The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development explicitly recognises volunteer groups as stakeholders to achieve the UN’s 17 SDGs (sustainable development goals). “Volunteerism strengthens civic engagement, safeguards social inclusion, deepens solidarity and solidifies ownership of development results”.
It is also a sentiment that is ingrained in the Schneider Electric Foundation’s VolunteerIn programme which, according to Schneider Electric’s recently released Schneider Sustainability Impact (SSI) report, saw employees completing more than 17,000 volunteering days globally in 2023.
In South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria, employees contributed more than 460 days last year to the global tally, indicating their ongoing commitment to the VolunteerIn programme which has, since its inception in 2012, forged over 20 partnerships with NGOs worldwide.
Recently, the company has, in partnership with Enactus, the world’s largest experiential learning platform, launched a mentorship programme that sees close to 80 university student leaders mentored by Schneider Electric employees including key leadership team members across the Anglophone Africa region.
“The Schneider Electric Foundation’s VolunteerIn programme provides the perfect platform for our employees to give back in the most tangible ways possible. This impact programme offers various volunteering channels such as mentorship, skills development, a helping hand and contribution to meaningful initiatives at local partners,” says Carina van Zyl
Corporate Citizenship Leader, Anglophone Africa at Schneider Electric.
In South Africa, for example, Schneider Electric’s VolunteerIn programme supports NGOs such as Rays of Hope in Alexandra and the Pastoral Centre Pre-school and Crèche in Kliptown, Soweto, as well as Emthonjeni Community Centre in Zandspruit, all in Gauteng. The programme also provides great opportunity for employees to provide technical and soft skills training at the company’s education partners in Southern Africa, East Africa and West Africa.
The Schneider Electric Foundation contributes to the SSI programme which is in line with the UN’s SDGs. It focuses on training and empowering one million young people by 2025, providing skills and entrepreneurial opportunities that benefit both the youngsters themselves and their local communities.
Schneider Electric