other place where people smile as much as here.”

More Than Medical Care: Supporting the Whole Family

What sets Villa Rozerood apart is its focus on the entire family unit. The facility, which has operated since 2009 and was officially recognized by the RIZIV health insurance institute in January 2010, serves as a respite for parents who rarely get a break from intensive caregiving. As VRT NWS reported, director Bart Devos emphasized that “seriously ill children can come on holiday with us, together with their parents, brothers and sisters to recharge their batteries. And day and night, nurses are ready for medical support. It’s precisely that medical aspect that makes our house unique in our country.”

Souhayla, a mother from Brussels who has visited for five years with her twin sons who have a neurodegenerative disease, explained what the Villa means to her: “My main request is to travel as a parent, not as a family caregiver. During the night, there’s monitoring. I can wake up at my leisure, take care of myself, and I entrust them with all nursing and medical care. Something I don’t find in a hotel.”

Particular attention is given to siblings, often called “shadow children” who can feel overlooked when a brother or sister requires constant care. Activity coordinator Jolien Lepetre noted: “The brothers and sisters of ill or disabled children are sometimes forgotten. Attention often goes to children needing care. I find it very important that when they’re here, we have the opportunity to give them attention. Everyone receives attention and I find that very beautiful.”

A House Built on Community Support

The Villa’s origin story is one of grassroots determination. Founded in 2008 by socially conscious volunteers who identified a gap in Belgium’s healthcare landscape, the project was inspired by a report about a children’s hospice in Berlin. The name “Rozerood” comes from Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt’s novel “Oscar and the Lady in Pink,” about a 10-year-old boy with cancer, and Schmitt himself attended the official opening in 2010 as the project’s godfather.

Since its founding, more than 1,270 families have enjoyed holidays at the Villa, with over 45,000 overnight stays recorded. In 2024 alone, 250 children enjoyed holidays, with 98 percent coming with their whole family. The facility holds an A+ accessibility label from Toerisme Vlaanderen and has been under the High Patronage of Queen Mathilde since 2015.

However, the Villa faces ongoing financial challenges. While the Flemish government subsidizes the facility to the tune of 1 million euros per year—covering the stays of ill and disabled children completely free—the organization must raise an additional 400,000 to 600,000 euros annually through donations and partnerships to maintain its family-focused operations. As the King Baudouin Foundation reported, director Bart Devos explained: “When children tell how nice it is that they can say in class that they’ve also been on holiday, you realize again how exceptional it is that they can come here.”

A Model Worth Preserving

As Belgium’s only respite home where entire families can stay together with seriously ill children, Villa Rozerood represents a unique model of care that other regions could learn from. The facility celebrated its 15th anniversary in September 2025 with 1,000 guests at Plopsaland De Panne, marking a milestone for an institution that has weathered fire, pandemic, and persistent funding challenges.

For the families who pass through its doors, the impact is profound. As Dona Gris put it: “We’re a kind of family here. We help each other. We talk about problems but also about good things. Simple things, trivialities. It’s truly an oxygen bubble.” The Villa continues to welcome French-speaking families (5-10 percent of its guests each year) and maintains a waiting list during summer months, a testament to the ongoing need for such specialized respite care in Belgium.