BESIX Foundation celebrates 15th anniversary

BESIX is proud to be celebrating BESIX Foundation’s 15th anniversary in 2024. BESIX Foundation is a private foundation set up by BESIX Group in 2009 to celebrate the company’s 100th anniversary. Education, Construction, and Environment are the pillars of BESIX Foundation’s mission.

One of the foundation’s actions is to support charities by giving them financial support so they can achieve their goals. Since its creation, the foundation has financed 370 projects for a total budget of 5 million euros, among which Ecoplast in Ivory Coast, Via Don Bosco in Cameroon, Manzil in the UAE, or Face For Children in Egypt.

Solidarity Days

The foundation also encourages volunteer work among BESIX Group’s employees. During the foundation’s 15 years of existence, almost 20,000 BESIX volunteers participated in one or more of the 348 activities organised by the foundation on the 4 continents where the BESIX Group is active. For the past 12 years, for example, BESIX Foundation volunteers have been helping the ‘Opération Thermos Operatie’, a non-profit organisation preparing and serving hot meals to the homeless in Brussels every evening during colder months. For the past 11 years, a sister association has been doing the same in Liège with the help of local BESIX volunteers. In the Emirates, BESIX Middle East colleagues work together with Mahaweb and Manzil, two associations helping disabled people through volunteering and skills sponsorship.

BESIX Foundation’s ‘home-made’ solidarity projects

Through the years, BESIX Foundation has also ventured to set up initiatives of its own:

• The BESIX CleanUp Day is an initiative organised by the Foundation, together with the Group’s Health & Safety teams, where BESIX volunteers roll up their sleeves and collect waste in the public spaces around their sites and offices. Last September, some 6,000 colleagues collected more than 11 tonnes of litter in 33 locations on four continents during the CleanUp Day, contributing to a cleaner, safer, and more sustainable world. The purpose is similar with the River CleanUp where volunteers gather every year to clean up a river in Belgium or with the Beach CleanUp in the Middle East.

• ‘KiddyBuild’, one of the Foundation’s flagship home-made projects, allows underprivileged primary school children to discover the various trades required to get a building off the ground. Enthusiastic BESIX volunteers give them an interactive workshop on the ins and outs of the construction world, using a patented board game called ‘Construction Heroes’, or guide them on a construction site with practical workshops. So far, 31 in-class sessions have taken place and 43 building sites were explored for the benefit of more than 3,000 youngsters.

• Right2Learn is a programme in which volunteers provide computer courses to our workers living far from home, enabling them to communicate with their loved ones digitally to exchange e-mails, photos, or even call for free. They also organise English lessons. So far, some 1,200 workers have been able to benefit from this programme in Georgia and the Middle East.

Frédéric de Schrevel, BESIX Foundation Chairman: “The BESIX Foundation’s achievements for the last fantastic 15 years illustrate so beautifully and year after year the Group’s and its staff’s capacity to get largely mobilised around societal initiatives. I am always moved by the enthusiastic availability of so many of our colleagues, it feels like a continuous miracle for 15 years! Our impact is set to grow even stronger in 2024, solidifying our dedication to education, environmental stewardship, and sustainable construction. We heartily encourage our team members to persist as active ambassadors of the BESIX Foundation. Through their involvement in our initiatives, they can take pride in contributing to a world that's not only better but cleaner and more sustainable as well.”

Donatienne de Spirlet, BESIX Foundation Executive Officer: “So many places and times when colleagues, and often their loved ones, have lent a hand to a good cause! I thank all volunteers for contributing to this great adventure, they truly make it happen! This recognition is also on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of people who have been helped since 2009”.

BESIX Group is dedicated to creating a safer and greener planet and building a better place to live in. The aim is to surpass legal requirements in the social (People), environmental (Planet), and economic (Growth) domains. The Foundation, along with its volunteers, plays a significant role in advancing this mission.

More information on www.besixfoundation.com.