“Today, we can and should have the courage to take action and not just ignore or turn away. Every one of us can play his or her part, however small,” said Jean Carré, Chairman of the Eiffage Foundation, during a seminar held in Paris on Thursday 3 November 2016, at the site of one of the associations financially supported by the Foundation, "Cuisine mode d’emploi(s)", which was attended by more than 80 participants. Project supporters are Eiffage employees and former employees who provide voluntary support for community projects that the Foundation also supports through funding.
“For almost 9 years now, the Eiffage Foundation has acknowledged your efforts and financed the projects put forward by you. This is its purpose: to be a vector for support, but also for creativity, sharing, emulation, questioning, and a better future,” continued Jean Carré. Since it came into being in March 2008, the Foundation has supported nearly 170 projects that have inspired 196 project supporters from the Eiffage Group. The average amount of funding provided to these associations by the Foundation is approximately €12,000.
“The Eiffage Foundation is a keystone and a source of pride that reflects the Group’s involvement in the places where it operates, and its commitment to contributing to their future,” said Benoît de Ruffray who attended the event. “When our employees are engaged and fulfilled, this has a positive effect on the Group’s performance,” he added. He also called on the Foundation’s team to “think bigger, aim higher and achieve greater things”.
Feedback from the various participants and association representatives who attended the event, during the working groups organised in the afternoon for instance, relayed the same message. Xavier Lanthiez, the Foundation’s executive director, specified that from hereon in, as well as projects put forward directly by Group employees and former employees and large multi-year projects managed by major associations such as the “Jardins de Cocagne” national network (inclusion through organic market gardening) or the “ATD Quart-Monde” movement (testing integration projects to tackle long-term unemployment), the Foundation intends to support new projects in priority urban areas that suffer from high levels of unemployment. The Foundation’s support in this area will be structured, with actors identified upstream and an annual target in terms of project numbers.
The project supporters and association representatives present underlined the effectiveness of these associations on the ground. Thomas Dailly from Clemessy Services has supported the “Émergence” association in Le Havre that uses sport to encourage social and professional integration. He explained: “These organisations on the ground often see better results [than government bodies] and promote values such as work ethic, discipline, giving your best and respect,” that are particularly sought after in the workplace.
Mohamadou Macquillou Camara from Eiffage Sénégal and Philippe Galiègue, a retired Gauthey employee, showed how the “Hydraulique sans Frontières” association is contributing to the improvement of water quality, and therefore promoting better health and hygiene, for people in a village in Senegal. The “Bouée d’Espoir” association in Paris, supported by Florent Bonnet from Pradeau & Morin, helps people in major difficulty get back on track by giving them a financial boost.
The working groups attended by seminar participants in the afternoon also identified various levers that could help raise the Foundation’s profile within the Group, encourage site workers and employees to submit applications, improve links with former employees and make current project supporters the main ambassadors for the Foundation.
