The Tsunami, one year after: Solidarity in action
with Schneider Electric
Human strength
The commitment of Schneider Electric employees in the Tsunami campaign
is unprecedented.
The day of mobilization proposed to employees, January 18, 2005 united
71 countries for total donations of US$853,371.
The strength of this mobilization effort naturally originates in the desire of
employees but also in the networked organization. It is an original and
appropriate means chosen by the Schneider Electric Youth
Opportunities Foundation for its neighborhood, human and long-term
activities to reinforce the vitality of the people involved.
>Committed Employees
When it was founded in 1998, the Schneider Electric Foundation’s
purpose was not to provide support to emergency action. It was mainly to
relay the requests of employees that it became regularly involved in this
field. Campaigns were thus proposed in 1999 (earthquake in Turkey), in
2000 (flooding in Germany and Algeria), 2001 (9/11 in the US) and finally in
2003 (earthquakes in Algeria).
Following the disasters created by the tsunamis, in January 2005 the
employees participated with their company in the global movement of
solidarity and many also reacted individually.
>Volunteer employees
These employees, called "delegates", are the initiators and the relays of the
actions of the Schneider Electric Foundation across all of the company’s
sites worldwide. They are the people who organized and locally
coordinated the “Tsunami” mobilization campaign in record time.
Today the Schneider Electric Foundation has 200 delegates in 70
countries.
Outside France, a delegate routinely represents 2 or 3 sites and manages a
team of correspondents in his/her country.
Their tasks consist in:
>selecting the local partnerships in the area of training and the social
integration of young people and managing them,
>developing local events tailored to the culture of the country to mobilize
employees as best possible,
>inform employees of the activities of the Schneider Electric Foundation
on the different sites.
>Assigned Employees
Given the breadth of the operation, a specific organization was set up for
the “Tsunami” campaign in particular for the many reconstruction projects.
Local coordinators were set up in India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
These company employees are in charge of:
>identifying projects,
>defining the projects and submitting the assistance proposals to the
Schneider Electric Foundation that approves them,
>regularly monitoring the projects and providing progress reports.
At the Foundation level, one person monitors and consolidates all the
projects supported.
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The Tsunami, one year after: Solidarity in action
with Schneider Electric
>The Coordinators Network
India – Mansi Argawal and Abhimanyu Sahu
Indonesia – Elaine Engel
Sri Lanka – Sajeewa Karunatilaka
Thailand – Ladawan Jaito
Foundation – Karine Gamez
Testimonial
Elaine Engel – HRD Indonesia – Schneider Electric
Indonesian Coordinator
"I devote one quarter of my time to managing help to victims. I am helped
by 5 project managers. Every 2 weeks we touch base with the Schneider
Electric Foundation in Paris to follow the files. I was on location recently in
the province of Aceh (Indonesia) that was particularly hard hit.
Reconstruction is just starting. People were still living in tents. We will be
returning soon to visit the initial construction work.”
For more:
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