17. Jun. 2020
On 4 June, the Board of Directors of the Grundfos Foundation awarded 10 new Poul Due Jensen Community Engagement Grants for local project partnerships involving Grundfos companies around the world . The donations of 2.7m DKK mean the Foundation has now allocated 4.3m DKK of the 20m DKK grant framework agreed earlier this year.
Almost half of the funds (1.3m DKK) have been allocated to four outreach projects in Africa:
- GiveBackGhana, Ghana: DKK 147.000 | GiveBackGhana and Grundfos Ghana will provide food and sanitation boxes to families living in the informal settlement Agbobloshie in Accra, where migrants from rural Ghana have settled. Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the city is in lockdown and many people are soon to be without the most basic essentials. Grundfos is also involved in building water entrepreneurship in the area.
Food supplies from GiveBackGhana. Photo: Tom Russell
- National Business Initiative (NBI), South Africa: DKK 602.000 | NBI will install 200 public and 10,000 home hand-washing facilities in the informal settlements Daveyton, Thokoza, Katlehong and Boksburg near Johannesburg in the Gauteng Province, to help reduce the infection rate thus protecting vulnerable groups, critical services and the economy as a whole. More about NBI ‘s pandemic response.
- Genesis Trust, South Africa, DKK 213.000 | Through its Safe Place programme, Genesis Trust will distribute a month’s emergency food supplies to 570 vulnerable families in Port Shepstone on the eastern coast of South Africa. The families suffer from the economic impact of the coronavirus lockdown.
"Many breadwinners have been unable to go to work and those seeking part-time work have been unable do so. Schools have been closed and with them the feeding schemes that operated to provide at least one nutritious meal a day to learners from poor families. To many children from indigent families it was the only meal that they received during the school week."
Johann Bester, Chairman of Genesis Trust
- ACE Charity, Nigeria, DKK 321.000 | ACE Radio School reaches out to poor students in the north of Nigeria who, due to the closure of education institutions, have no way of continuing their studies. ACE Radio School helps bridge that gap for less fortunate students. The grant will contribute to securing radio air time slots for three months, three times weekly for 30 minutes each. More about ACE Radio School
Americas
DKK 715,000 have been donated toward one project in the Americas:
- Brookwood Community, USA, DKK 715.000 (USD 105,000) | The Brookwood Community in Brookshire, Texas provides an educational environment that creates meaningful jobs, builds a sense of belonging, and demands dignity and respect for adults with disabilities. Brookwood Community has been severely hit by the coronavirus lockdown, cutting off its main funding sources: its cafe and the annual gala fundraiser. The Community hosts approximately 110 residential adults who are functionally disabled and live at Brookwood 24/7 and another 80+ adults who participate in their day program. The residents of Brookwood Community regularly assemble small o-ring kits for Grundfos in the workshop. More about Brookwood Community
Asia-Pacific
DKK 180,000 have been granted toward projects in the Asia-Pacific Region:
- ACT Foundation, Indonesia, DKK 35.000 | The grant will cover a donation of personal protective equipment (PPE) to the frontline staff of two COVID-19 referral hospitals in Jakarta: Persahabatan Hospital and Tarakan Hospital. More about ACT Foundation
- Hand in Hand India, India, DKK 145.000 | 180 households from Vadsar and 450 households from Moti Bhoyan near Grundfos’ factory in Dantali live below the poverty line, are differently abled or widowed/less privileged. The households will receive food kits lasting them a month to avoid venturing outside for food or ration. Face masks and disinfectant soap will also be provided to all the households, thus reducing the risk of catching the virus. More about Hand In Hand India
Hand In Hand India distributes supplies to underprivileged families at Karapakkam School, India. Photo: Hand in Hand India
Europe
In Europe, three projects have received grants totaling 693,250 DKK:
- The Patient Care Foundation (A Betegápolásért Alapítvány), Hungary, DKK 425.000 | The grant will provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to 400 frontline staff of Szent György University Teaching Hospital of Fejér County. More about the Patient Care Foundation (in Hungarian)
- House for Seniors (Domov Slunečnice Ostrava), Czech Republic, DKK 32.250 | The grant will cover installation of equipment to ensure clean water without any bacteria. Clean water will improve the immunity of seniors and subsequently increase resistance of Covid-19. The situation with water is critical in Slunečnice, so they need a solution very quickly. More about House of Seniors (in Czech)
- Residential care institution “Kulina”, Serbia DKK 236.000 | Kulina is an mental care institution located at the foot of the mountain Mali Jastrebace in Serbia, faced with closing due to the pollution of the environment and discharge of wastewater into the mountain river. The project will improve the safety of the beneficiaries, employees and the local community through installation a new water treatment system and a a pump with a suitable water pressure.
