Schneider Electric, its employees and its Foundation take action to help population in the Philippines
  • Set-up of an emergency and reconstruction programme of €250,000 in partnership with NGO Gawad Kalinga
  • International campaign for donations at Schneider Electric

Rueil-Malmaison (France), November 18, 2013 - Following the supertyphoon Haiyan that hit the Philippines on November 8, 2013, Schneider Electric employees supported by the Group Foundation have mobilized themselves to bring their support to affected populations and prepare for reconstruction.

Schneider Electric has decided to coordinate its actions toward emergency help and reconstruction and to launch a €250,000 emergency and rebuilding programme as well as an international call for donation. These actions will be organised around two main axis:

  • Emergency: The Schneider Electric Foundation will donate €70,000 to fund food packs for 20,000 families (100,000 people);
  • Rebuilding: on the mid-term, Schneider Electric will focus its efforts on projects contributing to restore or bring energy access and projects involving the construction, reconstruction and rehabilitation of technical training centres dealing with energy management. Schneider Electric will propose to employees to volunteer in the framework of the Schneider Electric Teachers NGO.

The international campaign for donations at Schneider Electric started today and should continue until November 25, 2013. The Schneider Electric Foundation will match all donations made.

All of these initiatives will be coordinated by the Schneider Electric Foundation and its 120 delegates' network and a dedicated project team based in the Philippines. As a partner of Gawad Kalinga since August 2013, Schneider Electric will collaborate closely with this Filipino Foundation, which aims to improve the quality of life of people at the base of the pyramid, to maximize impact through its knowhow and networks.

Gawad Kalinga holistic community development program encompasses refuges, healthcare, education, food and housing. Today, it is the largest NGO in the Philippines, having set up more than 2,300 villages housing some 1 million people, with the help of around 1 million volunteers. Typhoon Haiyan affected nearly 600 of these communities.

For more than 10 years, the Schneider Electric Foundation relays employees' involvement. It has already proposed more than 10 mobilisation campaigns following natural disasters: for instance, in Japan in 2011, in Haiti, Pakistan and Chile in 2010, and in Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam in 2009. After a first contribution for emergency, the Foundation strongly invests with local teams to put Schneider Electric skills in the field of energy at the service of rebuilding.


About Schneider Electric
As a global specialist in energy management with operations in more than 100 countries, Schneider Electric offers integrated solutions across multiple market segments, including leadership positions in Utilities & Infrastructure, Industries & Machines Manufacturers, Non-residential Building, Data Centers & Networks and in Residential. Focused on making energy safe, reliable, efficient, productive and green, the Group's 140,000 plus employees achieved revenues of 24 billion euros in 2012, through an active commitment to help individuals and organizations make the most of their energy.
www.schneider-electric.com/sri

About Schneider Electric Foundation
From transmission of knowledge to sharing energy, the Schneider Electric Foundation is involved in undertaking sustainable development of Schneider Electric. Created in 1998 under the aegis of the Foundation de France, Foundation Schneider Electric is committed to projects that emphasize sustainable and practical training and integration of young people, primarily for energy related careers, education for sustainable development through innovative projects and support for emergency operations following natural disasters, always with a sense of personal involvement and promote sustainable use of its employees worldwide.
www.foundation.schneider-electric.com
www.teachers.schneider-electric.org

About Gawad Kalinga
Gawad Kalinga is a Philippine non-profit foundation established in 2003, which aims to develop communities to help improve the quality of life of poor people and those in difficult circumstances. Its holistic community development program encompasses refuges, healthcare, education, food and housing. It is a response to the call of nations wishing to build and develop solidarity and promote volunteering and public-private cooperation. Gawad Kalinga aims to help lift 5 million families out of poverty by 2024. Today, it is the largest NGO in the Philippines, having set up more than 2,000 villages housing some 1 million people, with the help of around 1 million volunteers. With its social enterprise GK Enchanted Farms Inc., the organization is adding another dimension to sustainable development by supporting 500,000 social entrepreneurs. The aim is to create enterprises that can compete in the global market and sustainable economic models for long-term wealth creation in partnership with large multinationals.
www.GK1World.com

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Schneider Electric
Véronique Roquet Montegon
Media Contact
Havas Worldwide Paris
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veronique.roquet-montegon@schneider-electric.com
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