Testimonials from sponsors

"We share the same values of respect and high expectations"

Like many of us, I am well aware of the obstacles to employment facing young people in difficulty or from so-called "problem" neighborhoods. Our job at Bus Océane is transportation, but I believe we also have a social role to play. We have been working for several years with Emergence, which fosters socio-professional integration through sport in the neighborhoods served by our buses.

I very naturally agreed to sponsor its "Au Top Pour Un Job" module, which runs different workshops to help 18-24 year olds find their feet in the labor market. Some Bus Océane employees, including myself, participate as volunteers in the mock job interviews. We receive the trainees in our offices as if they were "real" candidates and in fact we have even hired some subsequently.

Mobility

In 2006, out of the 81 people participating in the "Au Top Pour Un Job" module, 58 found a job. However, this success gave rise to a mobility problem. A lot of young people don't have personal means of transport to get to their workplace. Thanks to the Veolia Environnement Foundation, we helped finance purchase of a 9-seater vehicle that will be loaned to candidates who need it.

Surprising for a transportation company? Not at all! We continue to promote mass transit, of course, but we have to admit that our buses serve only the Le Havre metropolitan area. Outside that, transportation can be a real problem if you need to get to the big companies located very far from the city center.

Our relationship with Emergence is based on a high degree of trust. We share the same values of respect and high expectations. So, when they send candidates to us, even outside the "Au Top Pour Un Job" sessions, we always agree to see them. Some have even joined our Group.

We try to reflect the image of Le Havre, which is a multi-ethnic and multicultural city. As it happens, the different local companies met up in our premises to sign the Diversity Charter in the presence of Dominique de Villepin, Prime Minister at the time, and Azouz Begag, then Minister in charge of promoting equal opportunity. But for me, our best reward was the fact that it was Emergence that suggested using our offices as the venue for signing the charter. 

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> Émergence

Improvement of the "On your marks for a job" program aimed at 16-28 year old jobseekers .

« A way of changing people's attitude to handicap from a very young age »

Having practiced fencing to a high level - I was a member of the French team for 10 years - and worked as a sports instructor, I was naturally interested in this project, since if I'd had the opportunity, I would have liked to teach disabled children.

We all know that in junior and secondary schools, PE teachers have difficulty integrating disabled children in sports classes even though they know how happy these children would be to share this hour of sport with their classmates. It seems almost like a punishment or yet another example of focusing on the child's difference!

I know very well the simple pleasures of practicing a sport and the very intense feelings generated by taking part in a competition. Disabled children can become athletes in their own right and, through sport, can combat the inactivity imposed on them by their condition and learn - or rediscover - the joys of physical exertion. Sport is also about tolerance, respect for your opponent and controlling your energy and emotions, even your anger. True, it takes longer for these young people because they need suitable structures, but like all children, they are entitled to discover certain disciplines.

If the school system has PE teachers with a sport and disability qualification, it can combat a certain form of discrimination, change people's attitude to handicap from a very young age and - why not? - even discover future champions!

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> Fédération Française Handisport

Creation of a training center for Phys Ed teachers keen to obtain a "sport and disability" certificate.

How did you become a sponsor?

Almost by accident! My wife and I are keen horse-riders and very sensitive to children in difficulty. We wanted to make our own small contribution to society by combining the two. After some research,we found out about Cheval Dire, an organization that rescues badly treated horses and trains them to work with disabled children.

How did you go about it?

We made contact with the organization's chairwoman. She was amazed: usually she has to approach people to find financing. We attended a therapeutic riding session where horses are used as a means of physical and psychological therapy. Downs Syndrome children tend to express their joy very openly while some other severely disabled children barely seem to react. However their teachers are unanimous: in the evening, the children seem calmer, quieter and happier. To finance a new training ring and a handimove (a special device for helping disabled children mount a horse),we naturally turned to the Veolia Environnement Foundation and the SFR Foundation, since my wife works for SFR.

What's the next step?

We have put together a project called "8 sabots, 4 pieds" (8 horseshoes, 4 feet), which consists of crossing France on horseback over a distance of 800 kilometers. We will be living in complete selfsufficiency for two months, with just our sleeping bags and enough food for 24 to 48 hours. In the morning,we'll travel as far as we can and around 2 to 3 in the afternoon, we'll start looking for a place to stable the horses.

What is the purpose of this adventure?

It's an old dream but it's also a way of developing our action with Cheval Dire. We will be talking about the organization with all the people we meet: village residents, mayors, shopkeepers and entrepreneurs, etc. We also have an educational partnership with my daughter's school, which is a way of helping her cope with our long absence and also raise the awareness of the schoolchildren.

“The scale of Veolia Environnement's commitments shows that this is not just for show.”

Why this sponsorship?

There's a huge gulf between the lifestyle of "well-off" people and the inhabitants of the favelas, who spend their day trying to scratch enough money together to survive. Their time frame is the end of the day - at most, one week ahead. Vocational training is for people who are capable of projecting themselves into the future or even, quite simply, able to buy a bus ticket to attend an apprenticeship center. To provide training for these young people, who are often illiterate, you have to think outside the box. Pro Bejaru's training bus meets their needs because it goes to them. The training in breadrelated jobs (baker, pizza cook) is supported by the local authorities, which provide teachers and an operating budget. The young people then have a diploma to show a future employer. There are many openings because of the high level of tourist activity in Florianopolis.
This original project can also be easily reproduced, which is why I chose it from among others.

Is a company obliged to get involved when it works in a country with such great social disparities?

It would be immoral in a way to focus exclusively on the profitability of your business activities while ignoring the misery that exists right alongside them. If a company is to be sustainably successful, it needs to be an integral part of its environment.

Is it a way of raising the company's profile?

Obviously,we are to some extent motivated by the benefits in terms of internal and external communication. The attitude of our clients and our employees is different when they know that the company reinvests some of its profits to improve the social environment. It definitely defuses tensions.

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> Pro-Bejaru

Training young people in the shanty towns of Florianopolis in bread-related jobs thanks to a specially equipped training bus.>

« A relationship of genuine, heart-felt cooperation developed between the organization, the mayor and myself... »

Why did you decide to become an active member of Weidaer Fundgrube?

I had been wanting to get involved with an organization working in a different field from my professional life for some time. I was keen to discover a new kind of environment. Weidaer Fundgrube e. V. is the largest non-profit organization in Weida and the only one that proposes a comprehensive approach to helping people in great difficulty. I decided to take advantage of the opportunity offered by the Veolia Environnement Foundation.

You come from a large company to a non-profit organization - how were you received?

Unsurprisingly, I did encounter a certain reserve initially. People couldn't help wondering what was behind my involvement. However, quite rapidly, a relationship of genuine, heart-felt cooperation developed between the organization, the mayor and myself. The mayor was delighted that someone from the corporate world could help a private initiative in favor of people in need.

What ideas did you have for developing the organization's activity?

It produces fruit syrups using produce from its market garden. At Veolia Water (OTWA),we regularly carry out campaigns to raise awareness of water quality using a water bar that is always of great interest to children. I had the idea of adding Weidaer Fundgrube's syrups to the water in our water bar. The children are even more enthusiastic and it also allows us to promote the organization during our own campaigns.

Apparently, you also came up with new openings for fresh fruit and vegetables?

Yes, the organization produced baskets of produce for the company's end-of-year gifts. The recipients were delighted to receive these biological products. In addition,we set up a kind of weekly "soup kitchen", in collaboration with a local food company, the mayor of Weida and the pastor. The free meal is provided in the organization's premises. I would also like to organize an open day to make Weidaer known to a wider public and help distribute its market gardening produce in all the markets in the region. I would also like children in the town's schools to visit the garden that the Foundation has subsidized, where they could learn a lot about biodiversity.

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> Weidaer Fundgrube e. V

Development of the Weida market garden to offer employment to people in difficulty and find outlets for the produce.

Françoise Weber, the CEO of Triade Electronique, the Veolia Environmental Services' subsidiary specialized in recycling waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), is sponsoring a project led by the NGO Doctors of the World in the Philippines. Providing financial and non-financial assistance, the program is designed to educate communities about the health risks of treating WEEE. The sponsor explains what this means in concrete terms.

How did this project to educate Filipino families in treating waste come about?

Shortly before last summer, the Veolia Environnement Foundation team was looking for various types of expertise in recycling electrical and electronic equipment waste (WEEE). Doctors of the World had contacted it about a health problem that had been studied in Manila, in the Philippines.

Needy families were recovering WEEE to take it apart and sell the components. But contact with this type of waste can be dangerous, with, for example, a risk of cuts or fumes from toxic products of improperly managed combustion. It is dangerous for people who sort the materials, burn the cables or dismantle cathode ray tubes. It can also be polluting to the environment.

Given the situation, Doctors of the World (DOW) wanted to develop a program to make people aware of the risks and provide training in proper handling. What was your role in this project?

After doing a study that demonstrated the danger, yes, DOW wanted to act. Its partner, the Veolia Environnement Foundation, naturally turned to Triade Electronique, the entity in the company that is totally dedicated to treating WEEE. The Foundation awarded the project financial support and I decided to sponsor the project so that the funds would be combined with skills. Two Triade employees went out to the Philippines and remained there from November 24 to December 1.

What were their objectives?

The idea was to inform, educate and train, with the message that treating toxic materials is dangerous for people. So solutions had to be found to minimize the risks using protective gear and different recycling practices. That is why the two people from Triade who went to the Philippines were a technical manager, Rémi Bouvier, and a person with a broader background in our business, Eric Wascheul.

Training documents were prepared before they set out and were left behind, to be distributed to the families.

This project addresses an important and often neglected issue: the recycling of toxic solid waste in the developing countries. I believe that the technical input from the Veolia group is vital here so that this innovative and meaningful project has a sufficient scale to have a real impact.

Do you think that this type of operation can be replicated elsewhere in the world?

Definitely: there are many possibilities. The health problems associated with recycling WEEE are international. But let's start by learning as much as we can from this partnership, which is a first in several respects: the first partnership between the Foundation and Doctors of the World, and the first time Triade Electronique has contributed skills in other countries. Our two volunteers shared a lot of their experiences on the ground with their colleagues: at a recent seminar, they were asked to present the program they had participated in. It was an enriching human experience from which the entire company can benefit.
 

Alleviating the health and environmental repercussions of the activity of workers in the informal solid waste recycling sector in Manila.

“ Remember to appreciate the opportunity you've received! ”

Being on the staff of Veolia Environnement has not encompassed my entire professional career. Long before that, I had an HRD job in a sheet metal shop in the Mantes area. There was nothing extraordinary about that, except for the fact that I left the company when I shut its doors and fired everybody. We HRD people are prepared for these situations, but that is the very worst that can happen and one is not left unscathed.

I've seen men and women head out into an uncertain if not dramatic future. Where would they end up? How to help them? I had supported them by enabling them to leave with dignity, at least financially, but my help ceased once they had gone out the door.

I turned that page, and joined the CREED. I accompany our headhunters (and finders). I'm fascinated by my work, I like the young people and the group attracts me... and yet a little voice tells me "remember to appreciate the opportunity that you've received".

The encounter

For some time, I couldn't reconcile my private and professional life with a harder reality closer to home: the Val Fourré neighborhood, inhabited by a population in social and economic difficulty... and sometimes worse. I felt a growing frustration with my inability to give to others. And then I had a meeting with an executive of Aptima, who made me want to join them, to help them, to offer them my meager skills in Human Resources.

All this happened progressively. A first meeting to introduce me, to be adopted by the small group of idealistic entrepreneurs. A second to become familiar with their activities and their expectations. The meetings followed one another. They were held once every month. We addressed issues of collective bargaining, recruitment, project development, profitability, late subsidies... everything that I had learned in my little sheet metal job.

The publics received by APTIMA are men and women who have had the misfortunate of never having gone to school, of being born in the wrong place, of making mistakes, sometimes battered women... But all determined to take their lives in their hands by learning a craft and rejoining the professional world.

I have accompanied this ship for more than five years now. My present functions barely leave me any time, but with the other executives and the staff team, the APTIMA project is advancing, and every day brings us gratitude for this adventure.

Neither my political or religious convictions, nor my social connections, have pointed to my executive role in APTIMA. It's simply the culmination of my personal history. The fact of knowing that one is lucky to have a job and a roof over one's head. I'm not saying that we await our fate with arms folded. I only stretch out my hand to those who do likewise. But these people, executives and employees, are inspired by a desire to control their fate, and it was worthwhile to devote some of my time (sometimes to the detriment of my four kids, my husband, my friends) since they stretched out their hands to me.

By supporting APTIMA, by engaging with it, I also pay a tribute to my "Choumacs" (that's what French sheet metal workers call each other). They gave me a lot and in my turn, I give too.

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> Aptima

Opening of a workshop for recycling small household appliances and furniture within a subsidized employment company.

“ I am guided, first and foremost, by my environmental values. ”

Why did you choose to support this project?

I was interested by the fact that it combined sustainable development and an association of French and Spanish regions. Its aim is to inculcate respect for the environment in young people, something that is very important because it is our future that is at stake.

What were your personal motivations?

I wanted to do a little more in favor of the planet. By sponsoring this program, I am contributing to raising awareness and preservation of resources. We all have a responsibility in this matter but we're not sufficiently aware of it. It is a huge chain and I wanted to be one of the links.

Can we say that the project transcends borders?

We are some 50 to 60 kilometers from Spain. The whole region revolves around Spain and there are already many partnerships in place. For Sargantana, this cross-border aspect is particularly important since the whole issue of environmental conservation does not just stop at the Pyrenees: natural resources transcend political and geographical borders.

And at the international level?

Environmental conservation concerns all countries of course. But I believe you have to act at the local level where you can make a difference - it's a bit like a jigsaw puzzle. Everyone can act at his or her level and every action has an effect on the environment.

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> ETL Sargantana

Environmental conservation projects for young French and Spanish people

“ If I could, I'd propose three projects a year! ”

How did you find out about Douleurs Sans Frontières?

A member of my family regularly participates in missions with the organization and we had talked about it many times. This person gives a lot of their time and even financial support, like all the people involved in DSF.

How did you come to sponsor the project in Armenia?

Gérard Robin, a member of DSF and a child psychiatrist, talked to me about a program to develop psychological support for children and their mothers in Gumri, in Armenia. These people are very affected by their experiences of war but also by the earthquakes and were in a downward spiral of defeat and trauma, which was being transmitted from generation to generation. I immediately saw the connection between the project to build a kindergarten and the Foundation's mission. In addition, DSF recruits and trains local people to keep the initiative going. I believed these two factors would be of interest to the Foundation, especially after the signature of the company's first contract in Armenia.

Apart from the financial aspect, what can this kind of support bring?

Transmission of know-how and creation of jobs in a country that needs these things. The initiative is also a communication platform for the whole of Veolia Environnement, since DSF is frequently in contact with ambassadors and the economic players in the region. Our action highlights the human dimension.

What did you get out of this experience?

For me, obtaining a grant was a wonderful achievement.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT SUPPORTED
> Douleurs sans frontières

Renovation of the Aragatz-Anna center in Gumri, which cares for children traumatized by war or earthquakes.

“ Restoring the dignity of young people who have had a tough start in life ”

When you see the street children in Morocco begging in the narrow little streets or cleaning windscreens for a few dirhams, you very quickly realize how lucky our own children are.

AMESIP is particularly keen to restore the dignity of these young people who have had a tough start in life. It helps them discover another way of living and encourages them to move back into society. This project appealed to me straight away, partly because the idea of training young people in the circus arts is a novel idea that doesn't exist anywhere else in Africa, and partly because it harks back to the old Moroccan traditions of jugglers and acrobats. It's a wonderful way of reintegrating these children because it lets them learn a trade while also having fun, in a way giving them the childhood that they never had.

Thanks to this project, some of the young people have even attended the Annie Fratellini school.

My commitment was really reinforced when we carried out the technical audits and assessed the needs:we had to upgrade all the electrical circuits of the big top - the children were exposed to very unsafe conditions, with an imminent risk of fire or electrocution. That really made me realize we had an important role to play - we were able to intervene both through the Veolia Environnement Foundation and also thanks to the expertise of Veolia Environmental Services Morocco.

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> AMESIP

Support for the Salé circus school which provides care and training with the aim of resocializing abandoned children.

“ A wonderful lesson in life! ”

Head of recruitment and mobility at Veolia Environmental Services, sponsors the "Water Lily" non profit organization, which is installing a waste management project in Antananarivo.

When the Water Lily students contacted the Veolia Environnement Foundation, I met with them to evaluate their motivation and the soundness of their project -I have experience in wastemanagement, recruitment issues and Madagascar,having spent two years there during my military service.I found their project well put together : it was financially sound and their analysis of the social aspects was satisfactory. When you want to reorganize waste collection in a developing country, youhave to take account of all the families who eke out a -miserable - living from what they can scavenge from dumps. You can't deprive them of their sole source of income.

Veolia Environmental Services manages the entire waste collection system in Alexandria in Egypt and so we have experience in this field. We sent two project leaders there to study our organization.

In June 2006, when their mission is completed, I will spend a week with them in Madagascar during my holidays to find out what they have done: it's interesting to see what young people, with their new way of looking at things, can come up with inconnection with an issue that we don't know much about in developing countries, where it's impossible to export our model of industrialized waste management.

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> Water Lily

Support for setting up a waste management activity in an Antananarivo neighborhood.

“ Anybody can end up on the street! ”

As a student, I worked as general coordinator for the non-profit organization FACE which managed a network of student organizations involved in various fields including outreach and prevention. That was how I met the voluntary chairwoman of Autremonde. I joined the local team of volunteers a little overthree years ago.

One evening a week, I'm on "truck duty". There are about 10 ofus in each truck and we park near one of the Paris railway stations - for me that's the Gare du Nord. Between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m.we welcome all-comers: young people, older people, French people, foreigners, homeless people... anyone living in precarious or isolated circumstances outside mainstream society who isseeking a little human warmth. They're not necessarily unemployed - some ofthem have jobs. We offer them coffee and pastries: it's just an excuse to talk, listen and re-establish contact.

After a few weeks, when we have won their trust, we can direct them towards institutions or non-profit organizations that can help them deal with their problems. It's a great lesson in humility! Nobody can say it will never happen to them - these days, anybody can end up on the street. I have met former lawyers and other solid citizens... Just listening to their problems, which generally nobody does, has changed my way of looking at them- and at myself too. It's the best way of understanding the distress of these people who have lost everything.

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> Autremonde

Renovating the reception area in the "Autremonde" café catering for people in difficulty.