23-year-old Axelle Rimanque from Leuven proves that not all dreams are lies. She lived on the street for three years, but now she is fully building her future and is even competing for the crown of Miss Belgium.
Axelle Rimanque (23) from Leuven tells the Sudpresse newspaper that until recently her life was anything but glitz and glamour. For three years, she did not have a permanent place of residence and slept on the street, in various shelters or with friends. Due to family circumstances, at the age of 18, she ended up on the street. Her boyfriend at the time was also evicted from his home. The two slept wherever they could. When the relationship ended and she got a new boyfriend, things looked rosy for a while. She slept with him until her stepfather kicked her out as well. “I slept in parks, in the cold, wearing only a coat to keep warm,” says Axelle about that period.
After all, it was her new boyfriend’s grandmother who pulled her out of her spiral of misery; “I am very grateful to her, two months later I had a steady job in the hospitality industry, an apartment and a life of my own.”
Axelle is currently competing for the crown of Miss Belgium 2024 and therefore tells her story. “I want more people to realize that homelessness is a very sad story. A lot of people are living in terrible circumstances and I want to help them in any way I can.”
