Cartamundi - Cartamundi Global Fund announces results of first project call

“Together with the @King Baudouin Foundation, we want to support initiatives that strengthen the (mental) health of children and adolescents, their education and sociability”, says Ana Carolina Gonçalves, EVP of Cartamundi Latin America. “And that’s exactly what these projects do.”

“We’re excited about helping these organizations on their journeys,” adds Bruno Vanobbergen, CEO of the Flemish Agency for Growing Up (Vlaams Agentschap Opgroeien) and independent chairman to the Cartamundi Global Fund. “We hope to meet them in a long-term relationship. And we look forward to contributing to the future of young people around the world.”

Determined to be at the heart of the communities Cartamundi operates in, the projects we support are based in seven countries, on four continents:

SOS Children’s Village, Belgium – In the recent lockdowns, the children of the SOS Children’s Village in Marche-en-Famenne were particularly limited in their play options. The organization wants to develop its range.
Ceifar, Brazil – This project aims to build a recreational park in Ceifar where children are educated through (outdoor) games and activities. Ceifar also wants to stimulate and promote environmental concerns as a means to encouraging responsible citizenship.
Viela, Brazil – The young people in the Jardim Ibirapuera community of São Paolo are extremely socially vulnerable. ‘Project Spark Tech’ improves their future options by sparking their interest in technology through a hands-on course.
Fondation Action Enfance, France – This organization wants to create a new playground in their care center in Amboise, creating a safe place for young people to get together and improve their social and motor skills.
Rescue, Germany – This organization wants to empower young people in the Leipzig area with a refugee background, especially adolescent girls. Group meetings will be organized to strengthen the girls’ self-confidence and to teach them how to deal with stress.
Grundschule Altikirche, Germany – This project wants to provide open education to all children of the Altenburg-based elementary school, especially those whose families are unable to assist them in their education. The idea is to open a library that provides reading materials to encourage children of all backgrounds to read.
World Toilet Organization, India – Around 1.4 million Indian schools do not have adequate sanitation facilities. This organization’s aim is to build toilets in schools (based in the Valsad district of Gujarat, near our production facilities) and provide hygiene training to the management and students of the school.
Pieta House, Ireland – The Pieta House helpline team supports teenagers who experience suicidal thoughts, engage in self-harm or who have been bereaved by suicide. The CGF’s funding will be used to expand the helpline activities.
Big Brothers Big Sisters, USA – For over 50 years Big Brothers Big Sisters has been pairing children with adult mentors. The organization’s aim is to create lasting friendships and empower every child to fulfill their potential.

Once the first call for applications closed in September, the Cartamundi Global Fund’s Management Committee carefully examined each project.

“An objective and transparent selection process is vital to us,” says An Christiaen, Global CSR Manager at Cartamundi. “That’s why we assessed every project against a specific set of criteria. Following that assessment, we asked our employees to vote for their favorite initiative. We want each project to be widely supported within the company as well.”

To ensure an objective approach, the committee is deliberately diverse: it includes three Cartamundi employees (Ana Carolina Gonçalves, An Christiaen and Lisa Kenneally), representatives of the King Baudouin Foundation and independent chairman Bruno Vanobbergen. Brazilian sustainability consultant Haroldo Torres also reviewed the submissions.

The chosen projects will benefit from the support of the Cartamundi Global Fund throughout the next 12 months. The second call for applications will be launched in September 2022. The new projects to be supported will be announced in October 2022.
Do you want to send in a project? Fill in this form here!

At Cartamundi, we are the worldwide leader in ‘play’ solutions. Our team of 2,900 employees is united in delivering our common purpose of ‘Sharing the Magic of Playing Together’. The opportunity to ‘play’ gives us all the ability to connect, de-stress and learn something new. We are promoting ‘play’ through our extensive global portfolio of (playing) card brands, while in unison, our continuous investments towards manufacturing and innovating in new and exciting ways to bring ideas to life never cease.

Cartamundi’s goal is to make sustainability the common thread running through everything we do. Just like good neighbors, Cartamundi cares for its people, the environment and the communities in which the company operates. Its priorities extend from building an inclusive working environment and supporting charities and NGOs to investing in sustainable products and manufacturing processes.

The Cartamundi Global Fund, a collaborative effort with the King Baudouin Foundation, is guided by the mission ‘Sharing the Magic of Caring for People’. The fund focuses on projects that contribute to better (mental) health, social cohesion and education for children aged 1 to 18 years. And work towards a bright future for the generations to come.

Learn more about what we do at https://cartamundi.com/en/corporate-social-responsibility/.