PPG Completes COLORFUL COMMUNITIES Project at Habbekrats Charity for Vulnerable Young People in Ghent

PPG announced the completion of a COLORFUL COMMUNITIES project at De Fabriek, the home of the Habbekrats children’s rights charity in Ghent. Using more than 400 liters and 15 colors of SIGMA COATINGS paint by PPG, 25 volunteers and partners transformed the center into a vibrant and inspiring place for children and young people growing up in vulnerable home situations.

De Fabriek tells a powerful story – what was once a tannery where children were forced to work has now been returned to young people as a haven to play and grow. Today, the center supports over 2,500 children and teenagers annually, providing them with play areas, creative studios and dedicated meeting spaces where they can discover their talents.

Walls and floors were treated with durable Sigma Pearl Clean Semi Matt and Tigron Aqua Satin coatings using PROGOLD® equipment, perfectly suited to a place where children play and run about every day. The volunteers chose soft, soothing shades including Tarreyton and Secret Safari – PPG’s 2026 Color of the Year – in the areas where young people can relax. More vibrant colors bring energy to the action zone, along with a mural designed by Lieven Seys, PPG senior marketing manager B2B Benelux, Architectural Coatings.
“For many of our young people, Habbekrats is a real home – a place where they can simply be children without a care in the world,” said Chris Van Lysebetten, general coordinator at Habbekrats. “This transformation gives them the warm environment they so richly deserve. The timing could hardly be better; later this year, Habbekrats is celebrating its 35th anniversary with a big party.”

The project involved several partners; social enterprise Weerwerk took charge of the major painting work, while art collective PNCHR refreshed an impressive wall featuring the Rights of the Child in 40 languages.

“For us, this is about much more than a fresh coat of paint; we want to give these children a sense of beauty and security once again,” said Patrick van onderbergen, PPG specification manager Belgium, Architectural Coatings. “It’s wonderful to see how a place with such a raw industrial past has now become a source of color. This is where our commitment to people and sustainability really comes to life. PPG is about much more than paint – we want to make a direct contribution to well-being and a better living environment.”

The Colorful Communities program, PPG’s signature initiative for supporting communities, aims to protect and beautify the neighborhoods where PPG operates around the world. Through the program, PPG’s committed volunteers contribute their time and PPG paint products to help transform community assets – from painting classrooms to bringing color to a maternity ward and redesigning a playground. Since 2015, PPG has completed over 635 Colorful Communities projects, impacting more than 10.3 million people in over 50 countries.