How it started

How did it all start? We have to go back to January 2011, the moment Irene, the founder of the sanctuary, saw pictures of Belle on the internet. Pictures that made her cry, from sadness and happiness at the same time. Sadness, because she saw the intense look of desperation in Belle her eyes while her whole expression radiated a severe untold suffering. Happiness, because Irene also felt the hope this little girl tried to grasp, after 12 years of living in the darkness and somehow, at exactly that moment, she knew they belong together. That’s where the magic started and it never stopped.

Begin 2015, a few weeks after Belle became blind, we started a Facebook page Little Belle where we just had the idea to share how Belle experienced her life, how she found her inner joy again and embraced every day with a zest for life that never ceased to amaze us.
Soon, the number of her followers started to grow and grow, and especially when we shared a video with Little Belle her inspiring story, the number of friends around the world became more than we could ever imagine.

Belle her way of sensing everything around her with pure happiness, an unending curiosity, and her strong warrior spirit, she who overcame so many obstacles in her life and could still enjoy life in such a profound way, inspired and keeps inspiring many people.