Education and sustainability with UNICEF
In the last decade we’ve proudly supported different projects around the globe. It is not about us, but about the people and the communities where we operate. For any donation at Umicore, people are at our heart and our focus goes to education and sustainability.
On the International Day of Education we reaffirm our commitment to supporting the education of children around the globe and together with UNICEF we are able to reach children that are in most need. Shaping the future of the world is the best investment.
“Through the programs of UNICEF, we have been able, in the last ten years, to help hundreds of children getting a better education, mainly in Asia and Africa. In those parts of the world, the needs are gigantic, but every step counts and we are determined to continue our support in the future”, said Quentin Poncelet, member of the Umicore donation committee.
“We want to create a world where children reach their full potential. This shapes a better tomorrow because children are the future.”
Phillippe Schyns, partnerships manager at UNICEF
Umicore has supported projects in Madagascar, India & Haiti. “I feel lucky” shared Gregoire, a child supported by the UNICEF program in Madagascar. “ I wasn’t good in school before I had to stop, but the new materials and the way the teacher helped me in the catch-up classes supported by Umicore makes me like school again.” UNICEF was able to build 16 sustainable classrooms in Madagascar. These cyclone-resistant eco-friendly classrooms make it possible for 800 children to go to school and include furniture, hygiene kits, water and sanitation facilities. Marie, a teacher supported by UNICEF shared her experience with us: “The work UNICEF delivered thanks to Umicore has allowed me to strengthen my teaching capacities. I’ve been able to attend seminars for the first time and benefit from educations support and reading materials. We, teachers, were given books to apply everything we learned.”
Gender inequality is also an important topic in our work with UNICEF. Thanks to our partnership we connected 1.4 million girls through Meena Manch, a program providing young girls with life skills. Noorsahara, an Indian girl, comments: “Umicore has helped my friends to save my life when I was 13. I was about to be married to my neighbor’s son. Thanks to what my friends learned through Meeena Manch, they convinced my family to cancel my marriage. I was able to complete my school education and build a future.”