Solidarity is at the very heart of the Group’s concerns. It is closely tied to its involvement wherever the Group is present throughout the world and may be witnessed by its actions to help the most impoverished populations and to further social integration.
Solidarity and the fight against exclusion
With this goal in mind, the Group has partnered with SAMU Social and Emmaüs, two associations dedicated to the fight against exclusion and poverty. GDF SUEZ supports them in their actions to help persons in situations of extreme poverty, great distress, or neglect, first through a network of emergency help, followed by assistance with social integration through economic activity via recovery.
As a partner in the “Talents des cités” competition, GDF SUEZ is helping to develop start-up initiatives by young entrepreneurs from priority urban areas. This competition, which was initiated in 2002 by the Ministry of Employment, Social Cohesion, and Housing and by the French Senate, gives everyone who wants to create or develop his or her project the opportunity to use all available private and public funding for job creation. In 2008, 40 talented individuals received awards, and Camel Alidra, the young founder of Alter Eco, a low energy use housing renovation company, received the GDF SUEZ award for that year.
| GDF SUEZ, a PlaNet Finance Partner | |
The Group supports several projects initiated by PlaNet Finance in France and abroad: - “Microfinance and renewable energy” is striving to improve the living conditions for the inhabitants of Tongwei County, China, by helping them gain easier access to energy equipment, especially biogas, through microcredit.
- “Entreprendre en banlieue” (“Business in the suburbs”) is making thousands of people more aware of business creation in lower-income neighbourhoods. Thanks to the creation of micro-entrepreneur awareness and support association (ADAM) networks, it became possible to prepare potential young entrepreneurs to create businesses via microfinancing.
- FinanCités is a risk capital company whose mission is to support the smallest local businesses by giving them additional financing at a crucial stage of their development.
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Solidarity and children in distress
Through the foundation it created, GDF SUEZ is working side by side with children in distress through projects that demonstrate its commitment and support for several activities over the long term to help children and youth who are ill, victims of AIDS, or in great economic need in France and the countries where the Group is present.
In France, the Group focuses its aid on sick children and supports actions that make hospital stays more bearable or provide easier access to recreation. Recently, it has undertaken educational initiatives for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Internationally, GDF SUEZ is involved in countries where the Group is present. It helps children who live in insecure environments, such as those living in the streets or in slums and those affected by AIDS.
Solidarity and social integration through sports
As part of its corporate patronage and sponsorship policy and through its foundation, the Group is deepening its sports commitments via concrete, sustainable actions of solidarity and social integration in low-income neighbourhoods and rural areas.
Soccer: Shared values
GDF SUEZ shares the commitment, convictions, and values of the Fondation du Football, and the company has been helping the foundation in its initiatives since it was created on 27 February 2008. In this way, the Group hopes to promote the fundamental values of sport: respect, tolerance, exchange, solidarity, and conviviality.
Overcoming disabilities
Through its partnership with Cécifoot since April 2008, GDF SUEZ has made a commitment to promote the development of the sport, to make its employees more aware of disabilities through Cécifoot demonstrations, and to aid and advise blind and visually impaired players on how to become better integrated into the workplace.
| “Un but pour l’emploi, un but pour la vie” (“A goal for employment, a goal for life”) | |
| Through its partnership with the Fédération Française de Football since its creation in February 2008, GDF SUEZ has been supporting its actions with the goal of promoting diversity, equality, and the fight against discrimination. Out of this desire, the operation “Un but pour l’emploi, un but pour la vie” was created to help youth from disadvantaged neighbourhoods. It offers on-the-job training that will help them get a permanent job in a company. |
Tennis: Overcoming obstacles to gain self-respect
GDF SUEZ is also present on the tennis courts through partnerships with:
- “Fête le mur”, the association created by Yannick Noah, whose goal is to enable young people from low-income neighbourhoods to practice tennis and realize their full potential in the sport, through the values of high goals, respect, and solidarity.
- “Tennis en liberté”, whose goal is to teach children from low-income neighbourhoods the values of tennis by organizing activities in clubs with top-flight athletes such as Isabelle Demongeot, the founder of the association.
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