APC 2006 Annual Report Download - page 85

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2006 audited indicators
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Schneider Electric and its employees were deeply
involved in helping the local population recover after
the unprecedented natural disaster that hit South-
east Asia on December 26, 2004. The corporate
community collected 2,861,686 for disaster relief,
of which 658,821 from employees, and also donat-
ed equipment and services.
These resources were used to fund several projects
in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand, with a
focus on daily necessities.
Each project is tracked by the Schneider Electric
Foundation and local partners on the ground.
Most of the projects backed by the Foundation were
inaugurated in 2006. Some 70% were completed by
end-2006 and 89% will be finished by February
2007.
Examples
> In Indonesia, four schools were inaugurated in
July 2006 in Meulaboh and Banda Aceh, two com-
munities devastated by the tsunami. More than 800
children were able to move out of temporary tent-
schools into the brand new facilities in time for the
new school year.
> In Thailand, the Baan Hin Lad School was rebuilt
and expanded thanks to support from the Schneider
Electric Foundation and the World Vision Foundation
of Thailand. A three-storey building with 18 class-
rooms was rebuilt to house the largest number of
schoolchildren possible, in particular those whose
school had been destroyed by the 2004 tsunami.
The primary, middle and high school complex in
Phang Nga province has capacity for 646 students.
Schneider Electric’ tsunami solidarity drive,
launched in 2005, includes three programs:
1. Emergency response: purchase of ambulances,
equipment for emergency housing and shelter and
basic necessities, and installation of mobile water
treatment units.
2. Donation of equipment and services to restore
drinking water and electricity in cooperation with
partners: more than 770,000 is available for distri-
bution depending on local needs and the suitability
of proposed programs. These donations fall within
the scope of the 385,000 target set out in the
Group’s new2company program.
3. Reconstruction (primarily of schools and
orphanages): projects to build or help build 12
schools, equip a training center, an orphanage and
a medical center.
Tsunami in Southeast Asia:
Schneider Electric’s involvement in reconstruction
A Foundation to encourage
action and federate energies
One of the Schneider Electric Youth Opportunities
Foundation’s flagship programs is the Luli internation-
al mobilization campaign. Launched in 2002, the annu-
al campaign raises awareness among the Schneider
Electric workforce around the world and encourages
employees to participate in the Foundation’s programs.
The theme for Luli 2006 was “bringing young people
into society through sports”. A competition to forecast
the results of the soccer World Cup called “Luli Foot”
was organized on the intranet for the benefit of local
associations in each country, with matching funds
donated to five international associations.
Along with this federating competition, the campaign
called on team members to:
Marshall their talents to organize an event that would
bring together the largest number of employees possi-
ble so as to raise awareness about the issues support-
ed by the sponsored association.
Support the projects presented by the associations
with time and money, through lasting partnerships.
More than 75% of the Group’s sites participated,
providing support for 205 associations.
Long-term commitments
The Foundation and Schneider Electric volunteers
support association-led projects over the long term.
In France, for example, representatives from the Car-
ros site organize an annual event to collect funds for
Institut Rossetti, an association that provides person-
alized assistance and material, educational and para-
medical support to children who cannot study in the
traditional school system.
In Mexico, Schneider Electric’s local subsidiary organ-
ized and sponsored a multi-sports competition for dis-
abled children in 2006 with its 25 leading distributors
and ten largest suppliers.
In the United States, the Schneider Electric/Square D
Foundation supports initiatives in the areas of educa-
tion, social inclusion, healthcare and culture. Created
in 1953, it supports hundreds of projects each year
from a budget corresponding to 1.5% of Square D’s
net earnings from the previous year. In 2006, the budg-
et amounted to $3 million. More than 40% of these pro-
jects are related to education. One of the Schneider
Electric/Square D Foundation’s headline actions is the
matching gift program, through which the Company
matches employee donations to the association of
their choice. In all, 3,351 employees have participated
in the program over the past four years.