The international Catholic NGO - the Jesuit Refugee Service – was founded in 1980 in Rome by Pedro Arrupe, then Superior General of the Society of Jesus. The bilingual branch of JRS-International, JRS-Belgium (the Jesuit Refugee Service - Belgium) was founded in 2001 at the request of the then superiors of the Flemish and southern Belgian Jesuit provinces, following an upsurge in the arrival of refugees in Belgium. The administrative office set up in Brussels was made up of three members, including two Jesuits. JRS-Belgium also has the support of a network of volunteers, including Jesuits, in Bruges, Antwerp, Louvain and Liege.

It was clear from the outset that the activities of JRS-Belgium would focus mainly on Belgian detention centres for foreigners. Indeed, in the spirit of JRS-International, the Belgian branch set out to identify forgotten areas with glaring needs. Detention centres, a good example of such areas, have always been one of JRS-Belgium's priorities. Support for unaccompanied minors, advocacy on behalf of refugees and raising public awareness in cooperation with other NGOs have been among the central aspects of our programme ever since.

Today, the office team includes three members, backed by a network of volunteers whose actions focus essentially on detention centres. Cooperation between lay and religious JRS supporters, enable the organisation to respond to the needs of refugees in various areas.

On 4 December, JRS-Belgium became a non-profit organisation, which statute can be read in the Bulletin of Acts, Orders and Decrees.