Why is Mortsel councillor Jitse Born cycling 1,000 kilometres around Belgium?
Mortsel alderman Jitse Born plans to leave Antwerp on 31 August for a 1,000-kilometre charity ride along Belgium’s borders, raising money for the Centre for Suicide Prevention after helping a young woman in immediate danger.
In 30 seconds
- Born plans to cover approximately 1,000 kilometres in 75 hours, averaging about 340 kilometres per day.
- The fundraiser had passed €2,500 from 87 donors before the scheduled departure, according to Het Nieuwsblad.
- Flanders recorded 887 deaths by suicide in 2023, according to the Flemish Department of Care.
- Zelfmoordlijn 1813 answered 23,148 contacts in 2024, according to a VLESP statistical report.
Mortsel alderman Jitse Born plans to set off from on Monday, 31 August, for a 1,000-kilometre ride around Belgium and , turning an already-planned endurance challenge into a fundraiser for suicide prevention. According to Het Nieuwsblad, Born made that decision after encountering an 18-year-old woman in immediate danger in Mortsel, staying with her and helping to keep her safe until the emergency services took over. The newspaper reported that she was subsequently receiving care. Anyone who is in immediate danger, or sees somebody at imminent risk, should call Belgium’s emergency number, 112, and remain nearby if it is safe to do so.
Born intends to complete the Borders of Belgium and Luxembourg route in about 75 hours, covering roughly 340 kilometres a day. Het Nieuwsblad reported before his departure that his campaign had already collected more than €2,500 from 87 donors, well above an initial target of €1,000. The final sum, whether he completes the full route and the precise allocation of the proceeds had not yet been confirmed at publication time.
The beneficiary is the Centrum ter Preventie van Zelfdoding, or CPZ, which operates the Dutch-language Zelfmoordlijn 1813. Born told Het Nieuwsblad that he wanted the emphasis to remain on prevention rather than on his own actions. That distinction matters: a dramatic intervention can attract attention, but most prevention happens less visibly, through timely conversations, accessible healthcare, trained volunteers and continued support after an acute crisis.
What residents can do
The practical response depends first on urgency. For an immediate threat to life, call 112, give the operator the exact location and follow the instructions provided. The federal public-health service says 112 is free, operates around the clock and can dispatch medical or police assistance. The 112 BE app can also transmit a caller’s location and includes accessibility features for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
For Dutch-language crisis support, Zelfmoordlijn 1813 is free, anonymous and available by telephone 24 hours a day. Its official website, zelfmoord1813.be, also provides chat, email, self-help information and guidance for people worried about somebody else. The site currently lists chat hours as 17:00 to midnight every day, with an earlier start at noon on Wednesdays. In French-speaking Belgium, the Centre de Prévention du Suicide runs the free and anonymous 0800 32 123 line around the clock. An English-speaking resident who cannot confidently use either service should not postpone urgent help because of language: call 112, state the language needed and describe the location and danger as plainly as possible. A general practitioner, an out-of-hours doctor through 1733 where available, or a hospital emergency department can also provide a route into care.
If somebody discloses suicidal thoughts without an immediate emergency, listening calmly and taking the disclosure seriously is more useful than trying to solve everything in one conversation. Ask directly whether the person is safe now, help them contact professional support, and do not leave them alone when the danger appears imminent. Zelfmoord1813 publishes more detailed guidance for friends, relatives, schools and workplaces.
Why one ride resonates
Flanders recorded 887 deaths by suicide in 2023, according to the Flemish Department of Care. The department says the region’s suicide rate has fallen but remains 36.3% above the EU average. Its third Flemish Suicide Prevention Action Plan seeks a further 10% reduction by 2030 compared with 2020, using six strategies that include accessible help, support for high-risk groups and better prevention in organisations and healthcare.
The federal picture reinforces the need for sustained work, although the newest release groups suicide together with accidents, falls and other external causes. Those causes accounted for 7,188 Belgian deaths in 2023 and represented a particularly large share of mortality among young people. Because federal cause-of-death data arrive with a delay and aggregated categories can conceal important differences, they should not be used as a real-time measure of suicidal distress.
CPZ’s reporting offers another view of demand. A VLESP statistical report says Zelfmoordlijn 1813 answered 23,148 contacts in 2024, with about three-quarters handled by telephone and the remainder through chat or email. Born’s fundraiser therefore supports a service whose challenge is not merely public recognition, but maintaining enough trained volunteers and capacity when several people seek help simultaneously.
There are two complementary ways to read his ride. Community fundraisers can make an avoided subject easier to discuss and channel money towards immediate support. Public-health organisations, meanwhile, stress that lasting reductions depend on properly funded services, evidence-based care and coordinated policy rather than individual campaigns alone. The value of the ride lies in connecting those levels without treating one intervention—or one endurance feat—as a complete answer.
Born is expected to ride along the national borders over roughly three days. The next verifiable milestones will be his departure, progress around the route, final distance and the amount transferred to CPZ. Whatever the sporting outcome, the useful message is already concrete: recognise danger, stay present, and connect the person to help. No one in Belgium needs to navigate that moment through an unfamiliar gemeente, commune or healthcare system alone.
What to do
Born is scheduled to leave Antwerp on 31 August, so readers wishing to support the campaign should check the fundraiser before or during the approximately 75-hour ride. The practical crisis guidance does not depend on the fundraiser: call 112 immediately if someone’s life is in danger. For anonymous support, Dutch-speaking residents can call 1813, while French-speaking residents can call 0800 32 123. Both language services are free; the French-language line operates around the clock. If safe, remain present with the person while connecting them to help.
Impact
Regional — The campaign originates in Mortsel and supports Flanders’ Dutch-language suicide-prevention network. The Flemish Department of Care recorded 887 deaths by suicide in 2023 and says the regional rate remains above the EU average.
EvidenceWell established · 1 primary source + 4 official documents · Academic sources: 1Explore evidence →Hide evidence ↑
- Publication date unavailable
- Retrieved by ODIN:
- 29 Aug 2026
- Publication date unavailable
- Retrieved by ODIN:
- 29 Aug 2026
- Publication date unavailable
- Retrieved by ODIN:
- 29 Aug 2026
- Publication date unavailable
- Retrieved by ODIN:
- 29 Aug 2026
- Published:
- 2 Feb 2026, 01:00
- Retrieved by ODIN:
- 29 Aug 2026
- Publication date unavailable
- Retrieved by ODIN:
- 29 Aug 2026
Voices & reactions
What the main actors are doing
Reported positions, summarised — not direct quotationsCommunity fundraising perspective
Supporters of citizen-led campaigns see the ride as a way to reduce stigma, prompt difficult conversations and direct donations towards volunteers who provide immediate, anonymous support.
Public-health system perspective
Suicide-prevention organisations treat awareness campaigns as useful but insufficient on their own: durable progress also requires stable funding, trained professionals, accessible care and coordinated prevention across healthcare, schools and workplaces.
The story, connected
Explore the people, places and ideas in this story
Go beyond the headline. Open a card for sourced context, maps, official links and the other subjects connected to this report.
Continue reading
This story was assembled from verified evidence, with its sources and reasoning recorded as it was written.