Beyond the Moon is a non-profit association (vereniging zonder winstoogmerk or officially abbreviated as v.z.w. in Dutch and - association sans but lucratif or officially abbreviated as a.s.b.l. in French) created by Ben Ancher and Pascale Somers, under the Belgian law on 19 May 2005.  Its statutes were published in the Belgian Official Journal ("Belgisch Staatsblad") with the national company and registration number: 873.856.370. In accordance with the law, it has its registered office in Belgium: Zandstraat 27 K, 2223 Schriek, Belgium.

Beyond the Moon was created on 19 May 2005. It is an independent entity that is solely responsible for its own legal, financial, managerial and strategic decisions. The association in its present form is the result of the reorganisation of a similar organisation, which has operated under a different name between 1998 and 2005. Therefore, Beyond the Moon has built up the needed know-how and expertise to efficiently run and professionally manage all the operations within the current association. A group of entrepreneurs, from different sectors and various nationalities, supports the association by volunteering their expertise and relations network.

It is our objective to offer as many vacations as possible to less privileged families with a seriously ill child. Therefore, we may work together with other charities or foundations whose objectives are medical research and/or disease prevention. For instance, a collaboration with an Aids foundation nominating children infected with the deadly HIV-virus or a cancer association is not excluded. However, Beyond the Moon will as well redirect spontaneous requests from other wish-granting charities, also dealing with family vacations and raising funds to finance them, to the reservations offices of our vacation partners to ensure that the sick child's wish can be fulfilled.

Contrary to other organisations, Beyond the Moon has chosen not to speak in terms of "wishes" because we exclusively grant vacations to families with a seriously ill child.  The child longs for a relaxing vacation or a short break together with his/her immediate family (parent(s) and siblings) far away from hospitals and daily treatments. We offer them an all-in, cost-free vacation to a joyful destination appealing to the children's imagination. Since Beyond the Moon exclusively focuses on family vacations, in collaboration with determined vacation partners, any other wish from a sick child will be redirected to other wish-granting charities to ensure that this wish can be fulfilled.

Anyone can financially support Beyond the Moon and help sponsor a vacation for a family with a seriously ill child from his/her local community, regardless the region or country where the sponsor is located. The families we serve come from different countries, because we sometimes work with the offices of international companies operating throughout Europe. When they make a corporate contribution or a donation on behalf of their international staff, then with the help of Beyond the Moon, they can offer a vacation to families in the region or country where their offices are based. Therefore, despite its international reach, our association can both act as regional or local charity.

There is no Beyond the Moon office outside of Belgium. The registered office Zandstraat 27 K, 2223 Schriek in Belgium is the single point of contact for people wishing to collaborate with us.

We strive to annually book one family vacation per week.  The annual number of family vacations varies from year to year and strongly depends on the funds we receive each year. The sponsors raising funds for Beyond the Moon get the chance to see the tangible results of their contribution(s) close to home by helping a family from their own community or country.  The number of families per country depends on the funds we get from that particular country.

Beyond the Moon is not state-aided. Beyond the Moon is totally dependent on donations and corporate sponsorship (national, multinational, large, medium and small sized businesses), private benefactors, schools, sports and service clubs, etc. It is through their financial support that we can pay for the family vacations.  In-kind support of material, services and tools is of course also welcome, because it allows us to reduce our daily operating costs and to invest our energy and funds where they are most needed, i.e. to fund family vacations. As the number of applications we receive from hospitals is increasing every year, Beyond the Moon welcomes any contribution.  Read the chapter "Help Us" for more details.

The sponsor fee for a family vacation is € 4.000 (average cost for 5 persons), regardless of the number of family members and the destination. A sponsor can either finance the entire cost of a family vacation or donate a smaller amount, which will be added to donations from other sponsors.  In the latter case, he becomes a co-sponsor of a family together with another/other sponsor(s).
This amount covers the travel and transportation costs, accommodation and meals, charges for a travel and medical insurance for all the family members, medical services and equipment, pocket money, car rental with insurance (if needed), gasoline, medical assistant or interpreter (if required), any other travel related costs (e.g. passport, visa, taxi, etc) and reimbursement of telephone and postal charges involved in the administrative handling of the family file.  In addition, the families get free entrance tickets or a financial allowance to visit attraction parks and other local curiosities nearby their travel destination.
The vacation cost per family depends on the number of family members, the season, the transportation cost and airline fares to/from the country of origin, the medical needs of the child and the individual travel and medical insurance, and will therefore be equal to, more or less than the required sponsor fee. Any unspent portion will be mainly used to offer a Beyond the Moon vacation to another family with a sick child and/or to cover additional vacation costs for larger families.

Yes. However, since Beyond the Moon is registered in Belgium, a tax-deductible receipt can only be issued for Belgian residents and Belgian-based companies making a minimum annual donation of € 40,00. Foreign benefactors and companies receive an "Acknowledgement of Receipt - Year 20XX" for any yearly contribution of minimum € 40,00 made to Beyond the Moon. This document is sent only once a year, within the first two months of a calender year (i.e. before the end of February).

Belgian residents can find more information on this subject via the Dutch website (Help ons/Fiscale attesten) or the French website (Aidez-nous/Attestation Fiscale).

Children aged between 3 and 18 years old suffering from a long-lasting, serious illness and/or a progressive disease, a life-affecting disease or a life-limiting illness.  What is understood within the various illness categories will be thoroughly discussed with the primary care physicians and specialists, who deliver their written medical authorisation. Beyond the Moon implements a severe selection process based on other additional selection criteria (see next question).

Beyond the Moon implements a severe selection process based on a well-considered list of seven criteria. Before a family is taken into consideration for a Beyond the Moon vacation, we rigorously and carefully examine every application in detail and we discuss it with the medical team.

• The child must be between 3 and 18 years old.
• The child must suffer from a long-lasting serious illness and/or a progressive disease, a life-affecting disease or a life-limiting illness.
• The physical condition of the child must be good enough to allow him/her to travel and to fully benefit hereof. A medical authorisation from the primary care physician is mandatory.
• It must be the child's primary desire to spend a vacation or a short break together with his/her immediate family (parent(s) and sibling(s)), far away from hospitals and daily treatments.
• Since the diagnosis, the sick child and his/her family haven't had the chance to be often together or to go on vacation all together and/or have not yet as a family benefited from a short break or vacation granted by Beyond the Moon or any other association or charity.
• The parents cannot themselves organise or financially afford the cost of an all-in vacation or short break.
• All the family members, including the sick child, have to be covered by a travel and medical assistance insurance conceded by the national social security or a local and reliable insurance company. The eventual cost will be reimbursed by Beyond the Moon.

Beyond the Moon does not spend funds on just any application. Before a sick child and family is found eligible for a family vacation, each request and our selection criteria are thoroughly discussed with the health professionals, such as nurses, social workers, psychologists, doctors and professors. They know the background of these families. Once we get the medical approval for a sick child, we work out the most appropriate vacation package for the family. Custom work is only possible if we carefully and skilfully handle the confidential information received and if we are able to meet the specific needs of the sick child and his/her family. Each child has its own medical and social background and hence its own needs. The timeframe between the nomination, the selection and the fulfilment may vary from 14 days to 2 months, and sometimes even longer.  It depends on the cooperation of the medical staff in the hospital, the child's health condition, the family situation, the availability at the vacation partner, the specific medical requirements or other special needs. We strongly believe it is very important to allow sufficient time to scrutinise each application to prevent and avoid disappointments and reduce risks.

The participants to the family vacation are the selected sick child and his/her immediate family, i.e. the parent(s) (or legal guardian(s) / foster parent(s)) and siblings, and sometimes also the grandparent(s), living under the same roof. In some cases, and if necessary, the family may be accompanied by a medical assistant or interpreter.

As a sponsor, you can refer yourself a family or Beyond the Moon can nominate a family for you, by involving its network of hospitals and doctors. In both cases, Beyond the Moon will handle the entire administration and make all the arrangements related to the family vacation. We endeavour to nominate a family that not only meets our criteria, but who also lives in the community, region and/or country of the sponsor(s). This makes the support of the sponsor(s) very tangible.

First, we collaborate with professors, doctors and other healthcare professionals at various hospitals and hospices that spontaneously send us the families nominations or at the request of Beyond the Moon. With their medical background and knowledge, they help us nominate families with a seriously sick child who, based on our selection criteria, are eligible for a Beyond the Moon vacation. 
The biological parent, foster parent or guardian of a sick child or a colleague, relative, friend or the employer of a parent with a sick child can also fill in the form "Nominate a sick child".
Nominating a family with a sick child does not guarantee that this request will be effectively and positively accepted.  When it seems that the sick child and the family meet our criteria, Beyond the Moon will first check whether it has sufficient funds available to accept and execute this request.   To avoid disappointments, we kindly ask you not to make any promise to the sick child and his/her family until a full and thorough investigation has taken place. We respect the privacy of the sick children and their families. All medical information is treated confidentially and is neither discussed nor passed on to third parties, unless this is required for the fulfilment of the family vacation and, only provided the child's parent(s), guardian(s) or foster parent(s) have given their consent.

Beyond the Moon collaborates with determined vacation partners. Our vacation packages are exclusive and especially put together by Beyond the Moon and must meet specific standards.
The possibilities are first assessed with the child's primary care physician who, upon mutual agreement, delivers his written medical authorisation for the vacation. The doctor helps up determine the most appropriate destination.
The choice of the destination will be given to the family, provided that the pro's and con's have been discussed with the doctor, the condition of the child allows him to travel to all the destinations offered, a travel and medical insurance can be subscribed and all the medical needs can be met, regardless of the destination.  We are fully dedicated to make each family vacation as comfortable and carefree as possible. For this reason, we propose destinations to child-friendly environments meeting the special needs of the sick child and family. Many families prefer to stay close to home, so the trip is not too tiring for the sick child (and in case of emergency).

No. The families we serve and select do not have the financial means to pay themselves the expenses of such an all-in family vacation.

No. We make a booking for a sick child and his/her family only once. It is clearly stated in our selection criteria that, since the diagnosis, the family and the sick child have not yet benefited from a short break or a vacation granted by Beyond the Moon. Since Beyond the Moon exclusively focuses on family vacations, any other wish from a sick child will be redirected to other wish-granting charities to ensure that this wish can be fulfilled.

No. Beyond the Moon does not use telemarketing (no telephone calls) to raise funds. We strongly advise you to be cautious should you be approached in the street, at the doorstep, at fairs, etc. to donate funds for our charity and make sure to look into it before you make a donation.