L-R: Patrick Fava (AEIN); Françoise Binsfeld (AEIN); Amira Hellal (Foyer); Benoît Dourte (Foyer); Credit: Foyer

Luxembourg-based financial group Foyer recently strengthened its support for local non-profit Aide à l'Enfance de l'Inde et du Népal (AEIN) with a donation of over €21,500.

On 27 May 2021, Benoît Dourte, Foyer's Human Resources Director, and Amira Hellal, coordinator of Foyer's CSR Humanitarian Working Group, presented a cheque for €21,575 to Françoise Binsfeld, AEIN Director, and Patrick Fava, AEIN Administrative and Financial Manager. This financial support, which is the result of an auction of objects and furniture to Foyer staff, forms part of an ongoing partnership between the group and the NGO.

Since June 2020, Foyer and AEIN have been partners in a long-term development project in the field of education and youth, focused on the reconstruction of a school in a rural community in Nepal affected by the 2015 earthquakes.

The project does not stop there, however, and includes other aspects such as teacher training, awareness-raising for parents on children's rights, training in sustainable agriculture, promotion of entrepreneurship and the creation of a cooperative, all with the aim of giving the community the means to make the project sustainable over time, and, in the long term, to become an actor in its own development.

In addition to its own resources, AEIN has received financial support from Luxembourg's Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs since 2005, through the means of an “accord cadre”. On 3 February 2021, AEIN renewed its cooperation agreement with the ministry and once again benefits from its co-financing of up to 80% for its projects in Nepal. 

In search of a meaningful humanitarian project as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy, Foyer was seduced by AEIN's programme and enthusiasm. This is how the partnership was born, initially based on support in the form of skills sponsorship made available to the NGO by Foyer employees. To go one step further and involve all employees in the partnership, Foyer has also set up a micro-donation system on salaries, the Payroll Giving, allowing voluntary employees to make a monthly micro-donation of their salary to the partner NGO, which is a member of the Payroll Giving Luxembourg Consortium.

Benoît Dourte commented: "Especially in this exceptional health period, Foyer Group is delighted to participate in this project alongside the NGO AEIN, by helping these underprivileged people, who have been very hard hit by the crisis". 

This latest donation completes these actions, with a view to a long-term partnership between the financial group and the NGO.

Françoise Binsfeld concluded: "It is quite rare to receive this kind of help from a company like Foyer Group. We hope that others will take up the example and trigger or facilitate the implementation of other projects and contribute to the objectives of sustainable development!"