What are the activities of NATURA ?

In the beginning the not-for-profit-organization NATURA was founded to promote natural products and products containing a natural component. NATURA's mission is to inform consumers, to provide health education programs and to organise activities about health problems.
Beside interest for natural products produced in BELGIUM, NATURA shows interest for the European market. Because of the narrow co-operation with among other things S.F.R., the Rumanian Phytotherapeutical Society, situated at BIERTAN
(the adoptive village of the Flemish municipality Sint-Martens-Latem), she's able to offer good information about herbal medicine as employed since centuries in East-Europe.
These activities are realized in co-operation with "NATURA International", a Rumanian-Flemish joint-venture.

Because of their narrow friendship since 1990 with BIERTAN, NATURA and NATURA International take care of the welfare of the inhabitants of the by Sint-Martens-Latem adopted village.
All this is realized by 3 projects, sustained by the European PHARE program :

• building a regional center for professional education of unemployed youngsters and last year students
  working in the field of buying, raising and processing medicinal herbs;
  
• development of a processing unit for medicinal herbs;
  
• creation of a tourist center at BIERTAN (tourist info, Bed & Breakfast with the inhabitants.
  
  

       Folk Group                                                        Calendula (Goldflower)                                      Village center

Furthermore the Committee Latem Helps Biertan started in October 2000 at BIERTAN a food-relief action for the poorest people.
Each day, approximately 140 poor people are served a free sound breakfast. In the near future a public bath will be available.
Both initiatives could be realized and continued thanks to the co-operation of the municipalities and material support of the citizens and business world of SINT-MARTENS-LATEM and BIERTAN. The Committee doesn't claim any subsidy or grant and has never asked for it. Being subsidized means a restriction in taking actions, being obliged to respond to imposed conditions and standards. Such attitude asks for more administration which complicates the volunteer actions.
If you wish, you always can support our activities by transferring a contribution on our the account nr. 891-0540208-25 of the Committee LATEM HELPS BIERTAN.
Because our actions are not acknowledged as "national initiatives", we are not authorized to deliver any tax certificate.

The not-for-profit-organization NATURA supports all initiatives taken by the Committee "Latem Helps Biertan" among other things by putting at disposal some webspace.

Info: Rudy PAUWELS
        Vossestaart 38 - B-9830 Sint-Martens-Latem / Belgium
        Tel. +32-9-282.79.46
        E-mail: info@natura.be

           Bank account nr. 891-0540208-25 at Volksdepositokas - COMMITTEE LATEM HELPS BIERTAN.