FOU DE LILOU

Fou de Lilou is a Belgian non-profit organization inspired by 14-year-old Lilou — a vibrant sit-skier who, after a life-changing accident, now dreams of competing in the 2030 Winter Paralympics. In addition to supporting Lilou’s personal journey, the organization is dedicated to breaking down social and physical barriers for children in wheelchairs.

Mission
Fou de Lilou is currently working on a children’s fiction book titled Rolling Dreams, to be published later this year by a Belgian publishing house. The book is inspired by Lilou’s story (but not autobiographical) and aims to spark conversations in classrooms about inclusion, resilience, and the possibilities of life in a wheelchair — and on a sit-ski.

But the project goes beyond storytelling. The organization also plans to organize interactive wheelchair obstacle courses in schools and youth centers — spaces where children can physically experience the daily challenges wheelchair users face, from narrow doorways to uneven sidewalks. By combining play, learning, and empathy, Fou de Lilou aims to help kids feel the barriers — and realize how much can be improved.

How Protest Helps Make the Dream Possible
Thanks to the support of the Protest FUN(D) program, Fou de Lilou is now able to scale this impact. The €5,000 donation will help fund the mobile rollout of these wheelchair workshops, allowing the organization to reach more schools, youth events, and festivals throughout Belgium.

The goal is simple but powerful: to show children that mobility challenges don’t end dreams — they create new ones. The initiative also ties in with adaptive sports like sit-skiing, helping kids see how sports can unlock new worlds.

“Protest is a dream partner — not just for Lilou’s ski ambitions, but also for her story. Their support brings us closer to the mountains and into classrooms. Together, we’re building a more inclusive future — where mobility challenges don’t stop dreams, they shape them.”
— Pieter Hens, Fou de Lilou

The Story Behind Fou de Lilou
Before the accident, Lilou’s world revolved around gymnastics. As an elite A-level gymnast, she trained several times a week, driven by passion, discipline, and a love for movement. But in the summer of 2022, during a long-awaited family trip to South Africa, a devastating car accident changed everything. At just 12 years old, Lilou was left paralyzed from the waist down.

What followed was a harsh reality — and a remarkable story of resilience. After weeks in a South African hospital and a medical evacuation to Belgium, Lilou began an intense physical and emotional recovery: rehabilitation, adapting her home, and returning to school much earlier than doctors had anticipated.

But she also had to confront a profound question: If I can no longer do what I loved most, what will give me joy again?

She explored several adaptive sports — wheelchair racing, para ice hockey, even sit-wakeboarding. But it wasn’t until she discovered sit-skiing that something truly clicked. On the slopes, Lilou found not just adrenaline and challenge, but something even deeper: freedom. A way to move fast, independently, and without limits.

Today, she trains three times a week and spends at least 80 days a year in the mountains — all while staying on top of her schoolwork. Her dream? To compete in the 2030 Winter Paralympics.

Sport and Awareness
To support this ambitious path, Lilou’s family founded Fou de Lilou, a non-profit with two main goals:

• To make Lilou’s demanding (and costly) training, travel, and equipment program possible;
• And to use her story to raise awareness among children and youth about mobility, inclusion, and resilience.

The Power of Storytelling
One of the organization’s most exciting tools is the upcoming children’s book “Lilou – Het Zitski Complot”.

The story revolves around Lilou’s growing frustration: why is she always placed in the same adapted sport group on school sports days? Then, an unexpected twist leads her to a sit-ski lesson that changes everything. It’s a funny, moving story about passion, perseverance, friendship, and the complex dynamics between Lilou and her classmate Steffi — who might not be as tough as she seems.

The book is at the heart of a larger school outreach tour, combining classroom readings, interactive presentations, and wheelchair skills workshops. The aim is to get children thinking, moving, and empathizing — and to help them experience just a small part of the barriers others face daily.

Learn more at: www.foudelilou.be
Registered Non-Profit Number: BE 1001.874.101