Making a measurable difference: 2 great social projects driven by our people
Each year, Accenture people in Belgium & Luxembourg can request financial support for social projects they are actively involved in and which align with Accenture’s global Skills to Succeed goal. Alongside pro bono and volunteering engagements, the Giving Through You initiative is an important channel for accelerating the impact our people have as Corporate Citizens. Working with them, Accenture has already equipped more than 1,2 million people around the world with the skills to find a job or build a business.
We are proud to announce two laureates in 2016
FIRST PRIZE: Waste Management in Burkina Faso
Cyril Daghrir (Management Consulting Analyst) received funding for his Waste Management project in Burkina Faso. Working with Engineers without Borders, the project is creating 12 Waste Management agencies to collect, treat and valorize waste in five towns that will lead to the creation of 120 jobs and improved living conditions for 180,000 people and 15,000 schoolchildren.
Cyril: “Engineers without Borders supports engineering projects favorable to the most deprived populations on earth, many of which are devastated by pollution and insalubrity. My involvement in this great charity is to improve the organization’s processes and governance plus support the fundraising lead. With Accenture’s Giving Through You funding, we can now accelerate the impact we are already having in Burkino Faso!”
SECOND PRIZE: The Refugee Next Door in Uganda
François-Xavier Willaert (Manager in Finance & Enterprise Performance) founded his NGO The Refugee Next Door (RND) with three friends in 2007 to help Ugandan war refugees. The charity has evolved from providing humanitarian aid to empowering 100s of children, youngsters and adults to get an education and build the skills to find work or start a business. Accenture funding is supporting the NGO’s Solar Drying Center of Excellence project, enabling a new generation of hybrid sun-dryers to be built locally by small farmers to ensure ownership and sustainability.
François-Xavier: “We see huge demand in Europe for quality organic, sundried fruits. Crops in Uganda have real potential but farmers need to improve their yield. By helping them do this, RND can build a bridge between the two. In 2014, with the support of Accenture, we trained 100 farming households in more efficient and sustainable farming techniques. The initial idea was to import electric solar-dryers, but after local research and in partnership with the ULB we developed an improved hybrid solar-dryer leveraging local practices. The result? In early 2015, RND secured its first order to supply Ugandan dried pineapples to Belgium. These farmers are now on the road to financial independence. Thanks to the 2016 grant, we will be able to employ 50 more women impacting the lives of 200 people.”
About Accenture Skills To Succeed program
Together with our strategic partners, Accenture will equip more than 3 million people with the skills to get a job or build a business by the end of fiscal 2020 through its Skills to Succeed initiative. As a part of this, the company will increase its focus on the successful transition of individuals from skill-building programs to sustainable jobs and businesses, and bring together more organizations across sectors to create large scale, lasting solutions aimed at closing global unemployment gaps. Since fiscal 2011, Accenture worldwide has equipped more than 1 million people with workplace and entrepreneurial skills. In Belgium and Luxemburg, we developed 10 strategic partnerships. In fiscal 2015 this resulted in 13 pro bono projects, around 1000 man days of Accenture consultancy, and 25% of Accenture people involved in the Skills to Succeed initiatives impacting 10 000 beneficiaries.
