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BlogTV: Volunteers without borders

Isabelle Palsky — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 15:09:58 +0000

Repeat

Microfinance Sans Frontières is a project that matches eager volunteers, both working and retired, with microfinance institutions, or MFIs, around the world. The match is made on the basis of the needs to of the MFIs and the particular skills and schedules of the individuals involved.

How are these volunteers recruited? And how exactly does the organization work?

We turn to Benoît Monsaingeon, Founder and President of MFSF, and two volunteers, to give us an idea of what volunteering in the field of microfinance is all about.

“Homework school” fills an educational gap

Saskiana Dotremont — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 14:25:57 +0000

Like the “Helping Hand” programme in France, the Belgian Help2Help programme is designed to encourage solidarity initiatives supported on a voluntary basis by the Group’s employees in Belgium.

The programme’s funds, which are distributed by the BNP Paribas Fortis Foundation, are allocated to different types of assistance such as purchasing equipment for a soup kitchen, buying a vehicle for transporting educational materials in Haiti, creating care packages for the homeless, and many more.

Thirty not-for-profit projects were selected during our recent call for applications, including the Ait-Zekri-Belgique association, which was founded and is run single-handedly by a BNP Paribas Fortis employee.

Its mission? To facilitate the integration of young immigrants by designing and developing actions and activities that foster intercultural exchanges between the different communities. The association places particular importance on children’s education and has developed a number of projects that offer tutoring and after school activities.

The establishment of a “homework school”, in collaboration with the local authority, is primarily intended to support young people (mainly residents of Molenbeek) throughout the course of their education, from primary school to the end of high school.

The city of Molenbeek is providing the premises in exchange for a modest financial contribution. The main goal is to fill an educational need – helping the children of immigrants to do their homework – which their parents are unable to provide. This simple lack is a major cause of children dropping out of school. The requested contribution will finance furnishing a study room. The association is sorely lacking in basic supplies, such as chairs, tables, a blackboard, flip charts, markers, books, dictionaries, pens, chalk, etc.

The assistance provided by Help2Help will finance fitting out these premises to enable this homework school to get off to a running start!

Japan staff volunteer in the Tohoku region

Daniel Boyd — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 08:51:55 +0000

26 members of staff joined the first BNP Paribas Tohoku volunteer activity from June 22 until June 25. After an overnight bus ride the group arrived in one of Japan’s most affected areas, Minamisanriku. The tsunami came inland as far as 4 kilometres, leaving devastation on a shocking scale. Despite the size of the earthquake, the visible damage was caused by the tsunami. Some areas are completely destroyed and yet just metres away other buildings look normal.

The first day was spent filling large sacks with gravel to be used in farming shell fish. Thousands of the sacks are needed to rebuild some of the infrastructure to re-start local production. Each sack is filled with around 40 kilograms of gravel and tied in a specific way.

The second day was spent cleaning a hotel in the town of Kessenuma. The hotel’s lower floors were destroyed by the tsunami but some plates and cutlery had been salvaged in the aftermath. The drainage surrounding the building was also heavily blocked and needed clearing. By the end of the day, our team had cleaned all the plates and cutlery and cleared completely cleared the drains.

The group’s hotel accommodation was located near the Hiraizumi area, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site on Sunday, June 26. Before coming back on Saturday, the volunteers took a brief guided tour of the area. It was the first English tour that our guide had given since the March earthquake and it was moving to see her heartfelt gratitude for our visit.

Everyone who went had something to take away from the experience, and helped made a contribution, however small, to the region. Other trips will be made to the same region in the coming months.

Project Bench Restoration in Regent’s Park

Monique Kleingunther — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 12:45:31 +0000

On 8 June, a team of seven members of our UK staff set off in the direction of Regent’s Park in London to take on Project Bench Restoration: part I of our summer park projects.

Before we began, Sara and Jordanna from the Royal Parks Foundation gave us a quick demo on cleaning and sanding our benches. We all took a minute to note who our benches were dedicated to (mine was to a lady called Mary Knight) before we taped over the plaques – this protects the brass from the teak oil we used later to paint the benches.

After a morning of labour (and several breaks…it’s harder work than I expected!), we had lunch under a fir tree in the rain, huddled together with Sara and Jordanna who described a day in the life of a park employee…anything but ordinary!

After lunch we patted down our benches with damp cloths – to remove excess sanding dust – after which we painted them with teak oil. Standing back to admire the products of our 4-hour labour, all of us were feeling quite pleased with ourselves.

Already, I am anxious for “Mary Knight’s” bench to be back in its place in the Rose Garden. I want people to be able to take a seat, and hope that they admire not only the paint work, but also the time and care that goes into keeping Regent’s Park – from every ounce of soil to the top of the trees in perfect condition.

The work carried out by our volunteers, which is done through our partnership with the Royal Parks Foundation, is not only important to the sustainability of the park but also to the families who have dedicated the benches in memory of their loved ones.

Team members: Jordanna Greaves, Antoinio Kittler, Fabien Duval, Benoit Pingat, Femi Oboise, Monique Kleingunther, Hugues Rolland, Arthur Zacharias

Two new vehicles for the Anaïs association in Morocco

Nabil Hamri — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 16:17:48 +0000

Arval Morocco is committed to supporting the activities of Anaïs, an association that supports people with mental disabilities throughout their lives.

In a presentation ceremony attended by representatives of Anaïs, Arval Morocco— represented by Mathias de Toldi, Redouane Frid and Nabil Hamri—donated two Toyota Prados to the association to assist it in carrying out its various projects.

This event, a way for Arval Morocco to express its support for the community, was held at the new Espace d’Anaïs in Bouskoura, a community centre dedicated to welcoming and educating children with mental disabilities.

Anaïs is a not-for-profit association that offers psycho-educational support to people with mild to moderate mental disabilities, particularly those with Down’s syndrome. Among its many objectives, it also provides needed support to the families of these individuals, and works to inform professionals, institutions and public opinion about mental disabilities.

Creative Talent on display at the employees’ Summer Exhibition

Monique Kleingunther — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 16:13:09 +0000

Are you familiar with the Royal Academy of Arts’ Summer Exhibition? A highlight in the London art calendar, the event brings together a wide range of works by established, unknown and emerging artists.

For the first time this year, BNP Paribas in the UK wanted to replicate the exhibition among its employees, in the spirit of creativity and exchange. Ludovic de Montille, CEO of BNP Paribas in the UK, says that the idea for the exhibition “came about through [our employees] and was inspired by our ongoing partnership with the Royal Academy of Arts”. It represents a platform for employees to showcase their artistic pursuits within the workplace.

The initiative began with a call for submissions in April… and following an enthusiastic response, a curtain was raised on our own Summer Exhibition on the evening of 22 June.

Through the quiet music of the viola-violin duo playing in the background, the enthusiasm for this collective effort was tangible. Guests had the opportunity to vote, and spent the evening observing, appreciating and discussing the works on display, pens and voting cards in hand. The works are on display for all employees in the UK to enjoy until 15 July.

Surprise announcement at Gay Pride Month kick-off event in New York

Jennifer Linn — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 16:41:07 +0000

Imagine that you had to pay thousands of dollars in taxes on your spouse’s health benefits while the rest of your married officemates did not have to do so. Sounds pretty unfair, no?

Many same-sex couples across the US that face at every paycheck, where their partner’s benefits are taxed. Conversely, these benefits are not taxable for opposite sex couples.

BNP Paribas US territory management has recognized this inequality and decided to take action by enacting Tax Equalization for same-sex couples. With this policy, the bank is at the vanguard by being among the first few banks in the US to offset this tax burden to ensure all employees are treated equally.

It was especially poignant to have this policy announced by Everett Schenk – Head of Region – North America during the Gay Pride Month kick off event sponsored by GLOBE (Gay, Lesbian, and Other BNPP Employees’ networking group) at the beginning of June. Participants addressed the cost incurred by those GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender) employees who are not comfortable being their authentic selves in the work place. The discussion was led by Claudia Woody, who serves as IBM’s Global GLBT Council Chair and is the Managing Director for IBM Global Intellectual Property. She delineated the costs to businesses that do not support or provide an inclusive environment for their GLBT employees.

It’s really exciting for us employees to see BNP Paribas’ leadership on this issue and their ongoing commitment to GLBT equality in the workplace.

The “I Volunteer” programme marks another milestone in Bahrain

Tracy Elwick — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 16:22:33 +0000

The members of the “I Volunteer” team in Bahrain marked another milestone by leading a fun “EduArt” activity on June 2. The event was held at the Bahrain Rehabilitation Centre in Isa Town, which houses BNP Paribas’ Equal Possibilities Centre (BEPC), a facility dedicated to teaching office administration skills to individuals with disabilities that will enable them to find office-based jobs.

To start the day, seventeen volunteers from BNP Paribas took a tour of the Centre, alongside representatives from the Ministry of Social Development and the BEPC project team. The volunteers then interacted with over 40 students at the centre, leading them in various activities such as reading, arts and crafts and sports…

The BEPC was created in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Development in Bahrain, with the funds that were raised by the I Volunteer program when it launched last year. The centre is the complete responsibility of BNP Paribas, though support is offered from the Ministry in sourcing the trainers, curriculum and facilities.

The BEPC is open to individuals with disability who are currently enrolled with the Ministry’s rehabilitation centre.

I Volunteer, which aims to engage employees in volunteerism and fund-raising initiatives that make a difference in their local community, is a key part of the bank’s STARS Corporate Social Responsibility programme.

Profile of an organization: “92 FoFo Niger”

Sophie Bonnaud-Le Roux — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 10:08:21 +0000

92 FoFo Niger is an organization that assists the disadvantaged population of Niamey, the capital of Niger. It has 5 active and deeply committed core members, supported by about thirty additional members. The “Coup de pouce” (Helping Hand) programme is supporting a project to create a hospital wing for malnourished children at C.R.E.N.I. (the Intensive Nutritional Recovery Centre) in the capital.

We spoke to Doriane Derly, an employee of the Group who received a funding from “Coup de pouce”, and Françoise Wauquier, President of 92 FoFo Niger.

What is your role in this organization?

Doriane: I’ve been the secretary for 12 years. I take care of administrative tasks and of managing the accounts, as well as designing and executing projects. Each year, I return to Niamey to visit the facilities that we’ve created and to meet the people that we’re helping.

I also devote time to organising and participating in the private sales of hand-made crafts that have been our only source of funding in recent years. We buy local crafts in Niamey for resale in Paris, and reinvest the profits in our activities. We do this at much lower prices than you’ll find in small Paris boutiques, and, most importantly, the money we raise returns to benefit the country: this is our sales pitch in a nutshell.

Does your work as a volunteer give you an opportunity to put your professional skills to good use?

Doriane: Yes, absolutely. I work in finance, and my professional skills have been very helpful to me in managing the organization’s accounts and in monitoring projects. Although the context is quite different, I use the organizational skills that I’ve developed in my professional life for the benefit of the organization. Finally, I travel a lot for my job, and I’m in contact with different cultures and habits. To be a volunteer in a humanitarian organisation, it’s essential to have an open mind and not to be judgemental.

What is your most striking memory from your involvement with this organisation?

Doriane: During a mission to Niamey in 2009, I met a little 7 year-old girl: she was in her mother’s arms, and weighed only 8 kilos. The look in the mother’s eyes when she looked at her smiling child was one of unconditional love. I was deeply moved by this little girl, and I managed to convince a medical facility to give her emergency care. Today, that little girl is still alive; she can smile at her mother and give her a child’s love. But I’d rather focus on the idea that the best memories are the ones that we’re making for the future. I’d also like to give you a different image of Niger: a very attractive country that’s bursting with human potential. I discovered Niger in 1997. It was my first major trip outside of Europe; it was a shock, and love at first sight! I hope that this “helping hand” doesn’t end with financial assistance, but also inspires others to join us. We need more good volunteers!

Why was 92 FoFo Niger created?

Françoise: The organization was founded in 1993 by 12 members of the socio-medical staff of the General Council (GC) of Hauts de Seine, after returning from a canoe trip on the Niger River. While bivouacking from village to village, we were very struck by how few resources the local residents had, despite the fact that they had the benefits of access to the river, a very valuable asset in a country marked by significant water shortages. These people had no health or social welfare coverage. Having lived in Niger, I had African friends who had set up a local organization staffed by doctors and nurses. They asked for our help from France, and on our returned we created 92 FoFo Niger (which means “Hauts-de-Seine says hello to Niger”).

In its early years, the organization received grants from the Institut des Hauts de Seine, which comes under the authority of the GC. Its first mission was to collect, sort and distribute medicines. Next, we completely outfitted a free health clinic on the outskirts of Niamey, in the village of Liboré. We then began to address the needs of disabled people and malnourished children.

Is there a particular activity that was supported by the organization that you feel has had an especially positive result?

Françoise: 11 years ago, we equipped the free clinic at Liboré with a hydraulic solar pump that provides running water. Over the years, we have also completely rebuilt the school for the blind in Niamey. Today, this school is well managed and we continue to supply the school with books in Braille on a regular basis.

What are the organization’s plans for the future?

Françoise: We support a charity for women and children affected by mental or motor disabilities, AFEAH (the Organization of Women and Children with Disabilities). This organization, based in Niamey, has created discussion groups where women can share their ideas and feel less alone. 92 FoFo Niger subsidises their weekly meetings, which are also an opportunity for the women and their children to meet with a physiotherapist and a psychiatrist. Our priority is to continue our involvement with this organization that we’re particularly attached to, especially given our awareness of the degree to which disabilities are misunderstood in this culture that sees disabilities as divine punishment: disabled people are marginalised and shunned.

Doriane: Provided that we’re able to find grants, we also plan to open a women’s centre focusing on education and on promoting a form of microcredit known as a “tontine”. This is a self-organised system of savings and credit that allows women to start small businesses by pooling their funds. The idea is to extend this practice to enable women to develop income-generating activities and to increase their independence. This project is still at a preliminary stage, but it fits in well with the local culture and practices.

The BNP Paribas Foundation’s “Coup de Pouce for Employee Projects” programme provides support for projects run by not-for-profit organizations of broad general interest, with which BNP Paribas employees are involved as volunteers. Since its creation in 2003, the Foundation has provided support for more than 380 health and solidarity projects in France and abroad.